Previous messages by Rev. B. A. Shields found here
Gospel of Mark
Part 66: Is it from Heaven or from Men?
By Rev. Bruce A. Shields
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SERMON TIMELINE
- Introduction
- John the Baptist
- The Baptism of Jesus
- Temptation of Jesus
- The Preaching Ministry of Jesus I
- The Preaching Ministry of Jesus II
- The First Disciples
- A Teacher with Authority
- At the Home of Simon and Andrew
12. Jesus and the Tax Collector
13. Jesus Questioned About Fasting
15. Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath & Resurrection Sunday 2025
16. Hard Hearts and Hard Thoughts
18. Jesus Appoints the Apostles
24. Parable of the Growing Seed
25. Parable of the Mustard Seed
26. Benefits of Private Teaching
30. When Familiarity Breeds Contempt
32. Weakness in the Seat of Power
34. Feeding 5000
38. The Source of True Defilement
39. Gentile Blessed for Her Faith
40. He Has Done All Things Well
41. Jesus Feeds 4000
42. Jesus Sighs
43. Beware of Leaven
44. The Blind Man at Bethsaida
45. Who Do You Say That Jesus Is?
46. Mindful of the Things of God
49. Ashamed of Jesus and His Word
51. The Disciples ask Questions
54. Principles of Discipleship
58. The Cost and Reward of Discipleship
59. A Couple Days Before Palm Sunday
61. Greatness in the Kingdom Comes from Serving
62. Blind Bartimaeus
63. Triumphal Entry
66. Is it from Heaven or from Men?
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE
Mark 11:27-33
“Then they *came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders *came to Him, 28 and began saying to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?”
29 And Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.”
31 And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’
32 But if we say, ‘From men’?”—they were afraid of the crowd, for everyone was regarding John to have been a real prophet.
33 And answering Jesus, they *said, “We do not know.” And Jesus *said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
INTRODUCTION – Is it from heaven or from men?
Jesus is spending the last week, Passover, at the house of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Upon returning to the temple on Tuesday of the Passover week, Jesus confronted the chief priests and elders.
They questioned His authority. In response, Jesus challenges them regarding the authority behind the baptism of John. Since they would not answer, Jesus refused to answer them.
In today’s passage, we read an important principle regarding authority in matters of religion.
All religious practices must come from one of two sources. They either come from heaven or from men.
What Jesus asked regarding John’s baptism could be asked of many religious practices happening today. Perhaps, it should be asked.
“Is it from heaven, or from men?”
· Infant baptism
· Purgatory
· Denominationalism
· Clergy-laity distinction
· What day to have church services
· Burning candles or incense
· Live band with laser light show for worship
“Is it from heaven, or from men?”
What you will get from today’s message is the key to discerning all that is religious in this world today. With this message, you will be able to measure every belief, every practice, every teaching inside and outside the church to know whether it is from heaven or from men.
I know many who have claimed to be wise or filled with discernment, yet their words, actions, and lives prove otherwise.
True discernment will measure all things by God’s Word, not feelings, emotions, or human intuition. Some lucky guesses about people or situations do not prove the authenticity of discernment, but that the law of averages exists.
Nostradamus was a 16th-century French physician, astrologer, and writer best known for his book Les Prophéties (The Prophecies), a collection of poetic quatrains that later generations interpreted as predictions of future events.
Though many over the centuries were amazed at his drug-induced visions and prophecies, literally, and statistically speaking, at best, his prophecies were 30% correct. Yet many honored him as wise, discerning, prophetic.
This means that you would literally have better odds of flipping a coin. At least then they would be 50/50.
So pay attention to God’s word today, and arm yourself with true wisdom. Fill yourself with a discerning heart and spirit that will weed out those things which are from men, so that you can focus on the things which are from heaven.
I. TO BE FROM HEAVEN
a. It must come from Jesus.
Matthew 28:18 “Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”
i. Jesus, giving the disciples the great commission after the resurrection and just before His ascension. All authority in heaven and on earth is given to Him.
ii. Therefore, if Jesus commands it, it is from heaven.
b. It must come through His apostles.
John 13:20 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives anyone I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”
1. Jesus delegates His authority to His apostles.
2 Corinthians 5:20 “We are ambassadors for Christ, as God is pleading through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
2. They served as His official ambassadors.
John 14:26 “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
John 16:12-13 “I still have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak from Himself, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”
3. To ensure their reliability and accuracy, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would remind them of what He taught and guide them into all truth.
ii. This is why the church continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine
1. Acts 2:42
2. 1 Corinthians 14:37
3. 1 Thessalonians 2:13
iii. If the apostles of Christ taught it, it is from heaven.
c. It must only come from THE apostles.
i. Acts 20:27 tells us the apostles were given and proclaimed the whole counsel of God.
ii. 2 Peter 1:3 tells us they were given all things that pertain to life and godliness
iii. And Jude 3 tells us that the faith revealed through the apostles was delivered once for all, meaning their teaching was once, but it remains for all times. Nothing more, or new.
iv. According to the word of God, there are no modern-day revelations, new or different testaments of Jesus, for the scripture we have is all there is, and all we need, and everything is complete, so that we may be thoroughly equipped for every good work, according to 2 Timothy 3:16-17
If a religious practice can be found in this text to be taught by Jesus or His apostles, then it is truly from heaven.
Religious practices that are from men, however, will come from a variety of sources, none of which will be Jesus or the apostles.
II. IT IS FROM MEN
a. It is from men if based solely upon what the majority thinks
i. Many people accept whatever most people think about something
ii. Yet, Jesus warned us in Matthew 7:13-14 against following the majority. Avoid the broad road that leads to destruction. Enter through the narrow gate, though the way is constricted, few find it, but it leads to life.
iii. If you had followed the majority
1. In Noah’s day, you would have drowned in the flood
2. In Joshua’s day, you would have perished in the wilderness
If the majority believe something, there is a very good chance it is from men, not heaven.
b. It is from men if based solely upon what parents or grandparents taught us
i. Some believe, “If it was good enough for them, it’s good enough for me.”
ii. As much as we love and respect our parents and grandparents, Christ MUST come first!
Matthew 10:37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”
iii. If every generation had simply followed their parents, then all of us Gentiles would likely still be idol-worshiping polytheists!
iv. Let us honor our parents, not by following them blindly, but by applying principles they themselves likely taught us, such as doing the right thing, obeying God.
c. It is from men if based solely upon what preachers tell us
i. It’s also common practice to believe that just because someone is a preacher, priest or pastor, we can trust everything they say.
1. No, you can’t.
2. We’re told in scripture never to place our trust in men, but in God
ii. Paul warns us in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 how easily we can be misled
iii. Jesus warned us about “the blind leading the blind” in Matthew 15:12-14
iv. The job of a pastor is to bring you, to the best of his ability, the unaltered truth of God’s word from Scripture.
1. It is your job as a follower of Christ to be like the Bereans, who would hear Paul preach, then go to the word and check everything said! (Acts 17:11)
v. This is why I make all of my sermon texts available for free online, and why they are filled with scripture references, so that you know that I am preaching the truth from God’s word, whether it makes you comfortable or not.
What a preacher teaches is only as good as the authority behind it. Is it scripture or opinion? Unless we wish to be led astray, is it from God or men?
d. It is from men, if based solely upon creeds and traditions of men
i. This is where denominations get most of their authority from
1. I had an issue with the American Baptist who told me anyone who served, even 1 day as an interim pastor, could never serve as a pastor in the church.
a. This was unscriptural, and when I challenged them, they told me, “Well, this is just the way we’ve always done things, and you can have your choice of 3 other churches needing a pastor right now.”
2. This is the same thinking that has brought you false teachings such as infant baptism, purgatory, denominationalism, once saved, always saved, and much, much more.
ii. Adherence to man-made creeds has produced many denominations and cults!
1. Acceptance of the Book of Mormon will allow you to join this cult.
2. If you accept papal authority, you can be a Roman Catholic; you also accept a range of teachings and practices that are not found in the Bible, except in the sense that Scripture warns against them as things believers should not follow or do.
iii. Creeds are not really necessary.
1. If they say more than the bible, they say too much
2. If they say less than the bible, they say too little
3. If they say exactly what the bible says, then why not just use the bible as our creed book? (Mark 7:6-9)
iv. Yes, there was a time when the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, etc., back in the early 1st century, helped believers define what they believed in simple terms.
1. But they are not necessary today because final authority and salvation are found in scripture. Not creeds.
I was invited to sit in counsel with the Worldwide Anglican Church a few years ago, just as a visitor, while they discussed updating and rectifying their official statement of faith and beliefs for their constitution and bylaws as a church.
When the subject of creeds came up, specifically the Apostles' Creed, I raised my hand in objection to the line which reads Jesus “…descended into hell.”
I stated that the rendering of word “hell” in the creed gave a false narrative that Jesus went to Gehenna, or the lake of fire, when scripture makes clear, He descended to Sheol, place of departed spirits, and would have been in Paradise, or Abraham's Bosom, where the Lord promised He would go to set the captives free, all of those who died before Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice, because no one without Christ could enter heaven. So the righteous awaited their Savior in Abraham’s bosom.
They officially changed the creed to show this clarification.
The Worldwide Anglican Church has been around since 1867. In all those years, not one person addressed the creed.
Measure all things against the word of God.
Creeds are filled with traditions and commands of men, many of which conflict with and displace the commands of God! (Mark 7:6-9)
e. It is from men if based solely upon what your conscience tells you
i. Do not follow the mantra, “Let your conscience be your guide.”
ii. Paul tells us he served with a good conscience throughout his entire life (Acts 23:1), even when persecuting Christians (Acts 26:9-11)
iii. Our conscience is like a clock…it only works properly if it is set properly.
iv. Once your conscience has been “set” by the apostles' doctrine, then it can be a good guide.
Unless what your conscience is telling you can be confirmed by the word of God, then that which you believe is from men, not God.
f. It is from men if based solely upon what is human wisdom
i. Many believe in earthly wisdom…if it makes sense to them, they reason it must be true. If it doesn’t make sense, they won’t accept it.
1. Did you know that truth is not based on whether you believe it or not, it remains true either way.
ii. Most just turn to human reason to justify or excuse certain practices or sins. This is most definitely from men, not God.
g. It is from men if based solely upon feelings.
i. The same goes for feelings. Which is a standard of authority for many these days
1. Go by what feels right
2. They fall for a religion that is better felt than told
ii. Yet the Bible declares the dangers of trusting in your feelings.
Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”
Proverbs 28:26a “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool…”
1. It should be evident that any religious practice or doctrine based on feelings or emotionalism is from man alone, and not of God.
h. It is from men if based solely upon the Old Testament
i. People sometimes try to excuse their false beliefs and practices by reciting the Old Testament out of context.
1. You can’t eat seafood or pork, etc.
ii. Or a clergy-based system which is above laity, burning incense, or having a jam session with fog machines and laser light shows during worship.
iii. But the Old Testament was designed to fulfill a specific purpose and, as a covenant, be replaced by the New Covenant in Christ Jesus.
1. How do we know this? Because scripture tells us!
2. Galatians 3:19 The Old Testament was given because of transgressions until Christ should come.
3. Galatians 3:24 It was a tutor designed to lead them to Christ
4. Galatians 3:25 A tutor who has been taken away
5. Romans 7:4 states that when those who were under the Law came to Christ, they became dead to the Law
6. Romans 7:6 says they were delivered from the Law.
7. Hebrews 8:7-13 Jeremiah tells us that God has made a new covenant to replace the first covenant, which is now obsolete.
a. Yes, Jesus did not “do away with the Old,” but He fulfilled it…because He is the only way to salvation, and no salvation can be found in the Old, but judgment and condemnation
b. It is obsolete…yet still exists for those who do not belong to the New, where they will be condemned by it.
iv. The Old Testament still has much value to Christians
1. It was written for our learning, to provide patience, comfort, and hope, Romans 15:4
2. It was written for our admonition, so that we do not make the same mistakes they did, 1 Corinthians 10:6, 11
3. We just can’t use it to enjoin religious practices upon others, which the apostles themselves did not teach.
CONCLUSION
Do you want to be led astray? Blind leading the blind? False teachers who will secretly bring in destructive heresies? (2 Peter 2:1)
Of course not!
FINAL THOUGHT
Then we need to ascertain whether a religious doctrine or practice is from God or men.
Is it based on what the apostles of Christ taught, or some other authority?
The solution is simple, but it does require effort on our part.
Acts 2:42 says we must continue steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine.
Acts 17:11 says we must search the scriptures daily!
I asked last week how many read their bible daily. Then I asked, How many read a couple of times each week. Or maybe once a week.
Now think…how has your Christian walk been lately? How are you handling stress, temptations, and the issues in the world around you?
Now, for a moment, think again about how many times a week you look to God’s word.
There is a connection.
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