Digging Deep: Gospel Authority (2 Corinthians 10:1-11)

Psalm 1 describes the blessed person as one who has dug deep into God’s Word, making it the source of his daily meditation. In pursuit of this kind of blessed life, we briefly review the sermon from the previous Sunday. May you be like a tree planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in its season (Psalm 1:3). This week we look back at Pastor Gavin’s sermon on 2 Corinthians 10:1-11.

We live in a world that is ordered by authority, but we see arguments, fights, divorce, and even wars when authority is challenged and fought against. This is where the gospel comes into the picture. The gospel rightly informs how we are to be in positions of authority and how we are to be under the authority of others.

An excerpt:

“But let’s take a step back before sin entered the world and there was still authority. God had authority over Adam and Eve and Adam and Eve had authority over the animal kingdom and the land. Authority is a wonderful part of God’s plan for this world. And in order to carry out His plan for this world, He has given many of us positions of authority and we are to do something amazing with this authority.We are to make authority beautiful. Why? Because the author of authority is beautiful. We are addressing the question, ‘What’s the ultimate goal of my authority?’ Our ultimate goal is to make authority beautiful because the author of authority is beautiful. We want to build up souls to follow Jesus because He is beautiful.”

Question: What makes Jesus’ authority so beautiful?

Jesus being the Son of God had complete authority as he walked the face of the earth. He had authority over nature by commanding the waves and storms to be still. He had authority over illness and disease as he completely cured people. He had authority over the Scriptures as he taught with authority that no one had ever heard. He even had authority over death! But most importantly he had the authority to forgive sins. Jesus has complete authority. 

Encouragement: If you are in a position of authority, take a few minutes and think about how you answered the question above, then ask how you can implement one or two of them into your life. Remember, God has given you this position of authority, so make authority beautiful because the author of authority is beautiful!

P.S. Here’s a link that briefly addresses fatherly authority that was personally encouraging and convicting.