Authority to Forgive Sins | All Authority | Rick Atchley

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] >> Well, welcome to the hills, my name is Rick, and I am thrilled that you have chosen to join us whether you're doing that online or later in the week in one of our platforms or whether you're in person in Dallas or in Weatherford or in West Fort Worth or in Keller or North Richland Hills. This is a wonderful day because it's baptism Sunday. And God has already worked in some amazing ways today. One person couldn't wait until they got baptized before our first service. We had a young man in California that came to faith five years ago and began praying for his mother for five years. Well, today she got baptized and he flew into Fort Worth to be in the water with her and got to witness that beautiful moment. >> [APPLAUSE] >> We had one mother and daughter get baptized today and because of her cultural heritage, she'd been coming for five years and was afraid to get baptized. Because it might mean that she'll be disowned by her family and she made that decision today and she's got a new family. And so we just celebrate what God is doing today in our church. So I'm excited about that and I'm excited about this series called Authority. All authority belongs to Jesus. So we're declaring that and we're also exploring what that means for us. So speaking of authority, a quick side note, early voting begins. And I would encourage all of you to vote. Think about it. We get to live in a country where we have a role to play in deciding who has authority in our government. There are hundreds of millions of people in the world that would love to have that privilege. So let me ask you to do three things.

Go vote. Love the neighbor that votes differently than you. And whoever gets elected, pray for them. I've tried to be intentional, especially to pray for all of the presidents of my adult life because I think it's the hardest job in the world. And I've had the privilege of meeting two former presidents and they're both in this picture. The older man, George Herbert Walker Bush 41, I got to meet of all places in college station. Chris Hatchett, my friend and co-worker and I were giving tickets to take our boys and he was there and he was so kind and let us take a picture of our younger sons next to him. It was a great memory. And then at two different Christian fundraising events, I got to meet his son, also President Bush and he was delightful. In fact, one time, he didn't have to do this. He spent several minutes just talking to me about our common love of playing bad golf. And so respect both of those men. But my favorite person in the picture is the lady in the middle. I loved Barbara Bush and I love the story that her daughter-in-law, Laura, who was married to 43, tells about when her husband was the President of the United States. And he went to Houston to see his parents, stayed in their home, got up early in the morning about six, went to the kitchen, made himself a cup of coffee and went into the senior room. Well, his parents were already up reading the paper. So he sat next to them and put his feet up on the coffee table. And his mother said, "George, get your feet off my coffee table." Her husband, also former President Bush, said, "Barbara, for goodness sakes, he is the President of the United States." And she said, "I don't care, it's my house, and I don't want his feet on my table." So what did the most powerful man in the world do? He's a smart man.

He took his foot and put it on the floor. So, she had in his life, even though he was the President, because I said so authority. Who has because I said so authority in your life? It might be a medical specialist. Maybe you have a health condition and you're seeing the specialist and he's ordered some drugs for you or some lifestyle changes and you're doing what he or she says because you've given them because I said so authority. Or maybe there's a life direction that you want to do. a skill you want to acquire and you've hired a trainer or maybe you want insight for your business and you've hired a consultant and you've ascribed to these people because I said so authority or I want you to imagine that your pastor was pulled over for driving too fast. Now I know we're just speculating but just imagine that maybe in the past it could have happened I can promise you that when that officer came up to my window I gave to him or her because I said so authority. Here's what you need to know about Jesus in all situations. He claimed because I said so authority. He claimed to be in charge everywhere with everybody and while his critics label this as bad theology it's actually very good news for anybody who needs their sins forgiven which is everybody. So read with me a wonderful story from the life of Jesus as once again we see him as one with authority. In June 29 Jesus stepped into a boat and crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralyzed man lying on a map. When Jesus saw their faith he said to the man take heart son your sins are forgiven. At this some of the teachers of the law said to themselves this fellow is blaspheming knowing their thoughts. Jesus said why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts which is easier to say your sins are forgiven or to say get up and walk but I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.

So he said to the paralyzed man get up take your mat and go home and then the man got up and went home and when the crowd saw this they were filled with awe and they praised God who had given such authority to man. So once again we see Jesus doing ministry with an absolute certainty that he's got authority to meet a human need. We said last time Jesus' wife everything he did and everything he said was in alignment with his conviction that he had authority and he wanted to use this authority to bless people. So it's significant that the very first thing he said to this man was take heart son and that's a big deal because this man was not used to hearing and receiving kindness especially around religious people. You see he lived in a culture that associated sickness with sinfulness especially if you had a debilitating permanent condition the assumption was that God has judged you and turned his back on you. So the first thing that Jesus wanted this man to know is that you are not an enemy of God but what he said next caused his critics to label him as an enemy of God. He said take heart son your sins are forgiven and eyebrows were raised and tempers were too. Look at Mark's interpretation some of the teachers of the religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves what does he say this is blasphemy only God can forgive sins. Now they're absolutely right only God can forgive sins and they're absolutely wrong. He was not blasphemy. Jesus could tell that man to stand because everyone in that room was standing in the presence of God. The scripture says if you Lord kept a record of sins Lord who could stand but with you there is forgiveness. See the reason any of us can stand is because with God there is forgiveness and what I want you to see especially today is that our forgiveness is rooted in the authority of Jesus. Now that's important because no one else has that kind of authority. I cannot absolve you of your sins.

I can't do anything about your spiritual debt because I've got my own debt problem I can't solve. The only because I said so. It is His authority that makes forgiveness a possibility. And what Jesus does then is give tangible evidence that He has authority to forgive sins because He healed that paralyzed man. You see, all sickness, all suffering, all corruption and pollution in this world is because sin entered God's creation. This world is not the way God made it or wanted it. And so for Jesus to overturn sickness, He had to reverse the curse. He had to have authority over sin. And the reason this is important is because some of you struggle with the adequacy of your salvation. You're not sure if you're saved. And see the struggle with the adequacy of salvation is really a struggle with the authority of Jesus. How can I know I'm saved? Answer, because He said so. But what gives Him authority to say so? Why does when Jesus say you're forgiven it? It means something when no one else can say that. Well, I'm gonna teach you a sentence. It's got three parts and every part's important and here's the first part. Jesus only did what was right. That's important because there is a word on the street

that you're hearing every day and it goes like this. God saves good people. I mean, nobody's perfect. Just try to be a good person. If you've done more good things than bad things, you're in good shape because God saves good people. Let me be clear. You have no authority from heaven to believe or ever preach that gospel. The goodness gospel completely misdiagnoses the severity of our sin sickness. Let me show you that, Ephesians two. Paul says, "As for you, you were dead "in your transgressions and sins." If you're dead, what can you do to get better? What advice can you give to someone who's dead? Paul also said in Romans three. As the scripture say, no one is righteous, not even one. For everyone is sin, we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Now, I know that verse offends many people because they wanna say, I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I am better than most of the people I know. The Bible is not saying all people are equally bad. It's saying all people are equally bad off. If you have sinned, you have fallen short of God's glorious standard and God does not grade on the curve. You do not enter God's heaven

because you have sinned less than other people. You only enter God's heaven because he judges you to be sinless. And this is why Jesus became a man. Because this was a debt only God could do something about. I had a friend who was in seminary taking oral exams for a master's degree. And one of the professors says, what is necessary for salvation? And he began to think of all the verses he'd memorized that talk about salvation in the New Testament that associate salvation with faith and with confession or with repentance or with baptism. And he's quoting all these verses and he could tell his professors upset and finally the professor just blurted it out. God, God is necessary for salvation. Salvation is a God job. It required that God put on flesh and live a sinless life. Jesus only did what was right. And we could say only Jesus always did what was right. And here's what that matters. Listen to John, we have an advocate. What's an advocate? An advocate is a lawyer, a defense attorney. Someone that represents you before a judge. We have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He Himself.

Why do we need to know that our advocate is truly righteous? It's because of the case he makes. Our advocate does not say that we are innocent. We all know we're not. He does not plead extenuating circumstances. Here's the argument he makes. "I never sinned, and I will take what they deserve." Jesus only did what was right. So here's our second part of our sentence. So he has the right to pay for our wrongs. You see, God is just. The angels say constantly before his throne, "You are holy. You are holy. You are holy." This means not one single sin will escape the judgment of God. If he let one sin pass, he couldn't be holy. So what is Jesus doing then? Telling a woman caught in adultery that he does not condemn her. Now, I've heard a lot of sermons about that story that take the side of the woman and say, "Well, it was all a trap. Maybe so, but she still committed adultery, a terrible thing in God's eyes. She betrayed her marriage covenant, and it didn't bother her to blow up some other woman's marriage. She deserved condemnation. But the reason punishment did not come her way was because Jesus was on the way to a cross. He did not condemn her because he was willing to be condemned for her." This was his choice, and this was his right as the sinless God man. Listen to Jesus' own words, "No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily for I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again." Now, what other religious leader in the world ever said such a thing? You study any other religion, major or minor, and did the founder of that religion ever say, "I can lay down my life of my choice to pay for the sins of others." See, this is why I have a problem with what I call the gospel of the second chance, and I hear that a lot. God is always willing to give you a second chance, and I understand the idea that God is merciful, and when we mess up, God wants us to get up and keep going. But I want you to hear me clearly. When it comes to my salvation, I don't need a second chance. I need a substitute. Imagine I need to get somewhere. I mean, it's life and death. I need to get somewhere, but I can't get there until I pass the test, and I need to make a perfect score. And you hand me the test, and it's in Mandarin Chinese. What chance do I have of getting a perfect score? And you say, "That's okay, Rick. We're going to give you a second chance." It doesn't matter. I don't need a second chance. I need someone that speaks perfect Mandarin to come and take that test and make a perfect score and give the grade to me. This is why he came. The cross was God's way to be just and also to be merciful. And so right after Paul said, "Everybody says nobody meets the glorious standard."

Next verse, "Yet God in his grace freely makes us right in his side." How can he do that? Well, he did it through Christ Jesus. "When he freed us from the penalty for our sins, for God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin." People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. Let me say it again, salvation is a God job. And God picked the right men for the job. Jesus only did what was right. So he has the right to pay for our wrongs in the last part of the synths to give us his right standing with God. And again, Listen to his own words. This is the night before he goes to the cross, he prayed a prayer. Father, the hour has come, glorify your son that your son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. And Jesus is absolutely certain he can do this because he is absolutely certain of what he will accomplish on the cross. If you read in the Old Testament about the tabernacle or about the temple, the place where God's spirit would dwell, there are elaborate instructions on how it was to be built, details about what to put on the curtains or what to put on the walls, or what furniture goes in those holy buildings. But go and read and there is nothing about chairs and that's on purpose. What God is communicating is the priest's job is never done. They never get to rest. There is always more sin to sacrifice bulls and goats for. The job is never finished.

When Jesus was on the cross, his last words were, it is finished. And he was buried and he was raised again. And now he's ascended and what he sits at the right hand of God because the work is done. And because of Jesus, we can be right with God. Paul says, "For God made Christ who never sinned to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." This is how we can stand before a God whose glorious standard must be met. Paul Berthwork is a Christian author and I remember reading the story that happened to him over 20 years ago. He was on a plane, he was sitting in the economy section, but only a row or two behind first class. And he could see up in first class, there's kind of a frenzy. And he asked the stewardess, "What's going on?" He said, "Wait and you'll see." There were these two men in dark suits and sunglasses and they looked like, and in fact, they were secret service agents. And not long after they boarded the plane, unwalked former president Gerald Ford. Now, as I mentioned earlier in the sermon, it's cool to meet a president. But you weren't going to go up to the first class and do that. You weren't going to get past those men. You had no authority. But Paul had gone to seminary with President Ford's son.

And he just called out, "Mr. President, I was in school with your son Mike." And immediately, the president had him come so they could have a conversation. How did he get access? What was his authority? How did he get past what no one else could get past? He knew the son. He came in the name of the authority of the son. This is why we can know we're saved. It's not on my authority, it's on his. Listen to Jude. Now, all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you, I love this, with great joy, where, into his glorious, remember that glorious standard? He'll bring us into that glorious presence without a single thought. (congregation applauding) I'm glad y'all clap 'cause I've been doing some good preaching. I wasn't sure if anybody was listening. All glory to him, who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time and in the present and beyond all time, amen. Praise God, who has given Jesus authority to forgive sins. Now, this was the message of hope that the church preached from the very beginning and asked to the spirit, the sins, and the crowd gathers. And for the very first time, disciples of Jesus

have a chance to publicly explain what is God doing in the death and resurrection of Jesus. So Peter stands up and explains. And he says, "The very one who's been raised as Lord, you killed." That was your Messiah. God's gift to you and you rejected God. And they are concerned. It says Peter's words pierced their hearts and they said to him and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?" Because sin must be judged. Not a single sin will escape the righteous justice of God. The question is not whether you've sin or even whether you've sinned less than somebody else. The question is you can't stand before a holy God as a sinner. What are you going to do with your sin or maybe to put it another way? When and where do you want your sin to be judged? And here's Peter's answer. He replied, "Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and then you'll receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." So it's baptism Sunday. Baptism is such a deep theological subject. Everything in the Bible about baptism is written to people already baptized so we spend all our lives exploring the wonder of what it means to be united to the death and resurrection of Jesus. But here's one new way to think about it. Baptism is a declaration of trust in the authority of Jesus to forgive sins. Baptism is not us doing something. It is trusting Jesus to do something. Every baptism preaches the gospel. Every baptism announces that salvation is a God job. Every baptism declares there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because Jesus has the right to forgive sin. In baptism we immerse our past and our presence and our future into the authority of Jesus. So Paul before he was apostle was a persecutor of the church and when he met Jesus he came under conviction because his sin deserved to be judged and God sent someone with a message for Paul and this was the message. What are you waiting for? Get up

and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord. What does it mean to call on the name? It means to declare his authority. Just say Jesus I'm giving this over to you because you're in charge and you can do something. So let me ask some of you now watching online every campus. What are you waiting for? If you haven't been baptized. Why on earth would you not want to declare your trust in the authority of Jesus? Some of you are saying well you know I was baptized as an infant. Well your parents wanted you to know Jesus but have you ever personally publicly declared that's what you want and that he's your Lord. Getting baptized is actually fulfilling what your parents desires were. Some might be afraid. They might be afraid of water. Listen when you follow Jesus he's going to ask you to do some hard things. He's always going to give you the courage to do hard things. You might say but pastor I don't know enough to be baptized. Do you know that Jesus is the Son of God? He died for your sins. He's raised from the dead. He's sitting at the throne of God. He's coming back and He is Lord. In other words all authority is His. If you know that about Jesus you know enough to get baptized. But some are thinking about pastor I'm not good enough to get baptized. Have you been listening? None of us are good enough. Okay? Only Jesus is good enough. We don't get it together and come to Jesus. We come to Jesus and in His Spirit helps us get it together and maybe some of you are thinking well pastor I mean I'm on board. I agree with everything you're saying but I wasn't planning to get baptized today. Do you know what? Every baptism we read about in the Bible was somebody that wasn't planning on it. But we're planning on it. We got towels and we got clothes. We even got warm water. We're planning. But more than that God was planning. Do you think it's a coincidence that you're here today to hear this message? God brought you to this moment to ask what are you waiting for? And nobody is so bad that Jesus cannot wash away all of their sins. Why do I know this? Because he said so. And so, what are you waiting for? Father, I'm just praying right now, I feel convicted that there are people, that the enemy is trying to keep from being faithful today and being obedient.

And I pray against that. And I pray that Jesus said, "I'm lifting up all, call them into myself, I'll draw them, God draw them today, draw people to Jesus to receive forgiveness of their sins." Because yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory and the authority forever. Amen.