Longwood Presbyterian Church
January 31, 2021
Prelude & Procession
Announcements/Prayer Requests/Praises:
Drive-through Chili Soup Supper Feb 6, 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Opening Prayer, Lord’s Prayer
*Call to Worship: (Based on Psalms 111) (NRVS)
L: In the congregation of the Lord, We praise You!
P: Great and mighty are Your works.
L: Great are Your works, filled with honor and majesty!
P: Your righteousness endures forever.
L: You give good things to those who follow You.
P: You are faithful and just, Your laws are trustworthy.
L: You sent redemption to your people. Holy and awesome is Your name.
All: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We bow before You and praise Your name forever.
*Opening Hymn: “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise”…#12
Prayer of Confession:
L: Marvelous and merciful God, Your Son modeled leadership and servanthood for us. But we confess we have elevated our desires and plans over Your will for our lives and for Your world.
P: We want authority and power over others to use for our own purposes.
L: Forgive us for our half-hearted devotion and our double-minded attention to Your way.
P: Remind us You desire servants first and foremost.
ALL: Enable us to serve in the name of Jesus, the One who came to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. In His name we pray. Amen.
Declaration of Forgiveness from Romans 6:14 (NLT)
Hear the words of Paul to the Corinthians. “Anyone who loves God is known by Him.” In your love, put the sins of the past behind you and know that God knows you and will lead you. Know that you have been forgiven and be at peace.--Amen
*Gloria Patri
Time for Children -- “Simon Says”
Hymn: “Be Thou My Vision”…#450
Prayer for Illumination
Reading of the Word: Mark 1:21-28 Hear the word of the Lord:
21 They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He[m] commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
L: This is the word of the Lord
P: Thanks be to God
Message: “Authority”
Taken in part from David McLemore’s internet writing titled, “Jesus Teaches with Authority”
What astonishes the world today? That’s hard to say, isn’t it? We live in a day when everything is amazing and sensationalized. Movies, news, sports, you name it, common stories don’t make the news.
But amazing isn’t astonishing. To be amazed is to be entertained. To be astonished is to be floored by what you never thought anyone could do. And that’s what Mark tells us in verse 22. This, was, and is, Christian doctrine-- the teaching of Jesus Christ.
It wasn’t just the doctrine that astonished the world that day. It was doctrine taught with the authority of Jesus, not by what was said, but who said it and how he said it.
The congregation in Capernaum noticed a difference between Jesus and every other teacher. In those days, the leaders of the synagogues were primarily administrators, not teachers. Each Sabbath day, they would identify someone who could read and comment on the Scriptures. Their society was primarily illiterate, so often the only qualification needed was the ability to read.
Have you seen the new movie with Tom Hanks, “News of the World”? Similar setting
(explanation)
You can imagine that many of these readers didn’t have personal authority. Every now and then, though, the synagogue would host a legitimate teacher, a scribe. But even those scribes taught not with personal authority but with secondhand theology. Their teaching was comprised of quotations. “You know, so and so rabbi says this.” And, “So and so rabbi has said this…”
But Jesus didn’t rely on other teachers. He had no quotes. Again, and again in the gospels you’ve read where Jesus would say, “You’ve heard that it was said…but I say to you.” He didn’t speak with secondhand quotes, but with firsthand authority.
As Tim Keller says, “He didn’t just clarify something that they already knew, or simply interpret the Scriptures in the way the teachers of the law did. His listeners sensed somehow that he was explaining the story of their lives as the author, and it left them dumbfounded.”
This is authoritative teaching. This is astonishing, and no one else could author the story. Only Jesus.
So, when we open the Bible and hear the teaching of Jesus, we encounter not just another good, moral teacher but the author of life itself. As Jesus spoke in the synagogue, he spoke as the author of their very experience! His authority reached far beyond the pulpit; it reached their hearts. He knew what was going on inside each of them.
And inside of one of them was something far more than appeared on the surface. There was evil lurking, and the call to repent and believe, the drawing near of the kingdom of God became too much. The authoritative teaching of Jesus was tested by a man possessed, as we learn in verses 23-26
So who would you expect to be the first to respond to authoritative teaching? Maybe the synagogue leader? Maybe the long-time congregants? What about a demon?
There’s something profound about the fact that a demon was the first to respond. Something deeper was going on that what anyone could see on the surface. Outside, the world went on as it always had, as Jesus and the demonic realm did battle in a synagogue in Capernaum.
An unclean spirit had seized control of a man. The man cried out, resistant and defiant, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”
The demon wants Jesus to go away and leave him alone, and he’s not asking, he’s telling. “You have nothing to do with us, and I have nothing to do with you. Be gone, Jesus!” He treats Jesus as an invader of a world controlled by evil. But Jesus is not invader, the demons are. Jesus is coming to reclaim his people in the fullness of time.
The unclean spirit speaks not only for himself. Notice, he says “us.” “What have you to do with us?” “Have you come to destroy us?”
No one knows what “us” meant. It could be there were legions of demons around, or it could be the demon was grouping the congregation together with him, speaking on their behalf. But the unclean spirit recognized the authority of Jesus. He knew who Jesus was and what Jesus was doing.
And so he does something interesting. He mentions Jesus’ name twice. “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”
In the Old Testament, there’s a story of Jacob wrestling with the angel. After wrestling all night, Jacob demanded a blessing. So the angel asks Jacob his name. Why? Because revealing your name to an opponent was an act of submission. Jacob was admitting who he was, and coming under the authority of the angel. So when the unclean spirit shouts Jesus’ name, it was an attempt to unveil his identity to defeat him, to cause him to submit. He was saying, in effect, “I know who you are. You can’t fool me.”
Jesus was not using another’s authority. Jesus is the authority. The prophecy of Zechariah 13:2 was being fulfilled. God was removing the unclean spirits from the land.
Jesus sees the demon and rises to assure him he has no authority. He says, “Be silent, and come out of him!” We can see the strength of that statement there in our Bibles. But the original language shows it’s even stronger. What Jesus said would not be considered polite. He said, essentially, “Shut up. Come out of him. I’ve heard enough from you.” It would hold the authority of a father correcting a wayward child, an officer of the law correcting a criminal, a judge sentencing the guilty. It was a silencing statement; one the unclean spirit was helpless against.
Then, “the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him.” The cry was one last attempt at defeating Jesus, but Jesus did not flinch.
That’s absolutely radical. It’s proof that Jesus’ authority wasn’t just a claim. He actually had the power he said he had. The kingdom of God truly was at hand. No one else could drive the unclean spirit away. No one else had the authority of Jesus.
Today, no one is too far gone for God to save. We cannot save ourselves, but Jesus has the authority to change us all.
One final quote: Martin Luther said, “The life of Christianity consists in possessive pronouns.” It’s one thing to say, “Christ is Lord.” It’s another to say,” Christ is my Lord.” Any devil can say the first. Only the Christian can say the second. What do you say?
*Apostles Creed (Page 35)
*Doxology/Dedication of Offering
*Closing Hymn: “Lord Speak to Me That I May Speak”…#722
*Benediction/Passing of the Peace
L: Jesus spoke, and the demons fled. Know that we have been in the presence of the Living Jesus, and there is nothing in us remaining to destroy us. We have been freed.
P: Now we are charged to go forth proclaiming the name of the One who freed us. Go filled with the Spirit of God, into the world that they might also hear the Good News of Jesus.
L: May the peace of the Lord be with you.
P: And also with you.
All: Amen
*Hymn: “Amen”
(Dismissed)
January 31, 2021
Prelude & Procession
Announcements/Prayer Requests/Praises:
Drive-through Chili Soup Supper Feb 6, 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Opening Prayer, Lord’s Prayer
*Call to Worship: (Based on Psalms 111) (NRVS)
L: In the congregation of the Lord, We praise You!
P: Great and mighty are Your works.
L: Great are Your works, filled with honor and majesty!
P: Your righteousness endures forever.
L: You give good things to those who follow You.
P: You are faithful and just, Your laws are trustworthy.
L: You sent redemption to your people. Holy and awesome is Your name.
All: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We bow before You and praise Your name forever.
*Opening Hymn: “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise”…#12
Prayer of Confession:
L: Marvelous and merciful God, Your Son modeled leadership and servanthood for us. But we confess we have elevated our desires and plans over Your will for our lives and for Your world.
P: We want authority and power over others to use for our own purposes.
L: Forgive us for our half-hearted devotion and our double-minded attention to Your way.
P: Remind us You desire servants first and foremost.
ALL: Enable us to serve in the name of Jesus, the One who came to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. In His name we pray. Amen.
Declaration of Forgiveness from Romans 6:14 (NLT)
Hear the words of Paul to the Corinthians. “Anyone who loves God is known by Him.” In your love, put the sins of the past behind you and know that God knows you and will lead you. Know that you have been forgiven and be at peace.--Amen
*Gloria Patri
Time for Children -- “Simon Says”
Hymn: “Be Thou My Vision”…#450
Prayer for Illumination
Reading of the Word: Mark 1:21-28 Hear the word of the Lord:
21 They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He[m] commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
L: This is the word of the Lord
P: Thanks be to God
Message: “Authority”
Taken in part from David McLemore’s internet writing titled, “Jesus Teaches with Authority”
What astonishes the world today? That’s hard to say, isn’t it? We live in a day when everything is amazing and sensationalized. Movies, news, sports, you name it, common stories don’t make the news.
But amazing isn’t astonishing. To be amazed is to be entertained. To be astonished is to be floored by what you never thought anyone could do. And that’s what Mark tells us in verse 22. This, was, and is, Christian doctrine-- the teaching of Jesus Christ.
It wasn’t just the doctrine that astonished the world that day. It was doctrine taught with the authority of Jesus, not by what was said, but who said it and how he said it.
The congregation in Capernaum noticed a difference between Jesus and every other teacher. In those days, the leaders of the synagogues were primarily administrators, not teachers. Each Sabbath day, they would identify someone who could read and comment on the Scriptures. Their society was primarily illiterate, so often the only qualification needed was the ability to read.
Have you seen the new movie with Tom Hanks, “News of the World”? Similar setting
(explanation)
You can imagine that many of these readers didn’t have personal authority. Every now and then, though, the synagogue would host a legitimate teacher, a scribe. But even those scribes taught not with personal authority but with secondhand theology. Their teaching was comprised of quotations. “You know, so and so rabbi says this.” And, “So and so rabbi has said this…”
But Jesus didn’t rely on other teachers. He had no quotes. Again, and again in the gospels you’ve read where Jesus would say, “You’ve heard that it was said…but I say to you.” He didn’t speak with secondhand quotes, but with firsthand authority.
As Tim Keller says, “He didn’t just clarify something that they already knew, or simply interpret the Scriptures in the way the teachers of the law did. His listeners sensed somehow that he was explaining the story of their lives as the author, and it left them dumbfounded.”
This is authoritative teaching. This is astonishing, and no one else could author the story. Only Jesus.
So, when we open the Bible and hear the teaching of Jesus, we encounter not just another good, moral teacher but the author of life itself. As Jesus spoke in the synagogue, he spoke as the author of their very experience! His authority reached far beyond the pulpit; it reached their hearts. He knew what was going on inside each of them.
And inside of one of them was something far more than appeared on the surface. There was evil lurking, and the call to repent and believe, the drawing near of the kingdom of God became too much. The authoritative teaching of Jesus was tested by a man possessed, as we learn in verses 23-26
So who would you expect to be the first to respond to authoritative teaching? Maybe the synagogue leader? Maybe the long-time congregants? What about a demon?
There’s something profound about the fact that a demon was the first to respond. Something deeper was going on that what anyone could see on the surface. Outside, the world went on as it always had, as Jesus and the demonic realm did battle in a synagogue in Capernaum.
An unclean spirit had seized control of a man. The man cried out, resistant and defiant, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”
The demon wants Jesus to go away and leave him alone, and he’s not asking, he’s telling. “You have nothing to do with us, and I have nothing to do with you. Be gone, Jesus!” He treats Jesus as an invader of a world controlled by evil. But Jesus is not invader, the demons are. Jesus is coming to reclaim his people in the fullness of time.
The unclean spirit speaks not only for himself. Notice, he says “us.” “What have you to do with us?” “Have you come to destroy us?”
No one knows what “us” meant. It could be there were legions of demons around, or it could be the demon was grouping the congregation together with him, speaking on their behalf. But the unclean spirit recognized the authority of Jesus. He knew who Jesus was and what Jesus was doing.
And so he does something interesting. He mentions Jesus’ name twice. “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”
In the Old Testament, there’s a story of Jacob wrestling with the angel. After wrestling all night, Jacob demanded a blessing. So the angel asks Jacob his name. Why? Because revealing your name to an opponent was an act of submission. Jacob was admitting who he was, and coming under the authority of the angel. So when the unclean spirit shouts Jesus’ name, it was an attempt to unveil his identity to defeat him, to cause him to submit. He was saying, in effect, “I know who you are. You can’t fool me.”
Jesus was not using another’s authority. Jesus is the authority. The prophecy of Zechariah 13:2 was being fulfilled. God was removing the unclean spirits from the land.
Jesus sees the demon and rises to assure him he has no authority. He says, “Be silent, and come out of him!” We can see the strength of that statement there in our Bibles. But the original language shows it’s even stronger. What Jesus said would not be considered polite. He said, essentially, “Shut up. Come out of him. I’ve heard enough from you.” It would hold the authority of a father correcting a wayward child, an officer of the law correcting a criminal, a judge sentencing the guilty. It was a silencing statement; one the unclean spirit was helpless against.
Then, “the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him.” The cry was one last attempt at defeating Jesus, but Jesus did not flinch.
That’s absolutely radical. It’s proof that Jesus’ authority wasn’t just a claim. He actually had the power he said he had. The kingdom of God truly was at hand. No one else could drive the unclean spirit away. No one else had the authority of Jesus.
Today, no one is too far gone for God to save. We cannot save ourselves, but Jesus has the authority to change us all.
One final quote: Martin Luther said, “The life of Christianity consists in possessive pronouns.” It’s one thing to say, “Christ is Lord.” It’s another to say,” Christ is my Lord.” Any devil can say the first. Only the Christian can say the second. What do you say?
*Apostles Creed (Page 35)
*Doxology/Dedication of Offering
*Closing Hymn: “Lord Speak to Me That I May Speak”…#722
*Benediction/Passing of the Peace
L: Jesus spoke, and the demons fled. Know that we have been in the presence of the Living Jesus, and there is nothing in us remaining to destroy us. We have been freed.
P: Now we are charged to go forth proclaiming the name of the One who freed us. Go filled with the Spirit of God, into the world that they might also hear the Good News of Jesus.
L: May the peace of the Lord be with you.
P: And also with you.
All: Amen
*Hymn: “Amen”
(Dismissed)