(gentle music) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) - Good morning, church family.
We're gonna go ahead and begin our worship. (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) ♪ It is good to praise the Lord ♪ ♪ It is good to gaze upon His majesty ♪ ♪ To proclaim His love in the morning ♪ ♪ And His faithfulness at night ♪ ♪ Oh, it is good to worship and praise the Lord ♪ (gentle music continues) It is good.
♪ It is good to praise the Lord ♪ ♪ It is good to gaze upon His majesty ♪ ♪ To proclaim His love in the morning ♪ ♪ And His faithfulness at night ♪ ♪ Oh, it is good to worship and praise the Lord ♪ To proclaim. ♪ To proclaim His love in the morning ♪ ♪ And His faithfulness at night ♪ ♪ Oh, it is good to worship and praise ♪ ♪ Oh, it is good to worship and praise ♪ Oh, it is.
♪ Oh, it is good to worship and praise the Lord ♪ ♪ And praise the Lord ♪ - All right, good morning. Welcome to Breen Community Church. Okay, before we get started, we have announcement from FAM245 from Pastor Peter Chung. - All right, good morning. This announcement is especially for people who are newer to our church.
My name's Peter Chung. I'm the Family Ministry Pastor at the church. And we do have a ministry that is specifically devoted to people who've been married about three years or fewer. It's called FAM245. And we had 18 weddings for our church last year, and we've already got about 12 lined up for this year.
So we do have a lot of newlyweds coming into this ministry. And if this pertains to you, and especially if you are kind of earlier on in your marriage, it's a good opportunity for you to get to know different members of our church. So we have once a quarter workshops.
We do have a small army of mentoring couples who also come just to participate in that. Our first one is next Saturday. So if you are a newly year wed, please do sign up for that so we can just account for food. You don't have to be a member to participate in that.
But that's just something as an FYI. And if you have any questions, my information is on the website, or you can contact Jason Choi if you know who he is, or just hit up, ask a question on the URL. All right, thank you very much. - All right, a couple of other announcements.
Our BCC service auction fundraiser is still taking place, and they're taking signups for that. And if you are a member of the church and you wanna donate something or donate a service, they're still taking signups. And the actual auction is taking place in March. And again, just a reminder that this is going to go for adoption fund at church.
Men's ministry meeting is happening this coming Saturday at 9 a.m. to 12.30. It's gonna be a time for men to gather together. We're gonna have light breakfast and then full-blown lunch. The cost of it is $10. And again, to get together, to take some time to pray, we're gonna be talking about the subject of men's purity in and of itself.
But again, it's not too late to sign up, but please sign up either on-site, or I think there might be a table stationed outside, so you can visit that. But if you don't see one, you can go online and do that as well. Okay, Seeds Nursery PTA meeting on February 26 at 1 p.m.
So if you have a child in the nursery and you're a parent there, and you don't have to be a member, but they are having a PTA meeting to kinda let you know what's going on, what are things that they're doing there to run the program. And so it'd be informational meeting there.
So if you have a child there, at 1 p.m. on February 26. All right, so let me pray for the offering. Again, if you are visiting us and you have a physical check or something to give, it will be in the back as you're going. Let me pray for us, and then we'll give you an opportunity to give your offering.
Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your continued grace and love that you pour upon us. We pray that our worship that we give you would be intentional in spirit and in truth. I pray, Father God, that the songs that we sing would come from an overflow of abundance of grace and love and thanksgiving that you've given us, that what we give to you may be a pleasing sacrifice.
I pray that you would bless the offering that we give. May it be multiplied 30, 60, 100-fold, and as the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few, may it be used, Lord God, to magnify your name and that the gospel may continue to spread all over. We pray for your blessing over this time.
In Jesus' name we pray, amen. (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) Church family, Happy Lord's Day. Let's all rise together as we come before God to sing. (upbeat music) ♪ We won't fear ♪ ♪ We won't fear the battle ♪ ♪ We won't fear the night ♪ ♪ We will walk the valley with you by our side ♪ ♪ You will go before us ♪ ♪ You will lead the way ♪ ♪ We have found a refuge ♪ ♪ Only you can stay ♪ ♪ Sing with joy now ♪ ♪ Our God is for us ♪ ♪ The Father's love is a strong and mighty fortress ♪ ♪ Raise your voice now ♪ ♪ No love is greater ♪ ♪ Who can stand against us if our God is for us ♪ ♪ Even when I stumble ♪ ♪ Even when I fall ♪ ♪ Even when I turn back ♪ ♪ Still your love is sure ♪ ♪ You will not abandon ♪ ♪ You will not forsake ♪ ♪ You will cheer me onward with never-ending grace ♪ ♪ Sing with joy now ♪ ♪ Our God is for us ♪ ♪ The Father's love is a strong and mighty fortress ♪ ♪ Raise your voice now ♪ ♪ No love is greater ♪ ♪ Who can stand against us if our God is for us ♪ ♪ Sing it out, neither high ♪ ♪ And neither high nor death can separate us ♪ ♪ Hell and death will not defeat us ♪ ♪ He who gave his Son to free us ♪ ♪ Holds me in his love ♪ - One more time.
♪ Neither high nor death can separate us ♪ ♪ Hell and death will not defeat us ♪ ♪ He who gave his Son to free us ♪ ♪ Holds me in his love ♪ - Sing it out. ♪ Sing with joy now ♪ ♪ Our God is for us ♪ ♪ The Father's love is a strong and mighty fortress ♪ ♪ Raise your voice now ♪ ♪ No love is greater ♪ ♪ Who can stand against us if our God is for us ♪ ♪ Sing with joy now ♪ ♪ Our God is for us ♪ ♪ The Father's love is a strong and mighty fortress ♪ ♪ Raise your voice now ♪ ♪ No love is greater ♪ ♪ Who can stand against us if our God is for us ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ For my waking breath ♪ ♪ For my daily breath ♪ ♪ I depend on you ♪ ♪ I depend on you ♪ ♪ For the sun to rise ♪ ♪ For my sleep at night ♪ ♪ I depend on you ♪ ♪ I depend on you ♪ ♪ You're the way, the truth and the life ♪ ♪ You're the well that never runs dry ♪ ♪ I'm the branch and you are the vine ♪ ♪ Draw me close and teach me to abide ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ Where your spirit ♪ ♪ Where your spirit meets ♪ ♪ As I'm following ♪ ♪ I depend on you ♪ ♪ I depend on you ♪ ♪ For the victories ♪ ♪ Still in front of me ♪ ♪ I depend on you ♪ ♪ I depend on you ♪ ♪ You're the way, the truth and the life ♪ ♪ You're the well that never runs dry ♪ ♪ I'm the branch and you are the vine ♪ ♪ Draw me close and teach me to abide ♪ ♪ Be my strength, my song in the night ♪ ♪ Be my all, my treasure, my prize ♪ ♪ I am yours forever, you're mine ♪ ♪ Draw me close and teach me to abide ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ When I pass through ♪ ♪ When I pass through death ♪ ♪ As I enter rest ♪ ♪ I depend on you ♪ ♪ I depend on you ♪ ♪ For eternal life ♪ ♪ To be raised with Christ ♪ ♪ I depend on you ♪ ♪ I depend on you ♪ ♪ You're the way, the truth and the life ♪ ♪ You're the well that never runs dry ♪ ♪ I'm the branch and you are the vine ♪ ♪ Draw me close and teach me to abide ♪ ♪ Be my strength, my song in the night ♪ ♪ Be my all, my treasure, my prize ♪ ♪ I am yours forever, you're mine ♪ ♪ Draw me close and teach me to abide ♪ ♪ Be my strength, my song in the night ♪ ♪ Be my all, my treasure, my prize ♪ ♪ I am yours forever, you're mine ♪ ♪ Draw me close and teach me to abide ♪ Amen, you may be seated.
- All right, this morning, we have our baby presentation dedication this morning. So if we can have all the parents who are back there to come up. Okay. And do you guys know what order you're supposed to stand in? - Six. - Okay, I'm sure you were instructed, so I'll just kind of let you come up and stand.
Jack, are you the first? Okay, so these are all babies within the last few months. So our church is very obedient to the creation mandate (audience laughing) to be fruitful and multiply. Okay, come on up. All right. So as you can see, we have been multiplying, okay? So I am always stressed that we need more space every time another child comes into our church.
You know, when we travel to India, we have an option to either go through the Middle East or we go through Asia. And when we go through the Middle East, there's a very stark difference that you can notice, is that if you go through the Middle East, the Muslim countries, it's packed with children because their philosophy is they wanna saturate, they wanna produce children and have many children as possible so that in the next generation, that they would raise up children in their religion.
If you go through Asia, the population is actually decreasing. So when you go fly to the other way, you don't see a lot of children on the airplane. So that's why I'm very thankful for our church that we're doing our part to offset that. (audience laughing) Where I remember when I was younger, when we had small children, we had four children everywhere we went.
It's like, oh my gosh, you have four kids. Now I just fit in with the rest of the church 'cause more and more people are having children. So let me start by, the fathers are going to introduce the children, okay? - Hi, my name is Jack. This is my wife, Sincere.
This is our daughter, Allison. No specific reason other than we like the name and also my wife says so. (audience laughing) And I guess her request is just in God's timing, may Allison just come to know his saving love. - Hey, good morning, everybody. My name's Dan Dezee Evangeling and this is our daughter, Celine.
So her name means heavenly and it also just happens to rhyme with Evangeline. (audience laughing) But our prayer request for her has been the same from the beginning. We got pregnant with her right when we started our study on Luke. So Luke chapter one, that she'll be filled with the spirit and just be great in the sight of the Lord, staying strong with her convictions, no matter what the world tells her.
Thank you. - Hi, good morning, everyone. I'm Victor, this is Lauren. This is our daughter, Olivia. We named her Olivia in honor of my mom. She passed away in 2009 of breast cancer. So I always thought that if I had a daughter that I would want to name her Olivia and thankfully Lauren was on board.
(audience laughing) Her middle name, Karis. Insides or I guess inside joke between us, my full name is Victor C. Fu. C means nothing, it's just an initial. So we just wanted to kind of keep that tradition along, start with the letter C. I wanted to name her Grace and Karis just happens to match with that, sort of worked out.
And prayer requests for her, yeah, that the Lord would save her and that she would use her spiritual gifts to expand the kingdom. And yeah, thank you. - Morning, everyone. My name is Vince. This is my wife, Connie. This is our son, Luke, our daughter, Evie's in SIDS right now.
Luke, because I am his father. (audience laughing) But, seriously though, we were playing with Luke, like, oh, you know, I love Star Wars. Luke would be cool. And then Pastor Peter started going over the gospel of Luke. So thank you, Pastor Peter. (audience laughing) Prayer requests for Luke, just that he would come to love the Lord at an early age and that as his parents and as Evie's parents, that we could be just showing the love of Christ and that they would live to see that.
So if you could pray for that, thank you. - Hello, I'm David and this is my wife, Joyce. And then this is Elizabeth, Alice, John. I had nothing funny to say, so I'm sorry. (audience laughing) Elizabeth, just, we thought it was pretty and classic. And Alice is named after my mom.
And her Korean name actually means, or is Eunhae, or Yeeun, sorry, which is short for, Yesunim as Yesunim Eunhae, which means Jesus is grace. And that's our prayer for her, just that she would come to know him and his timing and for us to trust and submit to God's will over her life.
- Hi, my name's Mike. This is my wife, Cheryl. These are our boys, Brandon and Andrew. And this is Madison. And her name, again, we didn't choose any of their names because they meant anything, just thought it sounded good. But their Chinese names, their middle names, have like a more Christian meaning.
So our oldest is Tang Enyu. And then our middle child is Tang Enxin, which means gracious faith, gracious word, gracious faith. And then her middle name is Enling, which means gracious spirit. So we just pray that the Holy Spirit will just dwell in her. - Morning, my name is David.
This is Tessie, this is Beckham Caleb Kim. (audience cheering) I don't really know what Beckham means. We just like the way it sounded and it kind of just threw darts on the board and that's where it landed, right? And then my parents kind of freaked out that we didn't have a biblical name, so we just threw in Caleb just to, (audience laughing) I don't know, make things better.
I think it means faithful, but prayer requests, just pray that we don't mess this up and screw it up. That's it, thanks. - Hi guys, I'm Aaron. This is my wife, Jackie. This is our son, Wesley. Wesley means field in the West. But the real reason why we chose his name is 'cause that was the name we agreed upon.
(audience laughing) Our prayer request for him is that he just experiences God's love as we have. Some of you guys might know, Jackie's recovery was a little rough, so I think we felt a lot of blessings from you guys, family. We pray he experiences that too, and that he has a humble heart and just grows to know and love God.
- Hi everyone, I'm Tim Park. This is my wife, Crystal. This is our fourth kid. His name is Theodore Chong Park. Oldest is five, so we have a lot of young kids. (audience laughing) His name, Theodore, means God's gift. He was actually born without a name. It took us a full day to come up with a name.
And then Chong is Crystal's mom's family name. And then his Korean name, did I mention his meaning? God's gift is Theodore. Okay, and his Korean name is Ha Seung, which I needed to confirm with my parents this morning, which means God's victory. Now, having four kids so young, like one of the, we've asked, you know, so many parents here who had multiple children, like what's the best piece of advice?
And to quote Daniel Tiger, he has a song that says, "Enjoy the wow, it's happening now." So what that means is, kind of like the advice that we got from all the parents is that enjoy the time that you have now while they're young. And I think it's very hard for us to really be intentional throughout the day because it's just so much going on that there's so much missed opportunity to share the gospel of Christ and to really teach them, although we do try our best.
So it really encouraged us to, you know, be sober-minded, to really take the time and use all these events as learning lessons to teach about Christ. And I think that's the biggest thing that we can do for our kids. So if you guys can continue to pray for us, that we can be diligent in raising our kids and for Theodore.
- Yeah. - Hi everyone, I'm Mitchell. This is my wife, Grace. And this is Lydia Skylar Kim. And we named her actually about a decade before she was born. We named her while we were still dating. (audience laughing) Just worked out that way. But Lydia in scripture comes out in Acts 16 and she's identified as a woman who's hardworking, who's hospitable, but most importantly, she's a worshiper of God.
And that's really our hope and our dream for her, that she would love God and forsake all things for him. - Hi guys, my name is Sean. Sean, this is my wife, Jane. This is our eldest, John. (audience laughing) This is the... (audience laughing) This is Shane. (audience laughing) The reason why we...
(audience laughing) It's pretty ridiculous. Life was going a little too easy for us. So we just want to make things a little more confusing. (audience laughing) But yeah, in all seriousness, for both of our boys, we just, we want them to live faithfully. We want the word of God to speak into all aspects of their lives.
So that's basically why we named John, John, because it was after John the Baptist and he lived a very intentional life and Shane is actually the same name as John, just in a different language. And just, yeah, we just want them to live very intentional and faithful lives. - Hi, this is our family of four.
This is my wife, Susan, and our eldest, Emery. And this is Zoe Hope Fongrey. She's now two months old and we named her Zoe because God sustained her life through embryo adoption and that's how she joined our family. (audience applauding) Oh, hey. And also, like, we thought that the name was very fitting because the whole process was not smooth.
We had a rough pregnancy, but through it all, God has been faithful. And our hope here is that she may come to know Christ. And also, just for you guys that don't know, the name Zoe doesn't just mean physical life, but life that comes from Christ. And yeah, our hope is that she comes to know love of God.
And Susan wants to share something, too. - Well, I just wanted to give a fun fact. So we never discussed the name Zoe ever, like even with Emery or anything. And then one day I told Chris, like, "Hey, once we found out it was a girl, "I was like, 'I have a name in mind.'" And he was like, "Is it Zoe?" And I was like, "What?
How'd you know?" So anyways, it was meant to be. (audience laughing) - All right, let's give-- Oh, before they go, we're gonna pray for them. Let me pray for-- (microphone feedback) Okay, let's pray. Lord, we thank you so much for the blessings that you've given our church family. We thank you for the first-time parents.
We thank you for the veteran parents. We thank you, Father God, for the next generation of young men and women, Lord, who will take the baton from us. We pray, Father, that every blessing that you give us would overflow not just to us, but to our children and to their children.
We pray that you, who began a good work in us at Berean, Lord, that we would be faithful stewards of each one of these souls. Help us, Lord God, as parents, as grandparents, as uncles and aunts, as co-laborers, Lord God, in the gospel ministry, in the church, that we truly would be a village that raises these children to honor and glorify you.
We pray for each of the fathers, Lord God, as you have given them the responsibility of leading these homes. I pray that you would help them to be disciplined, help them, Lord God, to love you more than anything else, help them, Father God, not to be tempted by the things of this world, but that by their life, that they would be able to point their fingers, Lord God, to you, that you're the way, the truth, and the life.
I pray for the mothers, that you would give them extra strength, help them, Lord God, to be intentionally sharing the gospel with their children. I pray that as they spend time with them, nurturing and caring for them, that it is your love that overflows, that it would not be, Lord God, just their wishes and dreams, Lord, but I pray that they would be good stewards of each one of these souls, that ultimately, that they belong to you.
And as each one of them has prayed that they would come to faith early on, I pray that each one of them would be able to hear the gospel, to open their hearts, their ears, to give their lives to you at an early age, that they may live long lives, Lord God, bringing fruit for your kingdom.
So for that end, we pray for your blessing, and we pray, Father God, even now, for the next generation, for the sake of your glory. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. All right, let's all give them a round of applause. Okay, and then each one of you guys can just kind of start to go back.
All right, thank you. If you can turn your Bibles with me this morning to Luke chapter 4, verse 31. I'll be reading to verse 34, but we're only going to be camping on the first two verses of this text. Luke chapter 4, verse 31 through 37. And I'm reading out of the NASB.
"And he came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were amazed at his teaching. For his message was with authority. In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 'Let us alone.
What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.' But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be quiet and come out, come out of him.' And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, he came out of him without doing him any harm.
And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another, saying, 'What is this message?' For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out. And the report about him was spreading into every locality in the surrounding district." Let's pray. Gracious Father, we pray that you would anoint this time.
May your word go forth and not return until it is accomplished what you have anointed it to do. Bless this time, Lord, that we may understand your voice. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Right now, as you guys know, we are in tax season. And because we're in tax season, you're probably more aware, if you get any kind of mail or something, instructions that are coming from the IRS, that you would pay more close attention because when it has internal revenue services, like the Treasury Department of the United States or California, you know that that's the mail that you should open because there might be consequences if you ignore it.
Now, if you open up a mail, by the title you can immediately see if this is coming with authority or if it's junk mail. Right? The junk mail you just kind of toss. The struggle that we have now is because we get so many internet, the emails that are coming, or maybe an article that you're reading, or maybe somebody is proclaiming something on YouTube and you're watching all of this, how much of this is really coming with authority?
How much of the information? Today, even when we use the word "fact," we have to put it in quotes. Like, whose fact? Where did this come from? Even the word "science" has been manipulated. Like, oh, this is science and that's science. And so we've got to even put that in quotes because we have to determine where is this coming from?
Again, we live in an age where we can watch the news, where we just--there was at least at one period, there was a universal agreement that if it was on the news, that we don't question the facts, we may question the interpretation of the facts, but now today we can't even trust the news.
Like, what is true, what is not true? The way that that has affected Christianity today is there are so many opinions, so many opinions who say that this is coming from God, this is biblical or not biblical, and yet we don't know--like, does that come with authority? How do we test if that's something that we need to pay attention to?
Is it true or not true? If you have a generation of people who don't regularly study the Bible, you would assume if this pastor says this and that pastor says this and the other pastor says something else, we are helpless and all we can do is, you know, I trust this guy because I like his hair, you know, maybe he has a large church or he's written a book, and so I trust him or I like him.
I like the way he talks. I like those people. And it's as shallow and as superficial as that when we come to a conclusion if we're not careful. How do we determine if something is true or not? How do we determine if something is coming to us with authority?
I say all of this because this morning we're looking at a text and one of the first things that the Bible tells us, that Luke tells us about Jesus' ministry, was Jesus' authority. Now, the rest of the text, after we start, basically tells us that Jesus had authority over the demons, and they're the ones who first and foremost clearly identify who Jesus is.
And so if we're just reading it, our natural reading would cause us to focus on the demon possession and how he cast it out, and we are going to look at that next week. But before we jump into that, I think it's important for us to take some time to look through the first two verses.
Jesus is clearly, the Bible tells us, and we're going to look at that as we're going through the Gospel of Luke, he had power over demons, which we're going to be looking at that next week. He had power over nature. He had power over diseases. He had power to even give to the disciples.
In fact, the Bible tells us that all authority was given unto him. And then, you know that famous passage where Jesus does all of that, and he says, "The reason why I demonstrate power over all of this is so that you would know that I have authority to forgive sins." But before we even get to any of that, Luke introduces his authority and his power in his words.
Before anything else, before nature, before disease, before anything else, he says that the people were amazed at his teaching. That he spoke with authority unlike the others. The word "amazed" in English doesn't really capture what it means in the Greek. Literally, it means to be struck or to be astonished.
Negatively, when this word is used, it means to be struck with terror. Terror, not just fear, but with terror. That you are struck and paralyzed because of something. That's this word, "amazed." In fact, the Bible dictionary literally says this, "Having been knocked out of the senses or self-possession." Having been knocked out.
So he wasn't just, they weren't just intrigued, like, "Oh, he's interesting. His sermons are captivating." No, they were astonished. Knocked out. So what caused this? We're going to be looking at how the demons responded to him when they saw him. But before we even get to his power over the demons, it says, "They were amazed, knocked out, astonished by his words." That he came with authority.
Now, we may look at this situation as, "Oh, maybe the event, maybe the event, maybe the surrounding behind this was spectacular." What Jesus was doing in the synagogue was very pedestrian. It was very normal. It was something that any time an outside rabbi would come, it was their tradition.
That you would give them a platform and allow them to address the crowd. In fact, this is a synagogue in Capernaum, which is where he set up his main base. This is where Peter lived, maybe, according to archaeology, they believe that Peter only lived maybe about a block away from the synagogue.
So this is the city where he, village where he's going to come in and out. And where he established his base, and he does most of his miracles between Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Chorazin, but this was his base. And what he's doing on the Sabbath was very ordinary. It would be kind of like what we're doing now.
Every Sunday morning you come, we sing some songs, and after a while, it becomes a habit, and you know what's going on. The only difference is maybe I'm not speaking, and we have a guest speaker come, and he's given a message. And it is in that ordinary context, which happened in every Sabbath for decades, all of a sudden they hear Jesus, and they said they are astonished.
They are thrown back. What was it about Jesus' word that people were astonished? It's like, wow, he speaks with authority. Was it his voice? Did he have Shantang's voice? Was he like a Tarzan? "Thus saith the Lord." Right? Charlton Heston. Did he have a booming voice that people said, "Oh, he speaks with authority." Did he have Arnold Schwarzenegger's physique?
Was he just commanding? Did he just look like a general? What was it about Jesus? Was it his background? It's like, oh, you know, Jesus is so well-educated. Was there his position? Was he a member of the Sanhedrin? Was he a rich man that people would kind of give him that respect?
And what was it about him and what he was saying that people would be astonished about his word? The Bible says that he had none of that. He had no position. He had no wealth. In fact, his physical appearance wasn't even that attractive to normal people. So what was it about his words where people were astonished?
The only thing that the Bible tells us of his authority, why he was different, is mentioned in Mark 1.22 in Matthew 7. It says, "They were amazed at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." That's the only description that is given us.
When he taught, he wasn't like the scribes. Again, in Matthew 7.28-29, when Jesus had finished these words, "The crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes." That's the only identifying mark that is given to us. It doesn't tell us about his voice.
It doesn't tell us about exactly what he said. We know bits and pieces of what he said. But he just was not like them. Now, what was it about them that made Jesus so different? That they were so amazed? Well, one thing we know for sure, in Luke 4.18, Jesus describes his ministry, "As the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor." First and foremost, there was an anointing on Jesus that was not on any other person.
There was an anointing. The Holy Spirit anointed him to preach the good news. Meaning that this anointing was not upon the scribes. They were talking and giving sermons and they were teaching, and it was clear that there was an anointing upon Christ. Now, was there like a halo upon him?
Was there an angel in the back? Was there a lighting was better when Jesus spoke? No. People recognize that the Spirit of God was upon him. But one of the things that we know about how the scribes taught, by tradition and by biblical record, that the scribes did not teach the Word of God.
They were known to quote each other. They were known to be educated and learning philosophies and traditions of men. And that's one of the main rebukes that Jesus gave, is that you are constantly concerned about the traditions of men, but you do not know the Word of God. And he says, "Because if you knew the Word of God, and if you knew my Father, you would know me.
But because you do not know, you do not recognize me." They were in the habit of quoting each other. Giving topical messages of what they thought that they needed. In fact, Jeremiah 23, 16, it describes the false prophets this way. "Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you.
They are leading you into futility. They speak a vision of their own imagination, not from the mouth of the Lord.'" They're taking thoughts that they had, and they say, "Oh, this must be from the Lord, because I had this thought." Or, "I had this dream, and this dream must be for you." So, they're talking about some impression that they got.
"This must be from the Lord. God told me to say this to you." But I said, "It's not my words. Those are not my words. Those are their words." And as a result of that, they're leading you away from me. Their words were literally just junk mail. The Bible says that.
It doesn't use the word "junk mail," but let me read Jeremiah 23, 28. "The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has my word speak my word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain, declares the Lord." See, the straw is junk without the wheat.
So, he says, "What does straw have in common with wheat?" The wheat is the Word of God. If you take the wheat out of—if you take the grain out of the wheat, it's just straw. In other words, it's junk. What these false prophets are telling you is junk. They're so concerned more about delivery, about the package, but there's no substance.
It's like getting a fantastic Christmas present with the best package and the most beautiful bow, and you open it up, and it's just newspaper. It's nothing. It's empty. That's how he describes the message and the word coming from the false prophets. They're just telling you their latest thoughts. They're just telling you their latest dreams and the impression that they have, but it is not my word.
They do not have intimate knowledge of the Lord, and that's the reason. They don't know who God is. Jeremiah 23, 18, it says, "But who has stood in the counsel of the Lord that he should see and hear his word? Who has given heed to his word and listened?" In other words, in order to speak the Word of God, you need to know God.
You need to be in his presence. You need to have intimate knowledge of who he is. See, these prophets, they know nothing of God, but they wanted to teach. They had things that they wanted to impart, and so they were talking a lot, but they were just straws. Therefore, they speak when the Lord has not spoken.
They add, they subtract, and it has nothing to do with the Word of God. Ezekiel 22, 18, "Her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, 'Thus says the Lord God, when the Lord has not spoken.'" You know, ambassadors for God cannot speak when God has not spoken, and must speak when God has spoken.
We don't have the privilege to say things that the Word of God does not say, and it's not clear. My job up here is not to tell you all my opinions. "What's your opinion about this? What's your opinion about that?" It's like, I have my opinions, but it's not for the pulpit.
I have my own opinions. I have my own thoughts, but those are my opinions. It does not come with any authority, aside from, you know, I may be older than some of you, I have more experience than some of you, but it does not come with the authority of God.
He said these false prophets were speaking many things of their own opinion, but they're not from God. In fact, the Bible says, in the book of Amos, God's final judgment against the nation of Israel was that there was going to be a famine of the Word. Amos chapter 8, 11-12, "Behold, days are coming, because the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread or thirst for water, but rather for hearing of the word of the Lord.
People will stagger from sea to sea, and from north even to the east, they will go to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, but they will not find it." 400 years of silence. Now, was it because they lost the scroll? Was it because they didn't know anything?
The Septuagint was translated during that period. Was it because they just couldn't find the word of God? Is that what he's referring to? No. For 400 years, God never sent anybody. For 400 years. It's not like they didn't have the scroll. It's just that no one was teaching it.
No prophet was sent. Which means that all these scribes, every synagogue, every time they stood up to speak and say, "Thus saith the Lord," had nothing to do with God because God said that they were going to be punished for their disobedience. No prophet was going to represent Him.
And so when Jesus opened His mouth, the 400 years of silence was broken. That's why they recognized His authority, because it was nothing like they'd ever heard before. Because God didn't send His servants. There was no anointing upon it. The word of God was not open for 400 years.
And the reason why it wasn't open is because people weren't paying attention. You and I are living in that generation. You and I are living in that generation. I've had conversations with pastors who've been in ministry longer than I have and asked me, "If I open the Bible and if I teach like the way Berean teaches, will my church grow?" I told them, "Pastor, you cannot commit to teach the word of God because you think it's a method to grow the church.
You have to commit to teach the word of God because God commanded you to, because that's the right thing to do. If you're not sure that that's the right thing to do, and you're afraid that if you teach and exposit the word of God, that it's not going to attract people, and therefore you're not going to do that, you should not preach the word of God to begin with.
The word of God is not a tool to make your church grow. The word of God is taught because we're commanded to, even if it drives people away. There are times in history where the word of God has dried up, and simply because you open the word of God, people will not come to church.
We've had that experience at our church early on. Now, because our church is a certain size, they say, "Well, maybe if we copy what Berean did, maybe it'll work." I said, "No. You should not be preaching the word of God." These prophets came, and they went, and they were quoting each other, and so they created an environment, even though they were talking about the Messiah coming.
Imagine, if the word of God was not open, it shouldn't be a shock to us that the Messiah that they've been waiting for didn't look anything like what the scribes were teaching. They were talking about the Messiah coming, and how he's going to change everything, and when that Messiah finally comes, nobody recognizes him.
Where did that begin? Were they just simply dense? No, because the scribes were not teaching the word of God. So the Messiah that they were describing, the Messiah that they were teaching, was inconsistent with what God said was going to happen. In Jeremiah 9, 23-24, it says, "Thus says the Lord, 'Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom.
Let not the mighty man boast of his might. Let not a rich man boast of his riches. But let him who boasts, boast of this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who exercises loving kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth, for I delight in these things,' declares the Lord." Let me give a warning right here, because our church name is Berean Community Church, Berean Acts 17, 11.
They were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, because they tested everything that Paul said with the word of God. We chose that because we wanted to be a church that is word-centered, that teaches the Bible, does inductive Bible study, that people in our church know, at least be educated in what the word of God says.
Now having said that, the danger of attending a church like this is because the word of God is open to you, that you think that this is what Jesus is talking about. That if you just open the Bible and if you interpret it, you're on the right side. If you have right theology, you're on the right side.
Do you notice here that he doesn't say, not to boast in the flesh, but if you're going to boast in anything, what? That he knows me. Not the meaning of the text, not have all the right theology, but he knows me. You can spend all your life studying, examining, interpreting the word of God, and not know God.
And all it does is fill you with pride and more ammunition to attack people who are wrong. That's not what he's talking about. He's talking about people who knows God, who has broken before God, broken over his own sins. He knows God. He's a man who is humbled by the presence of God, and as a result of that, he preaches the word of God.
As an empty man, as an empty vessel, being used so that God may speak through him. He's not simply talking about smart people who knows how to interpret the Bible, people who went to seminary, and who knows how to exposit, knows church history, and knows all the theology. They can distinguish between dispensationalism and covenant theology.
He's not talking about that. All of these things may be tools, but ultimately he's talking about someone who has an intimate, personal knowledge of God. See, Jesus, when he opened his mouth, they recognized that he wasn't just reading a text and said, "This word means this, and this word means that.
And this is the meaning of this, and this is the meaning of that." That's not what he was doing. He was using the word of God, but he was speaking God's word. And that's what they were amazed by, because they haven't heard it in 400 years. It's not like they didn't read the text.
It's not that they never studied the Bible, but they haven't heard from the Lord for 400 years. And when Jesus spoke, that curse was broken. His authority wasn't something that he earned through hard work necessarily, even though God does anoint him and exalts him in the highest place, but it says, "It was given to him by the Father, John 5:56, 'For the works which the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I do testify about me that the Father has sent me.'" Everything that he has, whenever he opened his mouth, it was clear, this is a man from God.
Not an educated man necessarily, not a dynamic man, not an articulate man, but he's a man from God. God sent him. In contrast, in Jeremiah 23, 21, "I did not send these prophets, but they ran. I did not speak to them, but they prophesied." How many open their mouths and talk, yet God has not sent them?
There's no anointing upon them, but they are eager to speak, they're eager to teach, they're eager to lead. Be careful. To represent God is a serious calling that we do not add or take away, that we do not touch what God has given us. Matthew 11, 27, "All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, nor does anyone know the Father except the Son.
Anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." All authority has been given to him, and as a result of that, when Apostle Paul, every letter he writes, he says, "I am an apostle of Jesus Christ," or, "I'm a bond-servant of Jesus Christ." Paul is not being humble. He is connecting his letter to the authority of Jesus Christ.
Paul didn't just write a random letter, and then years later, they decide, "You know what, Paul wrote a letter, let's make this the Bible." A lot of the people who reject the inerrancy say, "Oh, it was written by man. Paul wrote it. Peter wrote it." Paul says from the very get-go that what I'm writing to you comes with the authority of Jesus Christ.
That's why he says, "I'm an apostle. I'm an ambassador. So what I say is what Jesus is saying." So he's saying, "This letter that I'm writing to you, hear it as if Christ is talking to you. It comes with authority." And as we're studying through 2 Peter, we study that.
Peter acknowledged that. Paul acknowledged that, that these letters from the get-go was from God. And because of that, not only does Paul write with this authority, he tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 1.3, "Command these men to stop teaching false doctrines." In other words, the authority that I have in the name of Jesus Christ, now that authority I give to you.
So Timothy's authority does not come from his age, his ability, but his authority comes from connection to Paul's authority. And Paul's authority comes from Jesus' authority. And Jesus' authority comes from the Father. So when these letters are being written, it comes with authority. That's a challenge that we have in our generation.
If you speak with any authority, you're a legalist, you're a bigot, you're arrogant. You can have your opinion, but that's your truth. And even in the church, even in the church, if my voice goes up a little bit, people are bothered. "Oh, he's preaching to us." "Oh, Pastor Peter's preaching again." "Yes, that's exactly what I'm doing." "And that's my intent.
That's my intent." I didn't survey to see who's going to be offended if I say this. I didn't survey to see if this is going to bring more people to church, or how many people are going to be encouraged or discouraged if I say this. I didn't survey the church.
I spent all week surveying what God has said and the way he would say it. So if there's any regret that I have after I give a sermon, it's that I wasn't accurate to what I saw in the Scripture. Maybe my tone didn't fit what God said. Maybe it should have been stronger.
Maybe it should have been less. But my measuring stick is not you. My measuring stick is him. If he, am I representing him properly? If God is angry with sin, I need to represent God's anger to the church. If God is warning the church of judgment, I need to represent his emotions when I preach the Word of God.
I don't survey the church to find out what's going to make you happy or encouraged, or who's going to give me a five star on the Elf after I'm done. My authority does not come from me. The only way that I can preach with authority is if I'm confident that the Word of God says this, that I have been in the presence of the Lord.
I remember years ago when we were doing ministry in India, Pastor Matthew, some of you guys who've been to India know, he's the guy who started all of this. He's in his 70s and he's pretty frail. And so back where they are, 70 year olds are similar to 90 year olds, you know, in where we're at because they live very hard lives.
They're on the field. Oh, yes. Thank you. May the Lord bless you. Keep you. Sorry, that almost never happens. All right. What was I saying? Okay. Okay. You know, like again, those of you guys who've been to India with us know, you know, while we're treating the patients, you know, and in my mind, they're probably in their mid 60s or 70s.
And I asked him, how old are you? And he'll say, 52. Like 52. You know, and I try not to make any expression because, you know, I don't want to offend them. But inwardly, I'm like, what? Like I'm older than you, but he looks like he's in his 70s.
I mean, it's hard. So Pastor Matthews is in his mid 70s. And you could tell, even the way he walks, he's shaking. And so I don't know how many more years he's going to live. But I remember early on in church, early on as we're going, I wanted to be careful.
I'm a skeptic by nature. So I want to make sure, like, are they trying to play this game? Are you getting funding from us? And, you know, and so every year we were going out and doing work and we never gave him any fund. We never promised anything because I wanted to make sure that that's not what's going on.
So one of the days I was just talking to him with an interpreter in between, and I asked him, Pastor Matthew, what was it like in the early days, you know, when you got kicked out of your home and you were these four young children, you're taking them into villages.
And literally, I heard that he was sharing the gospel and if they welcomed him, they would take care of him, give him food, give him shelter. And then that's where he would plant the church and then he would walk to the next village. And then if somebody comes to Christ, so his sustenance was literally based upon the fruitfulness of the gospel.
So I asked him, so when you go there and they're not accepting and they chase you out of the village, what happens? He said, yeah, we get chased out and there's a lot of days where we just slept outside in the fields, you know. And I didn't know how we're going to feed the kids and so it was my sustenance was directly linked to the fruitfulness.
And it was like, man, it's like New Testament, you know. And I asked the children, the pastors now that we work with, I asked them and they would recount that story. But the way that they recounted it wasn't fond memories. You know, they weren't trying to sell anything. They was like, we hated it.
And they said, we're so determined, like when we grow up, we weren't going to be pastors because we don't want to repeat this with our children. So I went, you know, in my mind, I'm trying to like, oh, this guy is not good at selling his ministry. And I asked Pastor Matthew, so what were your thoughts?
What were you going through? And he said, I was so depressed early on in ministry, said I was at one point suicidal. I said, that doesn't sound like Hudson Taylor. You know what I mean? Like, it sounds like a guy, I mean, he's wanting our help, but that's not something you'd want to say to sell his ministry.
But he was just being open and honest. He said early on, we go to the villages and when I couldn't feed the kids, I literally were scrounging for food and me and these four little children were just out in the field and we would sleep. And then we'd wake up next day and try to walk to another village and hopefully that they'll, you know, come to Christ and then they'll take care of us.
And that's how he lived. That's how he raised his kids. And that's why his kids hated ministry. In fact, one of the children that we worked with, Pastor David, he went into pharmacy. And he was third year into his pharmacy school when he said he repented and decided to come and join his father and his brothers in ministry.
And he said, I wanted to be, I wanted to die because I saw what it was doing to my children. That if I just disappeared, this burden to preach the gospel will be lifted from our family. And at least my children will be able to be taken care of.
My wife would be able to be taken care of. I remember hearing that. It's like, this is so real that he's so honest. Because, you know, when we hear and read about missionaries and stories about it's like, oh, Hudson Taylor, you know, prayed six hours and he studied the Bible all day and preached the gospel, planted three million churches.
And he never slept. He never ate. I never met a single pastor or missionary that lives up to the stories. Because they're not real. You know, they highlight and kind of venerate them, but they're not real. You know, and you hear testimonies after they die, oh, this guy almost walked on water and he was so intimate with God.
He prayed six, seven hours and Martin Luther preached eight sermons a day. And he prayed five hours when he was busy. He prayed seven hours and it sounds great on sermons. But, you know, like I said, I'm a skeptic. When did this guy ever sleep? Didn't he have children?
Was his wife happy? How did he pay his bills? Because they're all exaggerated. In real life, what he says, I run into that all the time. Missionaries who are tired, burned out. Missionaries who come home because their children have walked away from faith. And struggling, but enduring and being faithful.
Wanting to quit and just hanging on. That's real. Those are the stories that I meet all the time. And he was just telling me like it was, that that's how it was. But he said that burden to preach the gospel was so heavy, even though he had suicidal thoughts, he could not.
And as a result, it led to what it is today. Jeremiah 9, 23-24, it says, "Thus says the Lord, let not a..." It says that if he does not preach... Jeremiah 29, it says, "But if I say I will not remember him or speak any more in his name, then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it if I do not preach the gospel." Where is that compelling today?
Where is that anointing today? Where is that conviction today? When Jesus opened his mouth, it was evident that God was speaking through him. Well, a final point before I wrap up this sermon. Jesus' authority was given to him, not for his own glory, but for his Father's glory and salvation of mankind.
In John 17, 1-2, it says, "He said, 'Father, the hour has come to glorify your Son, that the Son may glorify you. And even as you gave him authority over all flesh, that to all whom you have given him, he may give eternal life.'" Imagine what you and I would do with that kind of authority.
Our whole system of government is based upon power corrupts and absolute power corrupts what? Absolutely. So even though the presidency of the United States as a position is the most powerful position because it's the most powerful nation, but as the description within the country, it's weak. It's weak because they deliberately created it based upon biblical principle, but if you give a sinner power, he's going to be corrupted.
So there's checks and balances. There's no other government that I know of where the president can be canceled, and the people who cancel him don't die. There's no other country where you can rip on the president day in and day out, and nothing happens to them. Right or wrong, that's how the government was created.
He can say all that he wants, and then he doesn't get elected, and somebody else comes and reverses everything that he's done. It's all based on a biblical principle that power in a sinner's hand will corrupt him. What will you and I do with the authority he's given us?
So think about it. Think about it. The one that God wants to give authority to is an empty man. More important than any training that he gets, more important than any knowledge that he retains, more important than any discipline that you may have, the most important character of an individual who will represent God is to be dead.
Because if your flesh is alive, and you are given authority, you will be corrupted, and you will corrupt your hearers. So God calls people to die to himself, die to his own glory, die to his ambition, die to his esteem, his reputation. He must die to himself, because as soon as God anoints him, it will corrupt him, and it will ruin him, and it will ruin his hearers.
When a man stands up in between the sinner and God, and he desires to be noticed, he is already ruined. He is ruined. Jesus received all his authority because he emptied himself. He was already a dead man walking. Way before he went to the cross, Jesus was already dead.
He just wasn't physically dead, but he was already dead. I believe the reason why there is an emptiness of the Word of God, emptiness of the anointing of God, is because churches are filled, and pulpits are filled, with people who wants to sit to the left and right of Christ in his glory.
Even when we are disciplined, we compare. Even in our training, even after training, we compare. And even in the church, we're fighting for recognition. Until we are dead, we are useless. I don't care how gifted you are. I don't care how talented, I don't care how much discipline you have, I don't care how much scripture you memorized.
Until you're dead, you are useless. Completely useless. So the greatest calling for sanctification is not to be more, but to be less. To be seen less. To be recognized less. I hear all the time, people, "What kind of legacy are you going to leave behind?" "What kind of legacy are you going to leave behind?" That's fleshly talking.
That's fleshly talking. I'm a tool. And of course, I have my flesh, and I struggle with that. But I know that the greatest challenge as a pastor is to die. Is to die. Is to do your job and go home. Just go home. And when God determines to pass the baton, that He will pass it on to somebody who is also striving to die.
So the greatest challenge for me is not how I'm going to manage this church, or how I'm going to give the best sermons, or how I'm going to do this. The greatest challenge is my own flesh. Wanting, desiring, hoping, wishing, coveting to touch some of His glory. And as a result of that, the Word of God is frustrated.
Because it's coming through a mouth that desires attention. It's coming through a mouth that wants recognition. Coming through a mouth so that you would recognize. When Jesus opened His mouth, there was nothing of His flesh. It was a dead man talking. And for 400 years, they didn't hear this.
They had 400 years of sermons, 400 years of prophets, 400 years of scribes and Pharisees who were teaching the Bible according to them. But for the first time when Jesus opened His mouth, they were astonished. That's what God sounds like. That's what God's glory looks like. I pray that you and I would recognize the hunger and thirsting that God has placed in us that can only be satisfied with Christ.
So that we would not run to anything in this world to satisfy that. That as they were astonished with His words, that we would pray that God would bring us to that point. That we would be astonished by His Word. Let's pray. Let's take some time to pray. Take time to come before the Lord.
If we have been running to the world to temporary things to satisfy our hungering and thirsting, take time to come before the Lord. Ask for His help to redirect our attention. That if we live with any coveting, that we would covet His Word. That we would covet His Spirit.
That we would covet His presence. Let's take some time to pray as our worship team leads us. (Prayer is sung) (Prayer is sung) (Prayer is sung) (Prayer is sung) (Prayer is sung) (Prayer is sung) (Prayer is sung) (Prayer is sung) (Prayer is sung) (Prayer is sung) (Prayer is sung) (Prayer is sung) (Prayer is sung) (Prayer is sung) (Prayer is sung) (Piano music is played) God the uncreated One, the author of salvation, who wrote the laws of space and time and fashioned worlds to His design.
The One whom angel hosts revere, hung the stars like chandeliers, numbered every grain of sand, knows the heart of every man. He is King forever, He is King forever, He is King forevermore. (Piano music is played) God our fortress, God our fortress and our strength, the rock on which we can depend.
Flashless in His majesty, His power and authority. Unshaken by the schemes of man, never changing, great I am. Kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall, He is faithful through it all. Crown Him King forever, Crown Him King forever, Crown Him King forevermore. (Piano music is played) Mighty God immortal flesh, forsaken by a traitor's kiss.
The curse of sin and centuries, did pierce the lowly Prince of Peace. Lived behind a sinless man, crucified thus from His Lamb. Buried by the sons of man, rescued by the Father's hand. To reign as King forever, reign as King forever, reign as King forevermore. Eternal God of grace, we crown You with the highest praise.
Heaven shouts and saints adore, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord. What joy in everlasting life, all is love and faith decide. Justice rolls and praises rise, at the name of Jesus Christ. King of Kings forever, King of Kings forever, King of Kings forevermore. King of Kings forever, King of Kings forever, King of Kings forevermore.
King of Kings forevermore. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we pray that You would open up the heavens, Lord God, and that You would speak to us. Lord, only Your glory, only Your Word can save us from the filthiness of this world. Lord, we struggle with temptation, we struggle with coveting.
Lord, we are prone to be entangled with the civilian affairs of this world. Lord, only Your presence, only Your voice, only You can save us, Lord God, from this generation. Only You can save us from our own sins. Only You can deliver us from our own pride. Only You can save us from our own fears.
So we pray, Father God, as Christ brought His Word with authority, I pray, Father God, that You would open up heavens, that we may see Your glory, that revival would come in this generation, as the evil is turning more and more bold. We pray, Father God, that You would prevent us from our hearts growing cold.
Help us, Lord God, to see the spiritual battle that we are in, that we may gear up with spiritual warfare, Father God, for the sake of Your name. Help us, Lord God, to live, knowing that we are just sojourners, just passing through. Bring revival in this generation, Lord God.
Help us to be men and women of prayer. Help us to be men and women, Lord God, of Your Word. We pray, Father God, that as You have called us to be a holy nation, to a royal priesthood, that we would take that challenge on ourselves. Honor You, glorify You.
Help us, Lord God, to be the aroma of Christ, wherever You send us this week. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. God sent His Son. They called Him Jesus. He came to love, heal, and forgive. He lived and died to buy my pardon. An empty grave is there to put my Savior's lips.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future. And life is worth the living just because He lives. Amen.