Please turn to the book of Romans, Romans 13. Just the first verse:
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers:
for there is no power but of God;
and the powers that be are ordained of God.
—Romans 13:1
Now turn to 2 Corinthians 10, verse 8:
For though I should glory somewhat abundantly concerning our authority
(which the Lord gave for building you up, and not for casting you down),
I shall not be put to shame.
—2 Corinthians 10:8
Then 2 Corinthians 13, verse 10:
For this cause I write these things while absent,
that I may not when present deal sharply,
according to the authority which the Lord gave me
for building up, and not for casting down.
—2 Corinthians 13:10
Turn also to 1 Samuel 15, verses 22 and 23:
And Samuel said,
Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to hearken than the fat of rams.For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
—1 Samuel 15:22-23
Finally, Philippians 2. I am going to read from verse 5 through verse 11:
Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men;
and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross.Wherefore also God highly exalted Him, and gave unto Him the name which is above every name;
that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth,
and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
—Philippians 2:5-11
As we mentioned last night, the burden that we have for this time is on this matter of spiritual authority. Now, first of all, I would like to say again: do not be afraid of authority. Do not have a kind of unconscious resistance in your mind and your heart when this word, authority, is mentioned.
I think much of this is because of our misunderstanding, or our failure to understand what authority really is. Because if, by the grace of God, we see what authority really is, it is the most blessed thing. And I do believe that we will welcome it instead of being afraid of it.
Now, at the very outset, we would like to lay down a fundamental truth concerning authority: there is no authority except from God. Even though the apostle Paul, when he was writing that letter to the Romans, was referring in Romans 13 to delegated authorities—earthly authorities that God has set up—nevertheless, it tells us a very fundamental truth.
There is no authority except from God. To put it another way, it simply tells us that God is the only authority in the universe. There is no authority whatsoever except God Himself and what God has given.
Now, I do believe that, in a way, we all know this. But unfortunately, I am afraid that this concept does not really sink into our hearts. And I think it is because of this that there is so much misunderstanding about authority.
We mistake something commonly accepted as authority without really knowing what authority really is. So I do hope that this fundamental truth will really enter into our hearts: there is no authority but God. God is the one and only authority.
Any professed authority that is not from God, that is not God Himself, is not real authority, because God is the only authority in the whole universe.
Why is it that He is the authority of the universe? Because He is God. He is the Creator of all things. All things came from Him, and for this reason, He has the right over all things.
You know, this word authority in Greek is exousia. It comes from an impersonal verb meaning, “It is lawful.” From the meaning of the liberty of doing things according to one’s pleasure comes this word authority: the authority to exercise power, the freedom of action, free to act as He wishes.
Now, that is what authority really means. With God, His authority is absolute and unlimited. Because of this, we have to give to God absolute obedience and absolute submission.
God is the only authority in the universe. His authority is direct, not delegated. He is authority because of what He is. His authority is inherent in Him. He is the authority.
Now, it is true that He does delegate authority to others—sometimes to angelic beings and other times to human beings. But even though He delegates authority to others, He has never given up His authority.
Furthermore, what He has given is limited; it is not absolute. He still retains in Himself the authority of the universe. His authority must be obeyed. It cannot be challenged. And if His authority is challenged, there will be consequences.
This is the authority of God.
Now, brothers and sisters, knowing that God is the authority—and nothing else and nobody else—we would like to know the nature of God’s authority. I think much misunderstanding of authority is because we do not know the nature of authority. That is why we cannot distinguish between true authority and false authority.
So I think it is very, very important for us to know the nature of God’s authority. We say that God is the only authority, so we need to know what is the nature of His authority.
First of all, we know that authority is the expression of God Himself. In other words, authority is something that comes out of Him. It is natural with Him. It is the result of who He is and what He is. It is the expression, or the manifestation, of His very character. It is part of Him.
And because of this, what is the nature of God’s authority? Now we know that God is Spirit. In John 4, you remember, when the Samaritan woman had a talk with our Lord Jesus, our Lord gradually led her to this matter of worship.
In explaining worship to this Samaritan woman, the Lord said:
God is a Spirit:
and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.
—John 4:24
So essentially, God is Spirit. Now, if God is Spirit, then the authority that comes out of Him must be spiritual in nature. Authority is spiritual in nature. It is not something that you put on; it is something that comes out of what He is. It is spiritual. It is not positional.
It is true that God does have a position. We sing this song, “Place You, Lord, on the highest place.” In other words, He has the highest position. That is true. But His position is because of what He is, not because something has been given to Him.
In other words, His position is the result of His spirituality. Because He is Spirit, therefore His authority is spiritual in nature. It is not something to be grasped at; it is inherent in His very self.
So you remember in Philippians, it is said of our Lord Jesus that He, the Son of God, is equal with God. That is His position. He is equal with God. But that is not something to be grasped at, because it is His.
You remember one day when our Lord Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. It was His last trip to Jerusalem before His crucifixion. As He was approaching Jerusalem, in the minds of the disciples they thought this was the time of the glorification of their Master. They thought this was the time that the Lord Jesus would go to Jerusalem to claim His kingdom.
Now, it is true that this was the time for His glorification. But His glorification was not assuming the throne on earth. On the contrary, if you read the Scriptures, you will find that the glorification He was talking about was actually His crucifixion. But the disciples did not understand that.
They thought the Lord was going to Jerusalem to receive His kingdom. So that was a very critical time for them. During the three and a half years of following the Lord Jesus, they had argued among themselves all the time about who was the greater one—who was the greatest.
Again and again, the Lord tried to correct them and instruct them, but somehow it did not sink into their hearts. So even at the last minute, you find that they were still thinking of the same thing. This was the last opportunity.
You remember the story of how John and James got hold of their mother, who was humanly an aunt to our Lord Jesus. They asked their mother to come and plead for them. So they came to the Lord Jesus and said, “Lord, give us what we ask for.”
The Lord said, “What do you want?” Their mother said, “In Your kingdom, let my two sons, one sit on Your right side and one sit on Your left side.”
Position. For them, authority was a matter of position. If you can get that position on the right and on the left, then you have all the authority of the right hand or the left hand.
And you know how our Lord Jesus answered them. The Lord said, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am going to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism that I am going to be baptized with?”
Actually, John and James did not understand what the Lord was talking about, because their minds were full of this matter of the right and left hand. So whatever the Lord said, without even considering it or knowing what the Lord really meant, they wanted that position so much that they said, “Yes.”
“We will be baptized with the baptism that You are baptized with, even though we do not know what that baptism means. We will drink the cup that You are going to drink, even though we do not know what that cup is. But anyway, we want that position.”
And the Lord said, “It is not for Me to give. It is for the Father to decide whom to give it to.” You have the words here: the Lord says, “You must drink the cup that I am going to drink.”
Now, of course, you quickly connect this cup with the scene of Gethsemane. You remember our Lord, on the night of His betrayal, how He entered into that garden. He was deeply distressed. He asked the disciples to wait there, and the three to pray with Him.
He went a stone’s throw away, and there He agonized in prayer:
My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from Me:
nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.
—Matthew 26:39
That is the cup He was talking about. What is the cup? The cup is a portion. Even though the cup that the Lord was talking about was a bitter cup, the cup represents the will of God—whatever the will of God may be, whether it is bitter or sweet. “Thy will be done.”
When I was in Toronto recently, I mentioned this to our brothers and sisters there. You know, when our Lord Jesus, who was equal with God, emptied Himself, He took the form of a bondservant, even the fashion of a man.
In doing that, He laid down all the glory, power, and honor that were rightfully His. He laid everything down as God—not laying down His deity, of course. He could not do that; He was still God. But He laid down everything that belonged to God: power, glory, honor, majesty, and worship.
He laid down all these things. He emptied Himself of all these things in order to become a man, in order to become a bondservant before God. The Lord gave up a great deal.
But, brothers and sisters, even though He did give up all the glory, honor, and power connected with His deity when He came to be a man, these things did not touch His character. He was still holy. He was still perfect. He was still pure. They did not touch His very being.
But in the garden of Gethsemane, brothers and sisters, why was it that our Lord agonized so much over this matter of the cup? Because in drinking the cup, it touched His very being. It touched His very character.
Because He who knew no sin was made sin for us. Brothers and sisters, that is the reason why He shrank back as a perfect man. But even so, because of the love that He had for us, He was willing to be defiled, contaminated, completely misunderstood, and rejected by God in order to save us.
Think of the love of Christ. That is the cup He was talking about, and He was willing to drink that cup to the full.
Brothers and sisters, the Lord said, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am going to drink?” In other words, are you willing to accept the Father’s will, whatever it may be?
You know how we are. If it is a sweet cup, we enjoy it. If it is a bitter cup, we want it to be passed from us.
But the Lord said, if you really want authority, it is not a matter of position; it is a matter of spirituality. What is spirituality? It simply means that here is a person who is willing to accept the will of God, whatever it may be.
“Are you able to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” Now, of course, the baptism to which He refers is the cross. At the beginning of His ministry, He was baptized by John the Baptist in order to fulfill all righteousness.
That baptism is really a type of the cross: that He was going to be crucified. Now, what is baptism? Baptism simply means death. You do not baptize a person who is living, because you would bury him alive.
Unless we see that we have died in Christ Jesus—died to our old man—we go into the water to be baptized, to be buried out of sight. As we come out of the water, it is as a new creation, a new person. That is what baptism means, and that is what the cross means.
The cross is the place where Christ was crucified. The cross is the place where you and I were crucified. The cross is the place where self is denied and laid down.
That is the baptism. So the Lord said, “Are you able to be baptized with the baptism that I am to be baptized with?” In other words, are you able to deny yourself? Are you able to take up your cross and follow Me to the very end, that self may be completely crucified? Are you willing? Are you able to do that?
It is not a matter of position. It is a matter of denying yourself and laying down your life. It is a spiritual matter.
Maybe we are ready. How able are we?
So, dear brothers and sisters, first of all, we will see that authority is spiritual in nature. If you really desire authority, then remember: it is not something for the asking.
And if you ask for authority, do you know what you are asking for? You are asking for the cup. You are asking for the baptism.
Only those who, by the grace of God, are not only willing but able to drink the cup and be baptized with the baptism—then the Father will decide where they will be seated. So this whole matter of authority, I am afraid, is completely misunderstood.
If we first of all can really understand the nature of authority, I do believe that it will save us a lot of problems. You may not dare even to ask for authority. But it is something to ask for—not for yourself—because later on you will find that authority is a most glorious thing.
But anyway, the first nature of authority is spiritual, not positional. Second, authority is of life.
In Psalm 36:9, it is said:
For with Thee is the fountain of life:
in Thy light shall we see light.
—Psalm 36:9
God is authority. Why? Because He is the fountain of life. He is life itself, and life always carries authority.
The apostle John says:
That which was from the beginning,
that which we have heard,
that which we have seen with our eyes,
that which we beheld, and our hands handled,
concerning the Word of life
(and the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare unto you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us);
that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you also,
that ye also may have fellowship with us:
yea, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
—1 John 1:1-3
In John 1, he says:
In Him was life;
and the life was the light of men.
—John 1:4
In other words, you find that our God is the God of life. He is full of life. He is not only full of life, but He gives life. Everything comes out of His life. That is the reason why He is authority over all.
Authority is not something you assume. Authority is the result of life.
I do not have a good illustration. I struggled over it, but I will use it as an imperfect illustration. You know, in our family, why is it that children must obey their parents?
One reason really is because their parents have lived longer than they have. They have more life; or we may put it another way, they give them life. Of course, God gave us life, but our parents do give us life, nourish us, and bring us up.
So, in other words, the parents have that position as parents not because they assumed that position. It is because they have more life. That is the reason why they have more authority over the children.
Or when you think of the church of God, you find that the Bible tells us of the elders. Whether those elders are really older physically or in age, or whether they are older spiritually, I think the latter probably is more right.
Of course, spiritual growth—the growth of spiritual life—takes time too. So, in other words, you find in the church that you have the elders. The elders represent in the church the government of God.
Why is it so? It is not because some people assume their position. It is because, among the brothers and sisters, they seem to have more life of Christ in them. They seem to have more manifestation of spiritual life.
Because their life is at least a step ahead of us, therefore they represent more of the authority of God. So it is not something that anybody can assume. It is because of the life of Christ within them. As a matter of fact, the more spiritual life you have, the more authority there is.
For instance, we are all familiar with Barnabas and Paul. You find in Acts 13 how, when the five prophets and teachers were ministering unto the Lord, the Holy Spirit said, “Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.”
These two men were set apart as apostles, and they went forth. Of course, there was little John with them as an attendant. They traveled from Antioch and went to Cyprus. As you read the Bible, you find that when they went forth, it was always Barnabas and Paul.
In other words, even with two apostles and with little John, you find that there was an order there—a divine order. That divine order was not something arranged or assumed.
Barnabas did not assume, “Because I knew the Lord before you, Saul, therefore I will take the lead and you will just follow me. I was the one who introduced you to the saints in Jerusalem. Everybody was afraid of you, but I believed you and introduced you to Peter. Therefore, I have to be the leader.”
Or, “Because I found you in Tarsus and brought you to Antioch, and you were under my apprenticeship for a whole year, therefore I have to take the lead and you just follow.” No, there was nothing arranged. There was nothing assumed.
The Holy Spirit said, “Set apart Barnabas and Saul.” That was all. But somehow you find there was an order—not assumed, but of life.
But strangely, when they traveled in Cyprus, suddenly you find the order began to change. The Holy Spirit, in the Word of God, tells us, “Paul and his company.” Saul changed his name to Paul, and it became Paul and his company. Now Paul means little—the little one and the company.
Now little John was not happy about it. John was a relative of Barnabas, and when he discovered that the order had changed, he could not accept it, and he left.
But thank God, Barnabas knew the Lord. Without any protest, willingly he took the second position. So you find here that it is not a matter of trying to get a position. It is a matter of the manifestation of life.
Somehow, Paul’s life—or the Christ-life in Paul—seemed to be more manifested than the Christ-life in Barnabas. Because of that, Paul took the lead. It is a matter of life.
Now, if we can see this, then, brothers and sisters, there should be no argument. You cannot argue about life. If life is there, it is there. If it is not there, no matter how you argue, it is not there.
If there is a greater measure of Christ in that brother, it is there. If you do not have that measure of Christ, it is evident. Everybody knows it. It is something that you cannot argue and cannot assume, because it is purely a matter of life.
When people begin to argue over this matter of authority, you know for sure that they are outside of life.
Furthermore, since authority is of life, when a person is in life with the Lord, there is authority. But the moment he is not living in the life of Christ, that authority is gone. This is very important. I will explain that later.
So authority is of life, not something anybody can assume. Thirdly, authority is in giving, not in gaining.
You know, our whole concept of authority is gain. If I have authority, then I gain a lot. I can force people to do what I want them to do. I gain a lot for myself. No. Authority is in giving, not in gain.
Think of God. Our God is a great Giver. He is so rich; He is full. The fullness of the Godhead is something beyond our comprehension. We cannot understand it. Yet you find God giving all the time.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.
—John 3:16
Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself up for it.
—Ephesians 5:25
You know, there is authority in giving. The one who gives has authority over the one who receives. That is very natural. The more you give, the more authority you have.
The Lord Jesus said that He gave Himself a ransom. Because He gave Himself as a ransom for many, therefore the many come under His authority.
Fourthly, in connection with this, authority is in serving.
You know that famous verse in Mark 10:45. The Lord Jesus said:
For verily the Son of man came not to be ministered unto,
but to minister,
and to give His life a ransom for many.
—Mark 10:45
The disciples were arguing among themselves who was the greater one. So our Lord began to teach them a lesson. The Lord said, “In this world, those who rule lord it over other people. Those who are great exercise authority. But not so among you.”
The Lord said, “Among you, he that would become great among you shall be your servant; and he that would be first among you shall be servant of all. For I came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give My life a ransom for many.”
Now, brothers and sisters, when you think of this matter of being great and of being first, we all want to be great; we all want to be first. In the world, the great and the first are those who sit high up and rule over other people.
That is the way in the world. That is the world’s concept of authority. The world’s concept of authority is a position. When you get to that position, then you can lord it over everybody else. Then you are great; you are first.
But the Lord said, “Not so among you.” I am afraid, brothers and sisters, we have not heard the Lord. When the Lord said, “Not so in your midst,” in our minds we say, “It is still so.”
Now, it is very revolutionary, brothers and sisters, if you understand what the Lord is talking about. The Lord said the whole concept of worldly authority has to be thrown out of the window. Do not ever let any of that concept contaminate you. Not so, not so in your midst. This is the world.
Now, in your midst, what is authority? What is greatness? What is first place? The Lord said, “The great among you is to be servant.”
Now, brothers and sisters, to be great and to be a servant of the Lord, that sounds good. But the Lord said, “To be great among you is to be the servant of all of you.” Now, that is difficult.
Do you want to be great? You have to be servants to all your brothers and sisters. Now, who are your masters? Of course, the Lord is my Master. But aside from the Lord, who are your masters? Your brothers and sisters.
We think that to be great is to become master of our brothers and sisters. They are our servants. We give orders. We tell them what they should do. But no, the Lord said that is the world’s concept of authority.
“My concept of authority is this: if you want to be great, serve your brothers and sisters. Serve them as if they were your masters.” Now, are you willing to be great?
More than that, the Lord said, “You want to be first—not only great, but first—you become a bondservant of all.” A servant still can have his or her say, and if unwilling, can quit. But a bondservant has no right whatsoever.
If you want to be first among your brothers and sisters, then you have to be a bondservant, not only to Christ but to your brothers and sisters. Now, are you willing to be slaves of your brothers and sisters?
But that is what it is. That is where authority lies. It is in serving. The Lord said, “I came not to be served, but to serve.” Now, who serves most? Our Lord Jesus.
He served us to the extent not only of washing our feet, but of giving up His life as a ransom for all. That is how He serves. That is why He is great. That is why He is first. That is why He has authority over us.
The one who serves has authority over those whom he serves. That is the nature of authority.
And then, authority is in love. I mentioned last night that we often think that love and authority are incompatible.
If there is love, we think there should be no authority exercised. In other words, if you really love them, you let them do anything they like to do, whether it is right or wrong, whether it pleases you or not. Because you love, love, love, therefore love does nothing—no rebuke, no correction, no order. That is love.
Then, on the other hand, we think of authority. Authority, of course, is forcing people to do what they do not want to do, giving them nothing. That is authority. Now, of course, if that is the concept of love and authority, they are incompatible.
But, dear brothers and sisters, God is love, and God is authority. Love is His nature; authority is His manifestation, His right. These two things do not contradict. These two things go together.
I will even dare to say that love is authority. Authority is love—sacrificial love, giving of oneself to serve the good of others. Now, if this is authority, is it not love?
If you really love, there must be discipline. You cannot discipline if there is no authority. So you find that this matter of love and authority is really joined together. Authority has to be exercised in love, and love must chastise.
You remember Hebrews 12. Our heavenly Father chastises us because He loves us as His sons. If He does not chastise us, then we are bastards and not sons.
Therefore, authority and love cannot be divorced. They stay altogether. That is the very nature of authority.
Now, brothers and sisters, do we now understand what authority really is? In understanding authority, we understand God.
Well, we have to move on. I would like to stay there, because I feel it is something that has to get across. Now, what is the purpose of authority? Why authority?
We say that God is the Creator of the universe. He created the world by the word of His power. His word not only has power; it has authority.
You know, there is a difference between authority and power. Authority is the right to exercise power, and power is the ability to do things.
The Word of God has not only power, but the Word of God has authority. He says it, and it is done. He speaks a word, and the thing is done, because His Word is full of authority and full of power.
Not only did He frame the world by the word of His power, but you find that this whole world subsists today by His Word.
After He created the universe, He used His authority to bring this world into order. So everything God created was put in order under His government and under His authority. There was no chaos and no disorder. Everything would go as He desired.
Now, unfortunately, His authority was challenged. When His authority was unchallenged, the universe that He created was in perfect order—not only the physical, but even the spiritual.
Not only did all the stars revolve in their orbits as God had ordained, but even the angelic beings ministered unto God as they were assigned. Everything was in perfect order because His authority sustained that order.
But unfortunately, one day that authority was challenged. Lucifer, the archangel, probably the first created angel, was put by God in the highest position aside from God Himself—an anointed cherub, if we may use this expression.
He was the cherub that stood behind the throne of God, nearest to God, full of wisdom and skill, and given dominion, rule, and power. But unfortunately, he became proud of himself. He wanted to be equal with God.
Now, who is equal with God? The Son of God. That is not something to be grasped at, because He is God. But for Lucifer, trying to be equal with God, he was trying to grasp something that did not belong to him.
Because of this rebellion, there was judgment. The world was thrown into disorder. You find everything was in ruin and emptiness—purposeless and covered with darkness.
And God repaired it, brought it back to order, and gave dominion to man to rule over all the things He had created. But unfortunately, man again sinned and threw this world again into curse. We are still living in this cursed world.
It is because of what happened in prehistoric time and what has happened in historical time that our concept of authority has become negative. Whenever we think of authority, we think of overthrowing, overturning, punishment, and judgment. That is authority.
But, brothers and sisters, in the beginning it was not so. What is the purpose of authority? The apostle Paul again and again said, “The authority that God has given to me is for building up, not for overthrowing.”
Do we hear this? The basic purpose, or the fundamental meaning, of authority is to build up. It is very positive, very beautiful, very glorious—not for overthrowing.
Authority has a twofold meaning. One is positive, which is primary and original: for building up. The other is negative and secondary: overthrowing.
There can be no building up without authority. What builds up the church? Two things: life and authority. These two things are one.
If there is no authority, there can be no building up. Why? Because everybody wants to have his or her own will only. How can you build brothers and sisters together if that is the case?
It is like the children of Israel at the time of the judges. You find that in the time of the judges, the Holy Spirit gave a comment at the very end of Judges 21:25 on the whole hundreds of years of the history of the children of Israel in Canaan:
In those days there was no king in Israel:
every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
—Judges 21:25
There was no building up. Why? Because there was no king, no authority. In order to build up, you need authority to build up, to join people together.
Our Lord Jesus said:
Upon this rock I will build My church;
and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
—Matthew 16:18
When did He say that? He said it after Peter confessed, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The Son of the living God has authority.
As the Christ, the sent One of God, He came to accomplish that work of redemption. Because of His obedience to the Father, He was given authority. He not only had authority as God, but He was given authority as the Son of Man, as Christ—both Christ and Lord.
Brothers and sisters, it is because He has authority that He said, “I will build My church.”
We think of the Great Commission given in Matthew 28:
Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit:
teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you:
and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
—Matthew 28:19-20
It is a great commission. Now, how can the church accomplish this Great Commission? Not only evangelizing the world, but discipling the nations. How can you disciple without discipline? How can you discipline without authority?
Now, where is the authority? In the verse before that, the Lord says:
All authority hath been given unto Me in heaven and on earth.
—Matthew 28:18
The word there is not power. The word in the original is authority. “All authority has been given unto Me,” the Lord said, “in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go.”
It is on that authority that we are able to disciple the nations, teach them all the things that God has commanded us, and prepare the kingdom for the King. It is authority.
So, dear brothers and sisters, authority is something to be welcomed, because without authority there can be no building up.
If the Lord has no authority over your life, do you think your spiritual life will be built up?
“Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” What does it mean for two or three to be gathered together unto His name? The name that is above every name, so that at that name every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.
That is authority. When we put ourselves under His name—that is, under His authority—then His presence is there. And it is His presence that builds the church.
There is nothing more glorious than to really see what authority is and what it does. How foolish we are to despise authority, thinking that it is useless. Brothers and sisters, whether it is individual or corporate, there can be no building up without authority. It is authority that builds. Let us welcome it.
But then, of course, there is the other side. When authority is rejected, despised, and not accepted, then you find that it is for overthrowing.
Now, even with overthrowing, it is for the purpose of building, not just overthrowing. Our God is very positive, never negative. Even in overthrowing, it is for the purpose of building up.
Why can He not build? Because there is opposition and resistance. This resistance has to be overturned, taken away, and set aside. In doing that, you find overthrowing. There will be judgment. There will be chastisement.
But remember again: this is a by-product, secondary, not primary.
If you really see authority, there is nothing to be afraid of. It is something to look forward to, because it builds you up. But if there is rebellion in your heart, then authority is a terrible thing, because God does not allow His authority to be challenged.
Well, what is our response to authority? I think if we really know what the nature of authority is and what authority does, then it is quite natural for us to see that our response to authority is nothing less than obedience.
Obedience is a natural response to authority. There is nothing that pleases God more than listening to Him. Obedience is better than sacrifice.
Our brother is going to talk a lot about obedience, so I am not going to dwell on it. I will just mention it. You find that nothing pleases God more than obedience, and obedience is a natural response to authority.
Unfortunately, we are willing to give God everything and anything except obedience. We are willing to give Him sacrifices—lots of them—the fat of rams. But we do not want to listen to Him, nor to obey Him.
But look at our Lord Jesus. What an obedient Son He was.
As God, He knew no obedience, because you cannot connect obedience with God. He is God. He obeys nobody. We try to make Him obey us, but you cannot do that. He is God.
But He learned obedience when He was on earth as a man, the Son of Man. He learned obedience through those things which He suffered. He suffered. Obedience is a hard lesson.
Even when our Lord was on earth, because He had a perfect soul—there was no sin in Him and no rebellion in Him—yet He was a man. He had His will, a perfect will, a sinless will. Yet even He had to learn obedience through the things which He suffered. How He denied Himself.
So our Lord is our perfect example. Not only an example, but, as Hebrews says, not only did He learn obedience through the things which He suffered, but because He learned obedience, He became the Author of our eternal salvation.
In other words, He is not only the example of obedience; He also gives us the life of obedience.
But anyway, I would like to mention this: to God, because He is the perfect authority, we render absolute obedience and absolute submission.
Now, obedience is an act; submission is an attitude. So to God, we need to give Him an absolute attitude of submission—no quarreling with Him. We need to give Him absolute obedience—no rebellion against Him.
Of course, with men, when God puts men over us to represent His authority, then to them we should give absolute submission as long as we are under them, but not absolute obedience.
Because we ought to obey God rather than men. That is the first issue.
So, brothers and sisters, again I say: if any person misrepresents God’s authority, and it so happens that God puts you under his authority, then you can render absolute submission. But you do not need to give absolute obedience. You have to obey God.
Maybe we will talk about this more later on. But anyway, the way to authority is through obedience. Our Lord Jesus, because He emptied Himself and became obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross, God highly exalted Him and gave Him a name that is above every name.
So, in other words, the way to authority is through obedience.
Finally, what are these indispensable signs of those who know authority? If you have read Spiritual Authority by our brother Watchman Nee, you find that he mentioned a few things.
Brothers and sisters, authority is something that we need to recognize; we need to know it. Not knowing authority is a great defect in our spiritual life—not only a defect, but an obstacle that hinders us.
So we need to know authority, recognize authority, and there are five indispensable signs.
Number one: wherever you go, try to find authority to which you may submit.
You know, if we go anywhere and all we are looking for is, “Who will submit to me?” we do not know what authority is.
But if you really know what authority is, wherever you go, when you are with your brothers and sisters, you are looking for authority—that is, God’s authority—to which you can submit, because it is the most pleasant thing to do.
Now, that is a sure sign that you know authority.
Number two: if you really know authority, you will be tenderhearted. People who do not know authority are hard people.
Number three: people who know authority never want to be authority.
You never want to be authority. How much more blessed it is to submit to authority than to be authority, because the responsibility is too great. We will mention that later.
So you never want to be authority. That shows you know what authority is.
Number four: if you really know what authority is, you will not talk too much.
Somehow authority shuts your mouth up. It is very true.
You know, if you really know what authority is, there will not be murmuring, criticism, or gossip. It is very true.
And finally, if you really know what authority is, then all you desire is to love and to serve, and again to serve.
So maybe it will help us. Shall we pray?
Dear heavenly Father, we do feel that we are standing on holy ground, because Thou art the authority of the universe, and we are under Thy authority.
Lord, we do pray that, by Thy grace, we may be a people who know Thy authority—not only to submit and to obey, but even, by Thy mercy, to represent Thy authority.
Lord, we do acknowledge that we are disqualified, neither in obedience nor in authority. Only Thy grace and Thy mercy can make us so.
So we just again humble ourselves before Thee. We want to tremble at Thy Word, and that Thy Word would really touch our hearts, that we may repent and return to Thy original thought of authority.
Make it a reality among Thy people. We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.