The Unmatched Authority of Jesus: A Lesson for Today's Preachers
Mark 1:22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
I see here a DIFFERENT kind of preacher! Jesus’ preaching and teaching SO stood out, that the supposed leading experts of that day were astonished; that is, they were amazed, confounded with fear, and surprised at the truths He brought out of the Bible. This begs the question, “Why the surprise?” One can only conclude that, though these “experts” had studied the scriptures literally their entire lives, they had never really understood them the way Jesus understood them, so when Jesus spoke, it was like brand new material to them.
Not only were they amazed at the truths that He preached, but also the raw power with which He preached them! For Him to speak with authority meant that He spoke not only with power, but also with competency and mastery. He was so well knowledgeable of the scriptures and their meanings, that He kept them tripped up, even as early as when He was only 12 years of age!
Furthermore, the Bible makes the distinction that when Christ preached with this authority, it set Him apart from the other scribes who did not speak with such authority. The scribes hardly qualified to speak, if at all, once the Master unpacked the text before them. It was astounding to say the least.
Now, that said, understand this; that’s the kind of preaching that will change the world today! We need the kind of God-honoring, Christ-lifting, Spirit-led preaching that is delivered in Spirit and in truth! I understand that none of us can preach as good as Jesus, but we are given the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16), and the power of the Holy Ghost (Luke 24:49) in order that we might deliver God’s Word with life-changing force (Rom. 1:16)! Sadly, it doesn’t take a lot to be an average, ordinary, ho-hum, powerless “preacher” today. NEWSFLASH: Mediocre preaching never turns the world upside down!!
Let us pray for a revival of outpouring of The Holy Spirit of God upon His men who are truly called to preach, that they will stand upon, and declare unashamedly, the truths of God’s Word, to a lost and dying world. Then and only then will we ever restore hope of Revival in America or around the world. It should be noted that Jesus’ message was so powerful that it stirred up the religious but lost, spiritually blind and dead of His day. So, may we as preachers of the Gospel model our preaching after Christs, and preach until some THING or some ONE is moved. Powerful preaching demands change; anything less isn’t preaching.
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
I see here a DIFFERENT kind of preacher! Jesus’ preaching and teaching SO stood out, that the supposed leading experts of that day were astonished; that is, they were amazed, confounded with fear, and surprised at the truths He brought out of the Bible. This begs the question, “Why the surprise?” One can only conclude that, though these “experts” had studied the scriptures literally their entire lives, they had never really understood them the way Jesus understood them, so when Jesus spoke, it was like brand new material to them.
Not only were they amazed at the truths that He preached, but also the raw power with which He preached them! For Him to speak with authority meant that He spoke not only with power, but also with competency and mastery. He was so well knowledgeable of the scriptures and their meanings, that He kept them tripped up, even as early as when He was only 12 years of age!
Furthermore, the Bible makes the distinction that when Christ preached with this authority, it set Him apart from the other scribes who did not speak with such authority. The scribes hardly qualified to speak, if at all, once the Master unpacked the text before them. It was astounding to say the least.
Now, that said, understand this; that’s the kind of preaching that will change the world today! We need the kind of God-honoring, Christ-lifting, Spirit-led preaching that is delivered in Spirit and in truth! I understand that none of us can preach as good as Jesus, but we are given the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16), and the power of the Holy Ghost (Luke 24:49) in order that we might deliver God’s Word with life-changing force (Rom. 1:16)! Sadly, it doesn’t take a lot to be an average, ordinary, ho-hum, powerless “preacher” today. NEWSFLASH: Mediocre preaching never turns the world upside down!!
Let us pray for a revival of outpouring of The Holy Spirit of God upon His men who are truly called to preach, that they will stand upon, and declare unashamedly, the truths of God’s Word, to a lost and dying world. Then and only then will we ever restore hope of Revival in America or around the world. It should be noted that Jesus’ message was so powerful that it stirred up the religious but lost, spiritually blind and dead of His day. So, may we as preachers of the Gospel model our preaching after Christs, and preach until some THING or some ONE is moved. Powerful preaching demands change; anything less isn’t preaching.
~ Pastor Gary Caudill