JESUS HAS AUTHORITY OVER ALL POWERS

by | Jan 27, 2018

The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

  1. Authority to Teach
  2. Authority over Demons
  3. Authority to Save
SERMON TEXT:  Mark 1:21-28

Then they went into Capernaum. On the next Sabbath day, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. They were amazed at his teaching, because he was teaching them as one who has authority and not as the experts in the law. Just then there was a man with an unclean spirit in their synagogue. It cried out, “What do we have to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked the spirit, saying, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions, and after crying out with a loud voice, it came out of him. Everyone was so amazed that they began to discuss this with each other. They said, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He even commands the unclean spirits, and they obey him!” News about him spread quickly through all the region of Galilee.

Bible Readings

FIRST LESSON:  Deuteronomy 18:15–20

The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brother Israelites. Listen to him. That is exactly what you asked from the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly. You said, “Do not let me hear the voice of the LORD my God anymore, and do not let me see this great fire again, or I will die.” Then the LORD said to me, “They have done well by saying what they said. I will raise up a prophet for them from among their brothers, like you, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he will speak to them everything that I command him. Anyone who will not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account. Any prophet who presumes to speak something in my name that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks something in the name of other gods—that prophet shall die.”

SECOND LESSON:  Hebrews 3:1-6

Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, focus your attention on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in God’s whole house. In fact, Jesus is worthy of greater glory than Moses, in the same way that the builder of a house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, and God is the one who built everything. Moses was faithful as a servant within God’s whole house by testifying to the things that would be spoken. But Christ is faithful as a Son over God’s house. We are his house, if we hold on firmly to our confidence and the hope about which we boast until the end.

VERSE OF THE DAY:  Luke 4:18a

The Spirit of the Lord is on me; he has anointed me to preach good news.

GOSPEL: Mark 1:21-28

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