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Doctrine of Authority – Lesson 11: The Purpose of Authority
Professor: Rushdoony Dr. R.J.R.
Subject: Systematic Theology
Genre: Speech
Lesson: 11 of 19
Track: #11
Year:
Dictation Name: 11 The Purpose of Authority
[Rushdoony] This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will heareth us. Having these promises let us draw near to the throne of grace with true hearts in full assurance of faith. My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning oh Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee and will look up. Let us pray.
Oh Lord our God unto whom all power, glory and dominion belongeth we come unto Thy presence rejoicing that as we face a world of men dedicated to their own ways it is Thy way that shall prevail; Thy kingdom that shall triumph and Thy will that shall be done. Strengthen us then by Thy word and by Thy spirit that we may go forth in Thy name to conquer, to bring all things into captivity to Jesus Christ our Lord; that we might know that we have been called to victory. Bless us therefore in Thy service, grant us Thy peace and give us always joy in Thee. In Jesus name, amen.
Our scripture this morning is Matthew 23:13; our subject The Purpose of Authority. Matthew 23:13 is the first verse in a long passage going on to the end of the chapter in which woes and maledictions, curses, are pronounced upon religious leaders and all who follow them into a way that is not of God. Matthew 23:13 The Purpose of Authority.
“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.”
This symbolism of keys as representing authority is an ancient one, and quite a natural one. Keys after all do unlock wealth. They do unlock knowledge, property, and a great deal more. Wherever there is something of importance, a treasure, there are keys to protect it. The symbol of the key is used in many, many ways. We speak of a key man – the important one, a keyboard- controlling a type writer or computer, we speak of a keystone in the arch – the last stone that is set that binds all things together. We speak of a key note in music and keynote speaker at political conventions. We have of course the familiar symbol of the Phi Beta Kappa key and much, much more.
Our Lord uses this symbol when he speaks of the keys of the kingdom in Matthew 16 verse 19. In this passage Matthew 23:13 he refers to the keys without using the word. The image here is of an irresponsible key holder who locks people out by misusing authority. The purpose of keys is to unlock doors. But false authorities use their keys, not to lead people into knowledge or wealth or whatever it is they are custodians of, but to bar them. One scholar, Sherman E. Johnson, has said concerning Matthew 23:13 that it tells us that these false authorities have taken away the key of knowledge. They have made the law of God difficult and abstruse, and they have formed exclusive brotherhoods of experts to lock out all except themselves.
Now some time ago we dealt with the distinction between Elitism and hierarchy, and we saw that Elitism means something Humanistic an exclusive group of men who are self-styled leaders, self-appointed experts, self-appointed philosopher kings. The classic document of elitism is Plato’s Republic according to Plato’s Republic most men are to be in a position of slaves, to be manipulated without knowing that they are manipulated while the philosopher kings were exempt from the rules they set for all others. Govern and manipulate the great masses of peopl...
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By Pocket CollegeProfessor: Rushdoony Dr. R.J.R.
Subject: Systematic Theology
Genre: Speech
Lesson: 11 of 19
Track: #11
Year:
Dictation Name: 11 The Purpose of Authority
[Rushdoony] This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will heareth us. Having these promises let us draw near to the throne of grace with true hearts in full assurance of faith. My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning oh Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee and will look up. Let us pray.
Oh Lord our God unto whom all power, glory and dominion belongeth we come unto Thy presence rejoicing that as we face a world of men dedicated to their own ways it is Thy way that shall prevail; Thy kingdom that shall triumph and Thy will that shall be done. Strengthen us then by Thy word and by Thy spirit that we may go forth in Thy name to conquer, to bring all things into captivity to Jesus Christ our Lord; that we might know that we have been called to victory. Bless us therefore in Thy service, grant us Thy peace and give us always joy in Thee. In Jesus name, amen.
Our scripture this morning is Matthew 23:13; our subject The Purpose of Authority. Matthew 23:13 is the first verse in a long passage going on to the end of the chapter in which woes and maledictions, curses, are pronounced upon religious leaders and all who follow them into a way that is not of God. Matthew 23:13 The Purpose of Authority.
“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.”
This symbolism of keys as representing authority is an ancient one, and quite a natural one. Keys after all do unlock wealth. They do unlock knowledge, property, and a great deal more. Wherever there is something of importance, a treasure, there are keys to protect it. The symbol of the key is used in many, many ways. We speak of a key man – the important one, a keyboard- controlling a type writer or computer, we speak of a keystone in the arch – the last stone that is set that binds all things together. We speak of a key note in music and keynote speaker at political conventions. We have of course the familiar symbol of the Phi Beta Kappa key and much, much more.
Our Lord uses this symbol when he speaks of the keys of the kingdom in Matthew 16 verse 19. In this passage Matthew 23:13 he refers to the keys without using the word. The image here is of an irresponsible key holder who locks people out by misusing authority. The purpose of keys is to unlock doors. But false authorities use their keys, not to lead people into knowledge or wealth or whatever it is they are custodians of, but to bar them. One scholar, Sherman E. Johnson, has said concerning Matthew 23:13 that it tells us that these false authorities have taken away the key of knowledge. They have made the law of God difficult and abstruse, and they have formed exclusive brotherhoods of experts to lock out all except themselves.
Now some time ago we dealt with the distinction between Elitism and hierarchy, and we saw that Elitism means something Humanistic an exclusive group of men who are self-styled leaders, self-appointed experts, self-appointed philosopher kings. The classic document of elitism is Plato’s Republic according to Plato’s Republic most men are to be in a position of slaves, to be manipulated without knowing that they are manipulated while the philosopher kings were exempt from the rules they set for all others. Govern and manipulate the great masses of peopl...