["Pomp and Circumstance"]
Turn to song 364.
["Pomp and Circumstance"]
On that Sunday, if you've been thinking about somebody you'd like to invite to church,
maybe a coworker or a neighbor or a family member,
the best time to invite people to church is at our big days.
So I Love My Church Sunday is just right around the corner, Sunday, February 12th.
We're going to have bags of pink vanilla and caramel Valentine's Day popcorn
for every family in attendance.
And the choir is going to be singing in the morning.
And we're going to have a potluck in the evening.
So we want to encourage you to be here and make plans to attend.
And along with that, next Sunday night, if you'd like to help us,
we have some mailers that we need to get together for I Love My Church Sunday.
And if you're able to help us on Sunday, January 29th,
immediately after the evening service in the fellowship hall,
if you could help us knock out some mailers, we would really appreciate your help.
And of course, we have choir practice today at 5 p.m.
and they're practicing for I Love My Church Sunday.
Homeschool group, they've got PE class on Thursday, February 2nd at 10 a.m.
And then Valentine's Day party on Tuesday, February 14th at 11 a.m. here at the church building.
Upcoming cleaning crew, you can check for your name there.
There's other things there for you to look at.
Please don't forget to turn your cell phones off or place them on silent during the service
so that they're not a distraction to anybody.
If you look at the back of the bulletin, birthdays and anniversaries for the month of January.
And today is my dad's birthday, Felix Jimenez, on January 22nd.
And my parents are both in Venezuela right now.
But happy birthday to them if they're watching on livestream or happy birthday to my dad.
And Michael Beals' birthday is tomorrow, January 23rd.
Oliver Gonzalez II has a birthday on January 23rd.
Joe Maples II has a birthday on January 23rd.
Edgar De Dios II has a birthday on January 24th.
And Ms. Andrea McQueen has a birthday on January 25th.
Praise Report, Money Matters, all those things are there for you to look at.
And I think that's it for all of the announcements.
So we're going to go ahead and sing the chorus of the week as we prepare to receive the offering this morning.
And we're going to sing I'm Standing on the Solid Rock.
And let's go ahead and sing it out on the first.
It's a happy song, so you've got to sing it like you're saved, all right?
On the first, through my disappointment, strife and discontent,
I cast my every care on the board.
No matter what obsession, pain or decompression,
I'm standing on the solid rock.
I'm standing on the rock of ages,
safe from all the storms that rages,
rich but not from Satan's wages.
I'm standing on the solid rock.
Good singing out on the second.
Even though he's gone now, I don't feel alone now.
I'm standing on the solid rock.
Now I'm pressing onward.
Each step leads me onward.
I'm close within my secret name, my name.
And closes our relation,
furthest in formation.
I'm standing on the solid rock, all safe.
I'm standing on the rock of ages,
safe from all the storms that rages,
but not from Satan's wages.
I'm standing on the solid rock.
Amen. Good singing.
We'll have the guys come up and help us with the offering at this time.
And let's go ahead and bow our heads and have a word of prayer.
Heavenly Father, Lord, we do thank you for allowing us to gather together today.
Lord, we pray that you bless the offering, the gift, and the giver.
We pray, Lord, that you would bless the time that we have set aside for the preaching of your word.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Amen.
Turn your Bibles to Ephesians, Chapter 5.
Ephesians, Chapter 5.
If you do not have a Bible, raise your hand and an usher will bring you one.
Ephesians, Chapter 5.
We will read the entire chapter as our custom.
Ephesians, Chapter 5.
Just keep your hands up and an usher will bring you a Bible.
Ephesians, Chapter 5.
The Bible reads, be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children, and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us,
and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet, swelling savor.
But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not be once named among you as become a saint.
Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient, but rather giving of thanks.
For this ye know that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an adulterer,
hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Let no man deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Be not ye therefore partakers with them, for ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord.
Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth,
proving what is acceptable unto the Lord, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
For it is a shame even to speak of these things which are done of them in secret,
but all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light, for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
See then ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is,
and be not drunk with wine, wherein as excess, but be filled with the Spirit,
speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife,
even as Christ is the head of the church, and he is the savior of the body.
Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it,
that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of the water by the word,
that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing,
but that it should be holy and without blemish.
So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
For no man ever hath hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church.
For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife,
and they too shall be one flesh.
This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular shall love his wife, even as himself,
and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
Let's pray.
Lord God Almighty, thank you for this day.
Thank you for this opportunity to come together.
Please bless Pastor and the message.
Let it bring glory and honor to you.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
Amen.
Alright, well we're there in Ephesians, chapter number 5.
And of course this morning we are continuing a sermon series we began a couple of weeks ago on the subject of judgment.
And we've been learning about judgment.
And if you remember, a couple of weeks ago, we began with a sermon entitled The Theology of Judgment.
And it was really just kind of an overview on the doctrinal position and the biblical teachings on the subject of judgment.
We talked about how judgment has a couple of different synonyms that help us understand or define judgment.
One is justice, that is what is right and, excuse me, that is who is right and who is wrong.
And the other was discernment, that is what is right and what is wrong.
Last week I preached a sermon called Developing Discernment and we focused in on this idea of discernment.
And last week's sermon, if you were here, if you heard it or if you caught it online, had the potential to solve most of, if not all of, your personal problems.
This morning I'm preaching a sermon entitled Areas of Authority.
And like last week's sermon had the potential of solving most of your personal problems if you take heed to it, if you listen to it, you apply it to your life.
This morning's sermon on the subject of areas of authority has the potential, if you were to listen to it and to learn it and to internalize it and apply it to your life,
it has the potential to solve most of, if not all of, the problems that our church has.
And of course all churches have problems because all churches are made up of sinners.
But if we could understand this idea, what I'm going to do my best to express to you this morning, of areas of authority,
I think it would solve most of the problems that we have within a congregation.
I want to begin this morning by just, by way of introduction, giving the statement and proving it from the Word of God.
And it is this, that there is a such thing as God-given authority.
God has created different institutions and within those institutions He has given authority and there is a such thing as God-given authority.
God is not an anarchist. The Bible is not an anarchist-type book.
God has structure and God has given authority. Let me just by way of introduction just kind of run through some of these things
and some of these biblical areas where God has given authority.
The first we see here in Ephesians 5 and it is the husband over the wife.
The husband over the wife or the husband over the household.
God has given authority. God created an institution called the home, called the family,
and He gave authority in that institution that the husband is to be in charge.
He is the one to rule the home and He is the one to give judgment.
The husband over the wife and household is a God-given area of authority.
I realize that is not popular today. People don't like to hear that but it's the truth and it's what the Bible says.
In Ephesians 5 22 the Bible says this,
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands.
The word submit there means to come under the authority up to yield your will to your own husbands as unto the Lord.
Notice verse 23, for the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church and he is the savior of the body.
So there is a such thing as God-given authority.
God has given the authority of the home and of the household to the husband over the wife and over the household in general.
But that's not it. You're there in Ephesians 5. Flip over if you would.
Do me a favor, put a ribbon or a bookmark or something there in Ephesians because we're going to leave it and we're going to come back to it.
And we're going to look at a lot of passages this morning so I'd like you to be able to move quickly if you can.
Go to Ephesians chapter number 6.
If you're there in Ephesians 5, just flip over to Ephesians chapter 6.
Let me give you another area of God-given authority and that is the parents over the children.
The parents over the children is an area of God-given authority.
Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 1, the Bible says,
Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right.
The Bible teaches that when children are in the home and they are under the authority of their parents that they should obey their parents.
The words obey and the words submit are used interchangeably in Scripture.
It means to come under the authority of, to yield your will to.
Children should obey your parents in the Lord for this is right.
That is the God-given authority that God has given to parents that children are to obey them when they are in the home before they are married.
Go to Ephesians chapter 6 and look at verse number 5.
Let me give you a third area of God-given authority and that is the employer over the employees.
The employer or the boss over the employees, Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 5.
The Bible says servants and this word servants here can be applied in our modern way of thinking as a worker or as an employee.
Servants, notice what the Bible says, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh.
The Bible says that your master according to your flesh would be the person in charge, the boss, the guy that's giving, making the rules.
And the Bible says that workers, servants are to be obedient to come under the authority of them that are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling and singleness of your heart as unto Christ.
So I just want you to see that there is a such thing as biblical God-given authority where the Bible teaches that wives are to submit to their husbands and children are to submit to their parents
and servants are to submit to their masters or workers to their bosses, employees to their employers.
Keep your place there in Ephesians. We're going to come back to it.
Go with me to the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 13.
Keep your place in Ephesians and if you start at the end of the New Testament and you go backwards, you've got the book of Revelation, Jude, 3rd, 2nd and 1st John, 2nd and 1st Peter, James and then the book of Hebrews.
Revelation, Jude, 3rd, 2nd and 1st John, 2nd and 1st Peter, James and then Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 13.
And do me a favor when you get to Hebrews, put a ribbon or a bookmark or a bullet or something there because we're going to leave it and we're going to come back to it.
So I'd like you to keep your place in Ephesians and I'd like you to keep your place in Hebrews so that we can get back to those quickly later on in the sermon, Hebrews chapter 13.
Here's another area of God-given authority, the pastor over the congregation.
The pastor over the congregation, Hebrews 13 and verse 7, the Bible says,
Remember them which have the rule over you. The rule is the one who's given the authority to rule, other places referred to as a ruler, other places as a bishop.
Remember them which have the rule over you who have spoken unto you the word of God.
You say, how do you know this is about a pastor? Because the pastor is the one that is speaking unto you the word of God.
I've spent the last seven minutes speaking unto you the word of God whose faith follow considering the end of their conversation.
So the Bible teaches here that you are to remember them which have the rule over you who have spoken unto you the word of God.
Look at verse 17, same chapter, Hebrews chapter 13 and verse number 17.
Notice what the Bible says, Obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves.
Again, this is the context of the pastor. Why? For they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you.
In Acts, the Bible says that the bishop has been made the overseer over the congregation.
So we see that the pastor over the congregation is an area of God-given authority.
You're there in Hebrews, go to 1 Peter. Keep your place in Hebrews and go to 1 Peter chapter number 2.
If you're in Hebrews, you're going to go past the book of James into the book of 1 Peter.
You're keeping your place in Ephesians and in Hebrews but go to 1 Peter chapter number 2.
Hebrews, James, 1 Peter. Let me give you another area of God-given authority.
And I want to just begin by just making it clear that there is a such thing as God-given authority.
Because today we have a very rebellious society who wants to say that there are no areas of authority.
No, there are God-given areas of authority. The husband is over the wife and the household.
The parents are over the children. The employers are over the employees.
The pastor is over the congregation. And let me give you a fifth one.
The government, and I realize this is not going to go over well with all of our conspiracy theorist people out there.
But the government has been given God-given authority over the citizens.
Government over the citizens. 1 Peter chapter number 2.
1 Peter chapter number 2 and verse 13. There are already people emailing me things
that they shouldn't be emailing if they would just listen to the entire sermon.
1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 13. The Bible says,
Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man. Why should you do that? For the Lord's sake.
Why? Because it is the Lord that instituted human government.
God created three institutions. The home, the church, and human government.
Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake.
You say, well how do you know that's talking about political?
Well notice what he says, whether it be to the king as supreme or unto governors
as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers
and for the praise of them that do well.
So obviously we don't believe that government is supposed to have all authority.
We understand that but the Bible does teach that government and human government
was instituted by God and that we are to submit to every ordinance of man
whether it's to the king as supreme or unto governors
as unto sent by him for the punishment of evildoers.
So we are to submit to human government.
We are not supposed to be anarchists with no human authority over us.
Keep your place in Hebrews and go with me to the book of Romans.
If you kept your place in Ephesians, from Ephesians go backwards to Romans.
So from Ephesians you're going to go past Galatians, past 2nd and 1st Corinthians
into the book of Romans. Romans chapter number 13.
Do me a favor, keep your place in Romans now.
You can lose your place in Ephesians. Keep your place in Romans.
Keep your place in Hebrews. Romans chapter 13.
Let me just give you another passage regarding government. Romans chapter 13 and verse 1.
The Bible says that every soul be subject unto the higher powers
for there is no power but of God.
The powers that be are ordained of God.
Whosoever resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God
and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
So I want you to notice that there is a such thing as God given authority.
God has given authority to the husband over the wife in the household,
to the parents over the children that are in their household,
to the employer over the employees, to the pastor over the congregation,
to the government over the citizens.
I hope that's clear that there is a such thing as God given authority.
Now I said all that by introduction just to make the point
and to make sure we're all on the same page and understand
that there is a such thing as God given authority.
Now when it comes to these areas of authority,
we have to understand that there are some biblical principles
and guidelines to guide those authorities.
And what I'd like to do is give you four statements this morning
regarding areas of authority.
And if you have a place to take notes, if you've got a notebook
or on the back of your course of the week, maybe you can jot these down.
I would encourage you to jot these down
and I would encourage you to learn these four principles.
I'm going to give you these four statements, learn them, memorize them,
internalize them, because they'll solve a lot of problems
within a congregation and within the church.
Keep your place there in Romans and keep your place in Hebrews.
And if you would, go with me to the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy chapter number one.
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy chapter number one.
Let me give you four statements this morning.
And if you'd like, you can write these down.
Number one, those who have God given authority.
Those who have God given authority
need to understand that there is a limit to their authority.
Those who have God given authority.
I just gave you a whole list of areas where God has given authority.
The husband over the wife in the household,
the parents over the children, the employer over the employees,
the pastor over the congregation, the government over the citizens.
Those that have been given authority by God in any area of life
need to understand that there is a limit to their authority.
You are given authority based off ability.
Deuteronomy chapter one, verse 13.
Notice what the Bible says.
Take you wise men.
This is, of course, the nation of Israel and Moses as the leader,
saying take you wise men and understanding and known among your tribes
and I will make them rulers over you.
And ye answered and said,
The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.
Verse 15.
So I took the chief of your tribes,
notice, wise men and known,
and made them heads over you.
Captains over thousands and captains over hundreds
and captains over fifties and captains over tens
and officers among your tribes.
I want you to notice that generally speaking,
you are given authority based on ability.
If they make you the manager at work,
it's supposed to be because of your ability.
If they make you the boss at work,
it's supposed to be because of your ability.
If they make you the pastor of the church,
it's supposed to be because you've met some qualifications,
because you rule your house well,
because you're apt to teach.
You're supposed to be given authority based on ability.
But here's what I want you to understand.
That no one is given authority over everything.
There are limits to authority.
Those who have God given authority need to understand
that there is a limit to their authority.
Though you are given authority based on ability,
no one is given authority over everything.
And notice it again there in verse 15.
Notice what Moses says to these leaders,
these rulers, these judges that he is ordaining over the congregation.
The Bible says, so I took the chief of your tribes,
wise men and known,
and made them heads over you.
Made them rulers, made them leaders, made them judges.
But notice what he says, captains over thousands,
captains over hundreds, captains over fifties,
and captains over tens, officers among your tribes.
And I charged your judges at that time saying,
notice he's talking to the leaders because the leader is a judge,
a ruler is a judge.
And I charged your judges at that time saying,
hear the causes between your brethren
and judge righteously between every man and his brother
and the stranger that is with him.
Now, in coming sermons,
I'm going to be preaching on how to judge righteously
and how to make judgment cause.
That's a sermon for a different day.
Today I want to just deal with this idea of authority
and here's what you need to understand.
No one is given authority over everything.
These men were put into authority,
but notice those authorities were limited.
Now they were limited by their ability.
Some were captains over thousands,
some were captains over hundreds,
some were captains over fifties,
and some were captains over tens.
They had authority,
but different authority had different levels
based off their ability
and no one was given authority over everything.
So for example, this guy that was captain over tens,
they might have just put him in charge of his family.
It might have been him, his wife, and his eight kids.
Well obviously the guy that's captain over thousands
has been given more authority.
And look, you are given authority based on ability.
Think about a pastor.
As a pastor you're first supposed to rule your own house well.
So you rule your eight, my eight that God has given me,
you rule them well, and then they give you more authority
to rule a congregation of 200.
You're given authority based off ability,
but no one is given authority over everything.
And here's what you need to understand.
No one in this world is just the boss in every area of life.
Everyone's authority is limited.
So those who have God given authority
need to understand that there is a limit to their authority.
And this is important because sometimes you get around people
who've been given a lot of authority.
You get around a successful businessman
and he's built a business or built a few businesses.
He's got a lot of employees and a lot of people
that are supposed to listen to him and obey him and do what he says.
But you know, you get around him
and then all of a sudden they want to start bossing everybody around.
And look, you have to realize that though we are all given authority
based off our ability, no one is given authority over everything.
All God given authority, though there is God given authority,
all God given authority is limited.
Limited in scope as to what you can judge and not judge,
what you can command and not command, and limited in volume.
How many people you're given authority over?
Those who have God given authority need to understand
that there is a limit to their God given authority.
That's statement number one.
Go back to Romans chapter 14 if you would.
Go back to Romans and go to Romans chapter 14.
If you kept your place in Romans, go to Romans chapter 14.
Here's statement number two.
Statement number one.
Those who have God given authority need to understand
that there is a limit to their authority.
You are given authority based on ability,
and your ability might cause you to be put in more authority in other areas.
But no one is given authority over everything.
Here's statement number two.
Those who have God given authority need to be careful
to not overstep into others' authority.
Let me say it again.
Those who have God given authority need to be careful
to not overstep into others' authority.
Say, what do you mean?
Here's what I mean.
You are not to judge outside of your area of authority.
When a man was put in charge by Moses to judge over tens,
and another to judge over fifties,
and another to judge over hundreds,
and another to judge over thousands,
the one that was judging over fifties
was not allowed to start judging the thousand that was given to another.
The one that was over hundreds
was not allowed to start meddling with the tens that was given to another.
Now, the one that was given thousands might have been given thousands,
and he has the authority to judge those thousands,
but he does not have the authority to judge the tens given to the guy that had ten.
Now, though he only had ten, those are his ten to judge.
Those are his ten to rule.
Those who have God given authority need to be careful to not overstep into others' authority.
What does that mean?
It means don't judge outside of your area of authority.
This is what Paul is talking about in Romans chapter 14 and verse 4 when he says,
Who art thou that judges another man's servant?
Now, sometimes people like to take this verse, Romans 14 and 4,
and try to teach that God is against judging,
and that God is against judgment.
But that's not what Paul is saying.
Paul is not questioning, Who art thou that judges?
That's the end.
No, no, no. The problem is not with judging.
The problem is with judging another man's servant,
not your servant, not your employee,
not your wife, not your children, not your congregation,
not the ones that have been put under your authority,
but those that have been put under somebody else's authority.
Paul says, Who art thou that judges another man's servant to his own master he standeth?
Listen to me.
If you want to judge and criticize the children in another family,
those children are going to answer to their own dad, to their own mom.
You want to judge somebody else's wife, that wife is going to answer to her own husband.
Judge somebody else's church members, they're going to answer to their own pastor.
Who art thou that judges another man's servant to his own master he standeth or falleth?
Yea, he shall be holden up, for God is able to make him stand.
Look at verse 10, same chapter, Romans 14, verse 10.
But why, Paul says, why does thou judge thy brother?
Or why does thou set at naught?
The word to that phrase, to set at naught, means to disregard or to despise, to look down upon.
But why does thou judge thy brother?
Or why does thou set at naught thy brother?
For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
Whenever people want to talk about someone being judgmental,
what they're usually meaning by that is that they are despising or disregarding,
it's that phrase to set at naught.
And Paul says, look, who art thou that judges another man's servant?
He says, why does thou judge thy brother?
Or why does thou set at naught thy brother?
Why are you looking down on your brother?
For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
So we are to not judge outside of our area of authority.
Those of us that have been given authority need to be careful to not overstep into other people's authority.
Don't judge outside of your area of authority.
But let me say this.
Not only should you not actively, out loud, inter-metal and judge into other people's authority,
the Bible goes even further and it says this,
that not only should you not judge outside of your area of authority,
the Bible says, don't judge even in your mind or heart somebody else's area of authority.
Look at it. Romans 14. Look at verse 1. We read verse 4 and verse 10.
Let's look at the context. Romans 14, verse 1.
Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
For one, Paul's going to use an example here of people having problems.
For one believeth that he may eat all things.
So you've got one guy who says, I believe you can eat all things.
Another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
You say, why is he weak? Because he's eating herbs.
And actually that's not actually the case.
He's talking about being spiritually weak.
But there's a physical application there.
For one believeth that he may eat all things.
Another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
Now notice what the Bible says, verse 3.
Let not him that eateth, don't miss this word, despise him that eateth not.
The word despise means to feel contempt, to look down on, to set at not.
Let not him, look, here's what Paul's saying.
If you believe you can eat all things, and there's somebody else who thinks that no, they can only eat herbs.
Now there's, when it comes to justice, biblically, there's, someone is right and someone is wrong here.
But Paul says, if the one that's wrong is not your servant,
because remember the context is, who art thou that judges another man's servant?
If it's somebody else who's doing something that maybe isn't correct or isn't biblical,
the Bible says, Paul says, let not him that eateth, despise him that eateth not,
and let not him which eateth not, judge him that eateth, for God hath received him.
What is he saying when he says don't despise him?
Here's what he's saying, don't judge even in your mind, in your heart.
Here's the point, don't form an opinion, this is my personal rule.
My wife and I have a personal rule in life and in ministry and it is this,
we do not even form an opinion about things outside of our area of authority.
Now that's easy for us because we already have so many people to deal with,
it's not like we're sitting around with just nothing to do.
We've got eight kids, or yeah, six kids, family of eight.
We've got a church with 200 people in it.
We've got enough problems to deal with right here and right now, just under our authority.
So sometimes people come to me like, what do you think about the situation at this other church?
And I think to myself, I don't think anything of it.
Not only do I not think of it, I don't think about it.
What's your opinion about what pastor so-and-so, I don't have an opinion.
I don't form opinions.
What do you think about brother so-and-so is allowing his kids to do X, Y, and Z?
What do you think about that? I don't think about that.
That's not my area of authority.
Listen, if you got this, it would solve so much criticizing and gossiping and backbiting.
Can you believe that she did?
Why are you talking about that?
Is that your area of authority?
Can you believe what they're doing with their kids?
Are those your kids? No, no, they're not my kids.
Then why do you have an opinion?
Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not,
and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth.
Hey, we are not to judge outside of our area of authority.
We are not to judge even in our mind and our heart.
And you are not to form an opinion about things outside of your area of authority.
Now here's the thing, we're all human beings.
Sometimes we see things and hear things.
So you're thinking to yourself, well what if I just heard something?
What if I heard something about another family?
What if I heard something about another church?
I just heard about something and then immediately I just formed this opinion in my mind.
Then what? Well here's the point.
You are not to form an opinion about things outside of your area of authority.
And if you do happen to form an opinion,
you should not allow it to influence how you think of or treat those people.
So when somebody tells me about a situation going on at another church,
maybe like this pastor did X, Y, and Z,
I might, because I'm just a human being in my flesh,
immediately think to myself, well I wouldn't have done that.
I wouldn't have done it that way. I wouldn't have made that choice.
But even if I do form that opinion in my head,
I am not going to allow that opinion to then change the way I think about or treat that pastor.
Look, this is called mature Christianity.
Those of us who have God-given authority need to be careful not to overstep into others' authority.
Don't judge outside of your own authority.
Don't judge even in your mind or your heart.
Don't form an opinion about things outside of your area of authority.
And if you do happen to form an opinion about things outside of your area of authority,
keep it to yourself and don't allow it to influence how you think or treat those people.
Look, so many problems are formed.
And I'll use ministry as an example because it's an easy one to give.
Pastors fight online, right?
I mean, sometimes it's inevitable. I fought with pastors online.
I can tell you this though, to the best of my ability,
every time that I fought with a pastor online, it's because they stepped into my authority.
I don't just get, you know, I'm going to preach this sermon against this pastor because I just don't really like it.
I don't really care.
I care about this church.
I care about what this church is doing.
We are not to judge. So look, as a pastor who has been given God-given authority over 200,
I'm not to overstep into the authority of another pastor.
I'm not to judge outside of my area of authority.
I should not judge in my mind or in my heart.
And even I should do my best to not even form an opinion.
And if I do form an opinion about what they're doing, I should not.
This is where you get the fighting online.
They form an opinion about what this other pastor did they didn't like,
what this other pastor, where he went, what he did.
They don't like that. They form an opinion, but then they allow that opinion
to influence how they're going to think of or treat that individual.
They step outside of their authority and they start preaching sermons about how you shouldn't do that.
Well look, if you're the pastor of a church, right, then you don't do it.
But don't sit there and judge somebody else
and form an opinion outside of your area of authority.
If you do, don't allow it to influence you.
How does that play out in church world?
Here's how it plays out in church world.
Over 12 years of ministry, this has been the things we've dealt with.
Some family has some standard in their home
where they believe something, they do something, they practice something.
He said, eateth all things, right?
And then another family has another standard in their home
where they don't allow something, don't watch something, don't go somewhere.
And then what people will do is they'll begin to judge each other over those standards.
Listen to me very carefully.
There are families in this church that allow their children to be parts of classes and programs
that I would never allow my children to be a part of.
There are families in this church that allow their children to watch movies
that I would never allow my children to watch.
There are families in this church that take their kids places
that I would never allow my children to go.
But I am not going to grow bitter towards them
or criticize them behind their back.
You know, if they ask me about it, I'm going to tell them what I think.
But if they don't ask me about it, I'm not going to form an opinion.
And if I have an opinion, I'm going to keep it to myself.
I'm not going to mention it to anybody else.
I'm not going to criticize them about it.
This is how you don't have problems in church.
You say, why? Because I'm not their dad.
I'm not their mom.
If their mom wants to let them watch that, if their dad wants to let them watch that,
if their parents are okay with them being in that worldly class or that whatever,
hey, that's between them and God.
That's their authority.
Now, if they ask me about it, I'm happy to tell them what my position is.
But listen to me.
We have problems in church when people have different standards
and then they feel like they've got to put that standard on somebody else.
Now, look, I'm all about having high standards.
I think we have pretty high standards in our home.
I don't think that we're, we're not the worldly family here.
But I also don't judge the worldly family.
Now, in my home, we're going to do what I say.
And if my kids come home and say, well, brother so-and-so lets their kids do X, Y, Z,
then I would tell my kids, well, brother so-and-so's not your dad.
Sorry.
I'm sorry that their dad's worldly, but that's not your dad.
I don't know what to tell you. That's how we do it here.
What do you think about what this church is doing over?
Well, I can tell you what we do at Verity Baptist Church.
I can tell you the rules we have at Verity Baptist Church.
I can tell you what I allow and don't allow at Verity Baptist Church.
But I'm not going to sit here and criticize some other man with his ministry,
with his authority, somewhere else.
I don't have an opinion.
I'm not going to despise somebody in my heart over what they are or are not doing.
And if I do happen to form an opinion, I'm dead sure I'm not going to post it on Facebook.
And listen to me.
Because look, my wife and I have pretty strict standards.
We don't own enough TV.
We don't go to dances. We don't go dancing.
We don't go to restaurants that are dark and feel like a nightclub.
We have pretty high standards, I think.
But I'm not going to sit here and grow bitter towards somebody who does have different standards.
And what I would say to you is if you find yourself, because this is what fundamentalists do,
they have these really high standards, but then they're angry and bitter all the time like,
can you believe what they're doing? Can you believe what they're allowing? Can you believe?
And here's what I think. I think to myself, you're so bitter about it because you actually want to be doing those things.
Here's the thing. I actually don't want to watch your crappy movie.
So I actually don't care.
My kids are going to grow up, right?
But when you get all bitter and bent out of shape about can you believe what they're doing,
you really ought to examine your own heart because maybe you have a standard
and you're, you know, misery loves company and you're so miserable
and you want everybody else to have the same misery.
And look, I'm not talking bad about standards. I believe in having standards.
But I don't believe in getting bitter at everybody else who doesn't have those standards.
Those who have God-given authority need to be careful to not overstep into other areas of authority.
You are not to judge outside of your area of authority. You are not to judge even in your mind.
You are not to form an opinion or have an opinion about what other people are doing in their areas of authority.
And if you do happen to form an opinion, you are not to allow that to influence you
in regards to how you think of them or how you treat them.
Go to James chapter 4.
James chapter 4, if you kept your place in Hebrews.
Keep your place in Romans.
If you kept your place in Hebrews, right after Hebrews you have the book of James.
Let me give you another sub point under this second main point.
The second main point was this. Those who have God-given authority need to be careful to not overstep into other authority.
Sub point A, don't judge outside of your area of authority.
Sub point B, don't judge even in your mind or heart.
Here's sub point C.
Before I give it to you, let me show you James 4.10.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord.
You know, this whole criticizing everyone else and being critical of everybody else, you know what it is?
It's a lack of humility.
It's a whole lot of pride.
Well, if I was in charge, I would, but you're not in charge.
Well, if those were my kids, all right, but they're not your kids.
So why don't you humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He shall lift you up.
Verse 11, speak not evil one of another, brethren.
Speak not evil one of another.
He that speaketh evil of his brother and judgeth his brother.
The Bible says, speaketh evil of the law and judgeth the law.
But if thou judgeth the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
There is one lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy who art thou that judgeth another.
And again, the context here of who art thou that judgeth another is who art thou that judgeth another under somebody else's authority.
Speak not evil one of another is talking about speaking evil of somebody else's authority,
somebody else's authority.
He that speaketh evil of his brother and judgeth his brother speaketh evil of the law and judgeth the law.
You say, what does that mean? Here's what it means.
When you judge outside of your area of authority, it's a little bit of a long one, but I want to make sure you understand this.
When you judge outside of your area of authority, you attack all authority, including your own.
When you judge outside of your area of authority, you actually are attacking all authority, including your own.
Speak not evil one of another, brethren.
He that speaketh evil of his brother and judgeth his brother speaketh evil of the law and judgeth the law.
You say, what does me speaking evil of my brother have anything to do with me speaking evil of the law?
In the law, there's a reference to God's law. You say, what is the point?
Here's the point.
When I decide to step out of my authority to stop judging my children and start judging other people's children,
well, I don't think they should let them go there.
I don't think they should let them do that.
I don't think they should let them do X, Y, Z.
When I start judging in those areas and I speak evil of my brother, I'm actually speaking evil of the law
because the same God-given law that gave me authority over my family and over my congregation
is the same God-given law that has given them authority over their children,
over their congregation, over their employees.
Do you understand what I'm saying?
Speak not evil one of another, brethren.
He that speaketh evil of his brother and judgeth his brother speaketh evil of the law and judgeth the law.
I have employees here at Verity Baptist Church and I speak evil about them.
I speak evil to them.
But I'm not going to judge somebody else's employees.
And if I start judging, well, I think that pastor should do X, Y, and Z with their employees,
you know, what I'm actually attacking is authority in general
because the same God-given authority that made that pastor the authority over those employees
is the same God-given authority that made this pastor the authority over these employees.
Verse 12, there is one lawgiver.
All law, all authority comes from one source, God Almighty God.
There is one lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy who art thou that judges another.
When you judge outside of your area of authority, you attack all authority, including your own.
So when I criticize another pastor, I'm hurting my own authority.
Because you know what I'm teaching my church people? Oh, it's okay to criticize pastors.
So while I am criticizing the pastor down the street because I'm insecure
and I've got to criticize them and bring them down to make myself feel better,
what I'm teaching my followers, I wish you would get this,
is that okay, well then we can criticize pastors and they might start criticizing me.
Please listen to this, Mom and Dad.
When you go home, you get in the car today and you're like,
who does that pastor think he is? Picking these sermons about authority.
Why is he saying that?
When you criticize your God-given authority in the congregation of the pastor,
you are subconsciously teaching your children to rebel against their God-given authority, you.
And they think, well Dad comes home and complains all night about his authority, his boss.
Dad comes home and calls his boss an idiot.
Dad comes home and talks all this garbage about his authority,
so then I'm going to talk garbage about my authority, Dad.
When we step outside of our authority and we judge outside of authority,
we hurt all authority, including our own.
And being out deceived, God is not mocked.
For whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Here's an example, and I brought this up several times,
but I want to bring this up again because I've literally been asked the same question
by two different young men in this church in the last three weeks.
I've been asked the same question twice.
And both of these young men, if you're here, they asked in a proper way.
They did not have a bad attitude or a bad spirit.
They brought it up more in a conversational way.
But the fact that they brought it up to me just made me feel like, okay, this is a thing.
So I need to make sure that I'm exercising my authority
to make sure that our congregation understands.
Dating couples. This is a common thing.
Two young people start dating, one family has certain rules,
the other family has certain rules, and the rules are not the same.
So people start criticizing each other.
And please understand something. Please get something.
When grown adults start fighting because their kids are dating,
you have done something horribly wrong.
You have failed. You lost.
But people will have these different standards,
and then they'll start criticizing each other and fighting with each other.
And I've been asked about those reasons.
Let me just make it clear, okay?
If my sons, my sons are 15 and 13 years old,
they're not even close to dating age.
But if my sons were older and they were dating,
they were dating some girl,
and that dad has some standards that our family didn't have,
and my sons came to me and said,
and were just talking critically about that authority,
I would say, son, you got two options.
Option number one is you lead that young lady
to submit to her God-given authority,
and you honor that authority, and you do what you're supposed to do.
Or option number two, if you really don't like it,
is find another girl.
But you don't get to make up this third option
where I'm just going to criticize her dad
and talk crap about her dad
and teach her to rebel against her God-given authority.
And let me just give you some advice here,
the same advice my dad gave me.
Today's my dad's birthday.
He might be listening on live stream,
so let me give my dad a shout-out.
When I was 18 years old and getting ready to marry my wife,
my dad took me in our garage to have a talk with me.
He said several things to me,
but one of the things that he said to me was,
son, you need to make sure
and pay attention to how she treats her dad,
and you need to make sure that you are honoring and respecting her dad,
and you need to make sure that she honors and respects her dad.
And this is what my dad told me when I was 18 years old.
He said, you're getting ready to get married,
and if she's disrespectful to her dad,
which is her God-given authority,
well, you're about to replace that God-given authority,
and if she's disrespectful to her current God-given authority,
she's going to be disrespectful to you.
If she criticizes her current God-given authority,
she's going to be criticizing you.
If she disobeys her current God-given authority,
she's going to disobey you.
So my dad told me,
before you marry anyone, any young lady,
you ought to pay attention to how she treats her dad.
I did.
I watched my wife interact with her father,
and you know what?
She was very obedient.
She was very respectful.
She was very submissive to her father,
and bless God, I married a girl who's very obedient
and very respectful and very submissive
because she had that with her God-given authority,
and then I took that place and became her God-given authority.
And you young guys that want to teach these girls
to rebel against their dads,
you're going to reap what you sow.
She's going to rebel against you.
And if she doesn't,
one day you're going to have a teen girl
with some punk teaching her to rebel against you.
It matters how leadership treats each other.
I'm never, look, people call me all the time,
I'm mad at this pastor.
I'm, you know, they've done X, Y, and Z.
You know what I tell them?
I tell them, here are your options.
You can go to that pastor and treat him as a father
and talk to him about it,
or you can leave quietly and just say,
hey, you know what?
This church is no longer for us.
We're going to move to X, Y, and Z.
But here's what you don't get to do.
You don't get to come up with this third option
where you go around talking crap about him
behind his back to everybody
and talk against the man of God.
Even if the man of God has sinned
and done something wrong or hurt you or whatever,
that's not an option.
You can go to him and tell him,
hey, you offended me when you did X, Y, and Z.
Make sure you do it respectfully.
Make sure you don't rebuke him,
you treat him as a father and you don't rebuke him.
But we like to come up with this third unbiblical option,
which is criticize.
And the question I have for you is,
who art thou that judges another man's servant?
But why does thou judge thy brother?
Why does thou set it not thy brother?
Speak not evil one of another.
He that speaketh evil of his brother and judges his brother
speaketh evil of the law and judgeth the law.
You need to understand if you have God-given authority
that there is a limit to your authority
and you need to be careful not to overstep into others' authority.
And if you don't like their authority, oh well.
If you don't like what they're doing, oh well.
You don't like how they're running their church?
That's none of your business.
You don't like how they treat their wife?
Well, hopefully she doesn't like it.
Hopefully she puts up a red flag
and she brings in somebody who has authority in the situation
to help them manage that and get counseling,
but that has nothing to do with you.
I just don't like how this other wife treats her children.
Are they your children? No, then stop having an opinion.
And if you're going to have an opinion,
don't allow it to influence you,
how you treat them or how you feel about them.
And if you are so bitter about it,
you really should just look at your own heart and ask yourself,
why am I so bitter about this?
I want to ask these other pastors,
why are you so bitter about what some other pastor did
or decided to do in some other church a thousand miles away?
Why would you even care?
There's something there.
Go to Ephesians chapter 5.
Ephesians chapter 5.
If you kept your place in Romans,
from Romans you have 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Ephesians 5.
Do me a favor, you can lose your place in Romans
and now keep your place in Ephesians again.
You still have your place in Hebrews, hopefully,
and now keep your place in Ephesians, Ephesians chapter 5.
I'm giving you four statements this morning.
Number one,
those who have God-given authority need to understand
that there is a limit to their authority.
Number two, those that have God-given authority
need to be careful to not overstep into others' authority.
Here's statement number three.
Those who have God-given authority need to submit
when they've stepped under others' authority.
Let me say that again.
Those who have God-given authority need to submit
when they've stepped under others' authority.
There are these verses in the Bible
that people like to argue about
and have different takes on.
And it's these verses where,
because we started the sermon where I showed you
all these areas where there's God-given authority,
where the Bible says that a wife is to submit to her husband,
children is to submit to their parents,
a servant is to submit to their boss,
the congregation is to submit to their pastor,
citizens are to submit to their government.
But then there's these other verses
where God says, like,
all of you submit to all of you.
And people get a little confused by that.
Ephesians 5.21 is one of them.
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
So in Ephesians 5.21, Paul says,
submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
And then he goes on to say,
wives, submit yourselves with your husbands.
And people think, is this a contradiction
or what is Paul saying,
or is Paul saying that it's 50-50,
sometimes the wife submits.
And look, here's what you need to understand.
Ephesians 5.21 is a verse that is serving
as a heading to a section that Paul's going to talk about.
When he says submitting yourselves one to another
in the fear of God,
he's beginning a section on submission.
He starts with talking about the wife submitting to her husband,
but that is not the only context,
because in chapter 6,
he starts talking about children submitting to their parents.
He starts talking about servants submitting to their masters.
You need to understand,
when Paul wrote the book of Ephesians
or when the Bible's written,
he did not write,
okay, that's the end of chapter 5,
now we're moving on to chapter 6.
Those were added later on.
The verse references and the chapter divisions
were added later on.
Ephesians 5.21 is Paul saying,
here's a new heading,
submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Let me explain to you different areas of submission.
The wife with the husband,
the children with the parents,
the servant with the master.
Submitting yourselves one to another
in the fear of God
is about
Paul explaining the fact that
in different areas,
we might have to submit
when we find ourselves in different areas in life.
Go to 1 Peter chapter 5.
Let me give you another one
and I'll make the application.
1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 5.
1 Peter 5, 5.
1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 5,
Likewise ye younger,
1 Peter 5, 5,
Likewise ye younger,
submit yourselves unto the elder.
So here's just a general rule
that in general,
the younger should submit to the elder.
And that could be physical age,
if we're talking about siblings maybe.
That could be spiritually.
Likewise ye younger,
submit yourselves unto the elder.
Then he says this,
Yea, all of you be subject one to another
and be clothed with humility.
That's the key.
Be clothed with humility
for God resists the proud
and giveth grace unto the humble.
So you say,
Wait a minute, Peter.
You just got done telling us
submit yourselves,
the younger submit themselves to the elders.
Then you said,
All of you be subject one to another.
Wait a minute, Paul.
You just got done telling us
submit yourselves one to another
and then you're telling us
But the wife ye submit to the husband,
the children ye submit.
What do you mean
that we're all supposed to submit to each other?
Here's statement number three.
Those who have been given God-given authority,
those who have God-given authority,
need to submit
when they've stepped under others' authority.
Those who have God-given authority
need to submit
when they've stepped under others' authority.
You say,
What does that mean?
That requires discernment.
So here's how this works.
I'm the pastor of every Baptist church.
I rule the congregation.
That's my job.
When it comes to this church,
I make the decisions.
I decide what we're going to do.
I decide what we're not going to do.
This is a pastor-led church
and that's biblical.
When I get asked to be the guest speaker
at Sure Foundation Baptist Church
or any other church,
when I get there,
I submit myself
under the authority of that pastor.
If I go preach at Faith-Award Baptist Church
or First Works Baptist Church
or Steadfast Baptist Church,
Shield of Faith Baptist Church,
Hold After Baptist Church,
and look, over the years,
I have gone to churches as the guest speaker.
I'm there for a conference.
I'm there for a speaking engagement
and I've had church members walk up to me
and ask me a question about the church
and asking me to make some judgment call
and you know, I always,
my response is,
you talk to your pastor.
This is his church.
Now you come to my church
and ask me the question
and I'll tell you what we do
at Verity Baptist Church,
but I'm not in charge here.
So though I have been given
an area of authority here,
those who have been given authority
need to submit
when they've stepped under others' authority
and you and I have to be cognizant of the fact
where am I and am I in authority?
You have to have this hat on
that says authority
and you have to have this other hat
that says submit.
And you've got to be aware
when you take one hat off
and put the other on
and take the other off
and put it on.
Let me give you an example
here in our church family.
I'll use a couple of men in our church.
I didn't ask them for permission.
But I don't care because I'm the boss.
I'm just kidding.
But let me use a couple of guys
in our church as an example.
Brother Matt Taylor
and Brother Nate Deakins.
You know, Brother Matt Taylor
is in charge of the music ministry
here at Trinity Baptist Church.
So he runs the choir.
He runs the orchestra.
He's in charge.
So he decides what they're going to do.
He decides what they're going to sing.
He decides how they're going to do it.
He makes those decisions.
But Brother Matt Taylor
also serves on our safety team.
And when Brother Matt Taylor
is working on the safety team,
there's now another man
who's in charge of that ministry.
His name is Brother Nate Deakins.
And what Brother Matt has to do,
and Brother Matt does do this,
and that's why I'm using him
as a positive example,
is when he's the choir director,
he puts on the hat
that says authority,
and he's in charge.
But when he's on the safety team,
he takes off the hat
that says authority,
and he puts on the hat
that says submit,
and now Brother Nate's in charge.
And Brother Matt's not supposed
to walk up into the safety ministry
and say,
Well, don't you know who I am?
I'm the choir director.
I'm the song leader,
and we're going to do it this way.
Because remember,
he has authority,
but it's limited.
His authority is limited
to the music ministry.
So when he's not
in the music ministry,
and he's on the safety team,
then he needs to realize that,
Okay, now Brother Nate's in charge,
and my job is to,
Yes sir, whatever you want.
And if Brother Nate decides
to join the choir,
then Brother Nate has
to take off the hat
that says authority,
off the safety team,
and put the hat
that puts on,
submit,
and when you understand
those concepts,
then you can literally
have two grown men
in this church
that when they're
in one ministry,
one's in charge
and one submits,
and when they're
in another ministry,
now the other's in charge,
and the other one submits,
you understand
what Paul is saying
when he says,
Submitting yourselves
one to another
in the fear of God.
You understand
what Peter says
when he says,
All of you be subject
one to another.
You understand that
at the Red Hot Preaching Conference,
there's ten pastors here,
but there's one pastor
in charge,
it's this pastor,
because it's this church,
but when I go
to another conference,
now I take the hat off
that says authority,
I put on the hat
that says submit,
and I do whatever
they want me to do,
and if he wants me
to preach on a certain subject,
I preach on that subject
because he's the boss.
So what if they ask you
to do something at that
church that you don't like?
Here are my options,
I can go to that pastor
and speak to him respectfully
and say,
I don't feel comfortable
with X, Y, and Z,
you think we can change that?
Or I can leave.
But you know what
I don't get to do?
I don't get to come up
with this third option
where I just sit there
and criticize him.
Do you understand
how the Bible is not
a respecter of persons?
All of these principles
apply to all of us
all of the time.
So when you have authority,
exercise your authority.
And when you don't,
don't.
Those who have
God-given authority
need to submit
when they've stepped
under others' authority.
Brother Nate doesn't
get to walk up to the choir
and say,
well, I'm in charge
of the safety team
and I say,
we're going to do this.
Everyone in the choir
is going to carry a gun.
That's not his authority.
But Brother Matt doesn't
get to walk up
to the safety team
and say,
well, here's what
we're going to do
when you're posted,
I want you singing
the whole time.
You sing tenor,
you sing bass.
They have God-given authority
and when they're
in authority,
they're in charge,
but they also need
to submit when they've
stepped under others' authority.
This is biblical Christianity.
I don't know if you've
ever heard of it.
I don't know if you've
ever been exposed to it.
If we got this
as a church,
it would solve 99%
of the problems
we have around here.
If people realize
before they started
to open their mouth
and criticize somebody else,
they thought to themselves,
wait a minute,
I don't have authority
in that area,
so I don't have an opinion.
And if I do form an opinion,
I'm not going to state it.
I'm not going to let it
change the way I treat
or act or feel
towards that person.
Because you know what's funny
is that we don't
gossip about ourselves.
You don't go to someone
and say, let me tell you
how much I suck as a bat.
I mean, let me just tell you.
I am the worst.
You don't ever say that.
You only gossip about
other people's authority.
If we understood this,
it would solve so many problems.
Let's run some verses.
Go to Ephesians, if you would.
Ephesians 5.
Here's statement number one.
Those who have
God-given authority
need to understand
that there is a limit
to their authority.
Statement number two.
Those who have
God-given authority
need to be careful
Statement number three.
Those who have
God-given authority
need to submit
when they've stepped
under others' authority.
Here's statement number four.
Those who have
God-given authority
need to not abuse
their God-given authority.
Those who have
God-given authority
need to not abuse
their God-given authority.
Remember,
we began by talking about
the fact
that when you have
God-given authority,
there is a limit
to your authority.
There's a limit.
No one is made
given authority over everything.
So we who have
been given God-given authority
need to be careful
not to abuse our authority.
Let's run some verses.
Ephesians 5, verse 24.
Let's talk about
the husband over the wife.
Therefore, as the church
is subject unto Christ,
so let wives be
to their own husbands
in everything.
That's what it says, right?
In everything.
You know what that means, wife?
You're supposed to
submit in everything.
Now, if your husband's
an idiot
and he wants to
fight with you about
where you, you know,
how you do the dishes,
then you're supposed to submit.
Well, why does it matter?
If your husband wants
to tell you how you should
cook X, Y, and Z,
then you should submit.
You say, but that's stupid.
Well, then why'd you marry him?
You know how you get
to solve that?
Don't marry an idiot.
Don't marry a control freak.
That's how you solve that.
But once you've said, I do,
once you've signed that contract
and custom-made the thing,
now he's in charge.
So, ladies, be very careful
about who you marry.
I don't know how often
and how many different ways
I can say the same things
over and over and over again.
Therefore, as the
church is subject unto Christ,
so let wives be to their
own husbands in everything.
But wait a minute,
there's a limit.
Go to Colossians,
Colossians chapter 3,
Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians.
Colossians chapter 3,
verse 18.
We've got to do this quickly
because I'm already out of time.
Colossians 3, 18,
Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians, Colossians 3, 18.
Wives, submit yourselves
unto your own husbands,
don't miss this,
as it is fit in the Lord.
So wives are supposed to
submit to their husbands
in everything,
but here's the limit
as it is fit in the Lord.
What does that mean?
That means that everything
he's asking you to do
needs to fit within
the boundaries
of what God
would want you to do.
Why?
Because God is
the overarching authority
and God is where
your husband,
God is authority.
So listen to me, wife.
You are to submit
to your husband
everything,
but the moment your husband
asks you to do something
that goes against
the laws of God,
now you are to,
you are obligated
to disobey.
Pastor, are you really
teaching women to disobey?
If your husband's asking you
to help him bury a body,
yeah, you need to disobey that.
If your husband's saying,
here, lie to my boss
and tell him I'm sick,
you should not do that.
If your husband tells you,
I want corn dogs
instead of hot dogs.
I'm tired of your stinging hot dogs.
Get me some corn dogs.
If he's that much of an idiot,
then obey in everything.
Because there's nothing sinful
about corn dogs or hot dogs.
But if he's asking you to lie,
if he's asking you to steal,
if he's asking you to disobey
one of the commandments of God,
then you have an obligation
not to obey
because his authority
is limited to
what is fit within the Lord.
And if he asks you to sin,
then you are to obey
the higher power, which is God.
Let's talk about children.
Colossians 3, look at verse 20.
Children, obey your parents
in all things,
for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
Hey kids, you're supposed to
obey your parents in all things.
I don't care how many times
they ask you to clean your room.
I don't care how many times
they ask you to take the trash out.
I don't care how many times
you are to obey in all things.
But let's go back to
Ephesians chapter 6.
Let's look at the limit.
Ephesians chapter 6, verse 1.
Children, obey your parents,
Ephesians 6, 1,
in the Lord.
So guess what?
As a father and my wife as a mother,
we have authority over our children
and they are to obey
in all things in the Lord
within the context of
what God would approve of.
But if I ask my kids
to start helping me run drugs,
then they are actually
have a biblical obligation
to disobey.
You don't get to stand before
God and say,
well yeah I sold drugs
but my dad told me to
and I'm supposed to obey my parents.
He's going to say,
in the Lord!
In the Lord!
Because no one is given
absolute authority.
All authority is limited.
And it is limited to
what God says is acceptable.
So if your mom asks you,
your mom says,
hey, lie to your dad.
Tell your dad,
you shouldn't do it kids.
If your dad says,
here lie to my boss,
tell him my grandma died
again for the third time.
You shouldn't do it kids.
But I thought I was supposed
to obey in all things.
Yeah, in all things in the Lord.
Limited to the Lord.
Let's talk about the employer.
Ephesians 6, 9.
Any masters.
That's the boss.
Do the same things unto them
referring to the service,
the employees.
Notice the words,
forbearing.
You see the word forbearing?
The word forbearing means
to restrain yourself
or to stop yourself
forbearing threatenings.
You don't get to say,
well I'm the boss
so I'm just going to
yell at you
and cuss at you
and threaten you.
No, you are the boss.
To an extent,
though your authority is limited,
any masters do the same things
unto them forbearing threatenings
knowing that your master
also is in heaven.
Don't miss that.
What does that mean?
Here's what he's saying.
How you treat others
as a boss
is how your heavenly boss
is going to treat you.
So ye masters,
because remember,
it's important
how you treat leadership.
Ye masters do the same things unto them
forbearing threatening.
Don't be threatening them
all the time.
I'm so going to fire you.
It's like the parents are like,
I'm going to spank you.
Spank him already!
Fire him already!
And ye masters do the same things
unto them forbearing threatening
knowing that your master
also is in heaven.
Neither is any
respective persons with him.
So employers have authority
over their employees
to an extent,
to a limit.
How about the pastor?
Go to 1 Peter chapter 5.
If you're there in Hebrews.
Hebrews, James, 1 Peter.
1 Peter chapter 5.
Look at verse 1.
The elder, which
elders is a term
used interchangeably
with pastor, bishop.
The elders which are among you
I exhort.
Notice what Peter says.
Who am also an elder
and a witness
of the sufferings of Christ
and also partaker
of the glory
that shall be revealed.
This is Peter, an elder.
A pastor speaking to
other elders, other pastors.
Feed the flock of God
which is among you
taking the oversight thereof
not by constraint
but willingly
not for filthy lucre
but of a ready mind.
Neither as being
lords over God's heritage
but being in samples
to the flock.
So yes, the pastor
is supposed to rule
in the congregation
but that rule is limited
to the ministries
of this congregation.
I am not to
lord over God's heritage.
So though I am the pastor
and I decide
what events we're going to do
and not do,
what songs we may sing
or not sing,
what sermons I'm going to
preach or not preach,
I get to make that decision.
But I don't get to then
step out of my authority
and step into
your home's authority
and tell you what to do
with your wife.
That's not my authority.
Now I get to use
my authority which is
the power of the pulpit,
which is the influence
of preaching.
I get to use the
word of God to try
to influence you
and try to get you
to lead your family
in certain ways
but that's the extent
of my authority
is the influence
that I can have
as a pastor
through preaching,
through counseling,
through communicating
but I don't get to
tell you
you will do X, Y, and Z.
When pastors start
telling you
you will do X, Y, and Z,
that's actually a cult.
When they're telling you
what to do,
what to not do,
what to wear,
what to not wear
in your home.
Now look,
I preach what you
should or should not wear
but if I run into,
if my wife and I
run into one of you
ladies out there
out and about in pants,
we're not going
to criticize you.
We're not going to
criticize anybody.
It's not going to change
the way I feel about it.
Do I have an opinion on that?
Yes, I do.
Will I get up
and preach on it?
Yes, I will.
But that's between
you, God,
and your lousy husband.
Doesn't have the guts
to throw those things
in the trash.
Go to Acts chapter 5.
We're talking about
areas of authority.
I'm telling you,
if you got this,
it would solve so much
of the stress in your life.
Some of you are so worried
about stuff that has
nothing to do with you.
You're so stressed out
about what some
other guy's doing.
It's like,
why do you care?
Look, as a pastor,
as a counselor,
I try to help
people's marriages
but you know,
I get to go home
to a happy marriage
and I'm not going to
sit here and be like,
I just believe.
I don't have an opinion.
And if I form an opinion,
I'm not going to allow it
to change the way
I think of you,
feel of you,
treat you,
and I'm not going
to publicize it.
Those who have
God-given authority
need to understand
that there is a limit
to their authority.
Authority is based
off ability,
but no one has given
authority over everything.
I don't know if this
is still a thing,
but in the new IFB,
there was this thing
where a bunch of young guys
were like,
all women are to submit
to all men.
The Bible does not say that.
And I always kind of
chuckled because
I kind of always hoped
that one of them
would show up
at the conference
and try to tell my wife
what to do because
she would punch you
in the face.
And if you came to me
and said, I'd be like,
hey, I told her
to go for it.
Because wives
are to submit
to their own husbands.
That's what the Bible says.
Children are supposed to
submit to their own parents.
Don't go around
bossing other people's kids.
You got a problem
with somebody's kid?
You go to the parent.
Now look,
and you'll have to
make all these disclaimers.
If they're running out
into the highway
in a semi truck,
they'll be like,
well, let me go find
your dad and tell him.
Pick the kid up.
You laugh,
but you,
well, Pastor said,
so I just let him
get off the cliff
because Pastor said
to not tell other kids
what to do.
You got other problems.
Those who have
God-given authority
need to understand
that there is a limit
to their authority.
Those who have
God-given authority
need to be careful
to not overstep
into others' authority.
Those who have
God-given authority
need to submit
when they've stepped
under others' authority.
Those who have
God-given authority
need to not abuse
their God-given authority.
I gave you an example
for the husband,
and I'm going to give you
is really just the all in all
that applies to everything.
Look, I just hope
you understand
your pastor's heart.
Stop being so opinionated.
I know we live in this culture
where everybody thinks
that their opinion matters,
but it really doesn't.
It only matters
if you're in authority.
So I'm not going to
stress out about
what some other guy's doing
with some other church
or some other guy's doing
with his family
because I don't have
authority in that.
I can't change that.
So I'm just going to
give you what God has
given me to do.
The people that he's put
under my care.
I'm going to worry about that.
I'm going to love them.
I'm going to help them.
And if another leader
comes to me
and asks my opinion,
then I'm going to help them.
But until they do,
I'm not going to give
unsolicited advice.
I'm not going to give
this vague unsolicited advice
on Facebook.
I won't say who,
but I know of a family.
Their last name
is Gonzalez.
I'm not going to do that.
I just don't care.
I do care.
I care about them.
I care about all of you.
But you have authority
in your life.
Stop being so opinionated.
Start respecting
other people's authority.
And I'm thankful for my family.
It's my dad's birthday today.
I keep bringing that up.
You know what my mom
and dad do?
You know what my older sister does?
My older sister.
We won't talk about
how much older she is.
But you know what my parents do
and what my older sister does
in this church?
You know what they call me?
Pastor.
Do they have to call me pastor?
No.
Have I ever asked them
to call me pastor?
No, I have not.
Do they call me pastor
outside of the congregation?
Sometimes.
I think just out of habit.
But you know, they just,
they, it's weird.
It's not weird,
it's just maturity.
It's just we started this church
and then my parents
and my older sister
and my older brother,
and of course my wife
does this too.
They just, they stepped
into this building
and they took off
dad hat,
took off older sister hat
and put on church member hat.
Sometimes people don't know
who my dad is
because he calls me pastor.
Sometimes people don't know
who my mom is
because she calls me pastor.
Now would it be wrong
for my mom to call me Roger?
No, it would not.
It would be for you
and you better not do it
or my wife will punch you
in the face.
But you know what they do?
They submit
in areas of their
God-given authority
and they have the maturity
to understand when they're
stepping in and stepping
out of authority.
And if you would do that,
it would solve so many problems.
Oh, you're teaching us
to submit to government,
do everything that government says.
Acts 5 29.
Then Peter and the apostles
answered and said,
this was Peter speaking
to political powers in his life,
we ought to obey God
rather than men.
That is not a verse of anarchy.
That is not Peter saying,
never obey authority,
only obey God.
That's not what he's saying.
Because he's the same guy
that told us to submit
to the king as supreme.
So what does that mean?
We ought to obey God rather than men.
Here's what this means.
Where we've been given
God-given authority,
we will submit to our
God-given authority,
but the minute our
God-given authority
steps out of their authority
and asks us to do something
that would go against
what God would have us to do,
then at that point,
we ought to obey God
rather than men.
This is called biblical authority.
It requires spiritual maturity.
I hope you'll learn it.
I hope you'll internalize it.
There's so many problems.
Let's bow our heads.
Heavenly Father,
Lord, we thank you.
We thank you for these principles.
They're so clear in the Bible,
but yet we tend to make them
so complicated.
It's really not that hard.
In areas where I've been given authority,
I will exercise my authority,
and when I haven't, I won't.
I won't form an opinion,
and if I do form an opinion,
I won't express it
because it's not my place.
Lord, I pray you'd help us.
Help us to be mindful
of when we are stepping into authority
and stepping out of authority.
I want you to take that hat off
and put that hat on.
Lord, I pray you'd help us
to learn and mature in these things.
In the matchless name of Christ,
we pray.
Amen.
We're going to have Brother Matt
come up and lead us in a final song,
and I just want to remind you
that we have, of course,
the I Love My Church Sunday
flyers in the bulletin.
If you want to start thinking about,
brainstorming about someone
you want to invite to church,
that would be great.
Next Sunday night,
we have the mailer assembly.
If you can help us with the mailers,
we would really appreciate that.
And then, of course,
Married Couple Sweetheart Banquet,
if you'd like to sign up,
just write on the communication card somewhere
your name or your spouse's name
and that you're signing up
for Married Couple Sweetheart Banquet.
Don't forget that this Wednesday night
we're having Deacon Corbin Russell
from Faithful Word Baptist Church.
He's going to be preaching for us,
and I want to encourage you to be here.
Even if you don't normally come on Wednesday night,
I'd love for you to come this Wednesday night,
and he's a good friend of mine.
He's a good preacher.
This Friday is teen activity.
Don't forget about that,
the laser tag for the young people.
And tonight, we are continuing
our Declaring Doctrine series,
and tonight I'm preaching on the subject
of the unpardonable sin,
and really, it's the unpardonable sins,
what the Bible teaches.
There are certain sins
the Bible teaches that are
that if someone were to commit them,
they would lose their opportunity to be saved.
We're going to talk about that tonight,
so I encourage you to be here
at 6 p.m. for that.
If there's anything we can do for you,
please let us know.
We'll have Brother Matt come up
and lead us in a final song.
Turn to song 220.
Two, two, zero.
Two hundred and twenty on the first.
When I am sad, he makes me cry.
He is my friend.
Jesus is all the world to me.
A friend in trial's store.
I come to him for blessings,
and he gives them more and more.
He sends the sunshine and the rain.
He sends the harvest golden rain.
Sunshine and rain.
Harvest of pain.
He's my friend.
Jesus is all the world to me,
and true to him I'll be.
Oh, how could I lose friend tonight
when he's so true to me?
Following him, I know I'm right.
He watches for me, rain and night.
Following him, my day and night.
He's mine.
Sing it out on the last.
Jesus is all the world to me.
I want no better friend.
I trust him now.
I'll trust him when
my sweetie rain shall end.
Beautiful life, such a friend.
Beautiful life, my vessel wind.
Eternal life, eternal joy.
He's my friend.
Amen, all right.
Well, we have Angelica coming for baptism.
Angelica and her husband, Stefan,
have been coming for a little bit of time here.
We've been blessed to have them.
If you haven't met them, make sure you meet them
and get to know them.
Angelica, have you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ
as your personal Savior?
Yes, I have.
All right, Angelica, by your profession of faith,
I baptize you, my sister,
in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost,
buried in the likeness of his death,
raised to walk in newness of life.
God bless you.
All right, well, thank you again very much
for being here this morning,
and again, just we want to invite you
to be back tonight, 6 p.m.
If there's anything we can do for you,
please let us know.
Brother Matt, would you mind dismissing us
with a word of prayer?
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word this morning
that's preached to us.
Lord, help us to apply these things
in every area of our life,
and I pray, Lord, that you would be with us today,
be with the soul winners that go out,
and bring us back to church safely this evening.
In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
Amen.