Traveling Mercies: Living Under Christ's Authority

Mar 01, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Choice to Live Under God’s Authority

Every person faces a fundamental decision: to live under the authority of God or the authority of man. This choice defines our journey and our ultimate destination. Submitting to God’s rule is not about restriction, but about receiving His guidance and protection. It is the only path that leads to true life and freedom, shielding us from the destruction that comes from self-rule. This decision is the most important one you will ever make. [40:04]

“I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live.” Deuteronomy 30:19 (ESV)

Reflection: What area of your life are you most hesitant to surrender to God’s authority, and what would it look like this week to take one practical step toward submitting it to Him?

Day 2: God’s Persistent Call to His People

Throughout history, God has consistently reached out to humanity with patience and love. He sent prophets and messengers to call His people back to Himself, even when they rejected and mistreated them. This pattern reveals a heart that longs for reconciliation, not punishment. His ultimate act was to send His own Son, the fullest expression of His desire for a relationship with us. This persistent call continues even today. [50:23]

“And the Lord said, ‘I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them.’” Exodus 3:7-8a (ESV)

Reflection: Where have you sensed God’s patient and persistent call in your own life recently, and how have you responded?

Day 3: The Ultimate Act of Love: One for All

The core of the gospel is the stunning truth that God did not respond to human rebellion by destroying everyone. Instead, He provided a way for all to be saved through the sacrifice of one. Jesus, the Son, was sent and willingly gave His life to take the punishment we deserved. This is the ultimate demonstration of love, where the innocent died for the guilty to offer us mercy and life. [55:48]

“For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:7-8 (ESV)

Reflection: How does the reality that Jesus was crushed for your rebellion change the way you view your own failures and His offer of grace?

Day 4: The Cornerstone of Our Faith

Jesus Christ is the foundational cornerstone upon which everything else is built. To build a life on any other foundation is to build on shifting sand that cannot withstand the pressures of life. This cornerstone is unmovable and sure; we either build our lives upon it and find security, or we reject it and risk being broken by it. He is the only sure foundation for a life that lasts. [01:05:07]

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.” Ephesians 2:19-20 (ESV)

Reflection: Is there any part of your life where you are building on a foundation other than Jesus, and what would it look like to begin rebuilding on Him this week?

Day 5: Receiving the Gift of Life in Christ

The offer from God is not to make bad people good, but to make dead people alive. This new life is a gift received through faith, by believing that God raised Jesus from the dead and confessing Him as Lord. It is a humble acceptance of what He has done, not an attempt to earn His favor. This is the moment of surrender where we stop trying to run our own lives and receive the life only He can give. [01:12:10]

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

Reflection: If you have never done so, what is holding you back from receiving this gift of life by believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord?

Sermon Summary

A young woman’s baptism opens a conversation about salvation, obedience, and the life-altering work of the Spirit. The text distinguishes being saved by faith from being changed by baptism: salvation arrives through confessing Christ as Lord, while baptism publicly surrenders a life to the Holy Spirit and begins a pattern of obedience. The ancient request for traveling mercies frames the larger theme: Jesus endured an unmerited journey to the cross so others might travel under God’s mercy. Scripture recounts religious leaders plotting to entrap and eliminate that mercy by questioning authority and setting traps that ultimately ensnare themselves.

A parable about a vineyard exposes a long pattern of rejecting God’s messengers. Owners sent servant after servant and finally the son; tenants abused, wounded, and killed those sent, revealing habitual defiance against divine authority. That willful rejection leads to a decisive turning point: the owner repurposes the vineyard for others, illustrating how persistence in rebellion risks forfeiting God’s gifts and place in the covenant community. The image of the stone the builders rejected becomes a warning: the very cornerstone that sustains life and judgment will either support those who align with it or crush those who ignore it.

Practical implications follow. Choosing human authority over God’s authority removes traveling mercies and invites the harsher discipline that governs fallen systems. Communion and baptism function as tangible rites that reorient hearts: the elements point beyond themselves to the death, burial, and resurrection that grant life to the dead. Believers receive these sacraments as mysterious means of grace that refocus allegiance and strengthen a way of life under Christ’s rule. The call remains urgent—accept the mercy offered, submit to the rightful authority, and live under the protection and direction that mercy provides.

Key Takeaways

1. Submit to Christ’s final authority Belief without submission leaves a life split between claims and conduct. The question “by what authority?” exposes whether loyalty belongs to God or to human opinion and fear. Choosing Christ’s authority reorganizes priorities, removes the illusion of personal sovereignty, and opens the path to sustained mercy and faithful living. [39:27]
2. Rejection invites inevitable divine judgment Repeated refusal to heed God’s messengers accumulates consequence beyond immediate discipline. The vineyard parable shows how persistent rebellion erodes stewardship and ultimately provokes decisive divine response. Mercy endures, but patience has a terminating edge when the covenant is consistently scorned. [55:48]
3. Christ is the cornerstone The stone the builders rejected functions as both foundation and judge: alignment with it grants stability, avoidance leads to collapse. That cornerstone bears loads no human scheme can sustain and exposes the futility of clever alternatives. Encountering this stone forces an existential choice between life and ruin. [63:07]
4. Baptism and communion transform obedience Baptism marks a public surrender that enables the Spirit to shape a life; communion re-centers devotion around Christ’s atoning work. Both act as tangible, mysterious means that translate belief into habitual allegiance. Regular participation renews focus, aids humility, and sustains a life under divine mercy. [16:14]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[15:26] - Baptism: Chosen and Called
[16:14] - Obedience of Baptism Explained
[17:18] - Celebration and Worship Response
[29:49] - Traveling Mercies Described
[31:58] - Authority Question and Opposition
[47:00] - Parable of the Vineyard Tenants
[55:48] - Consequences of Rejection
[63:07] - The Stone the Builders Rejected
[73:21] - Communion as Sacrament
[83:27] - Closing Blessing and Sending

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading: Luke 20:1-19 (ESV)
One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.” He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” So they answered that they did not know where it came from. And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

Observation questions

In the parable, what did the tenants do to each servant the owner of the vineyard sent to them?
What was the owner's final plan, and what was the tenants' reasoning for their action?
According to Jesus, what two things can happen to a person in relation to the "stone" that was rejected?

Interpretation questions

The religious leaders asked Jesus, "By what authority are you doing these things?" [39:27] Why is the question of authority so central to the conflict, and what does it reveal about the human heart?
The owner of the vineyard sent his son, thinking, "Perhaps they will respect him." [51:09] In light of the tenants' history, why would the owner make this decision, and what does this reveal about the nature of God?
Jesus says the rejected stone will either break those who fall on it or crush those it falls on. [01:05:38] What is the difference between being broken by the stone and being crushed by it?

Application questions

Belief without submission leaves a life split between claims and conduct. [39:27] In what specific area of your life are you currently struggling to submit to Christ's authority, and what would it look like to surrender that area to Him this week?
The parable shows how persistent rebellion erodes stewardship. [55:48] Is there a pattern of rejecting God's gentle correction in your life? What is one practical step you can take to stop resisting and start listening?
The stone the builders rejected is the cornerstone. [01:03:07] Have you been trying to build your life on a different foundation—like your own plans, career, or relationships? What would it look like to recenter your life on Christ as the true cornerstone?
Baptism marks a public surrender that enables the Spirit to shape a life. [16:14] If you have been baptized, how does that act of obedience continue to shape your daily decisions? If you haven't, what is holding you back from this step of public surrender?
The religious leaders were more afraid of the people than they were of God. [01:10:38] Who are the "people" in your life whose opinion you fear more than God's? How can you actively choose to fear God more this week?
Communion re-centers devotion around Christ’s atoning work. [01:13:21] How can you approach the Lord's Table this week not as a ritual, but as a tangible moment to realign your heart and allegiance under Christ's rule?

Sermon Clips

37s

#CapturedByGrace

“Christ didn't come to trap us or trip us up, he came to capture us. To capture us with his love and his grace and his mercy, and being captured by Christ is when we're fully set free. We shall never be trapped again. And so father, we must understand, I hope to the core of our being, that being under your authority is the best way to live. The best way to live. We love you and thank you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's give God a hand clap of praise in this house today.”

36s

#ReceiveNewLife

“I'm here for the one who lived perfectly, died painfully, rose triumphantly, and he's coming again to judge the living and the dead, not the good and the bad. The Bible never says that Jesus came to judge the good, came to judge the dead. And what he offers you is life, not goodness. You're not a bad person who needs to be made good. You're dead, and you need to be made alive. And through his death, we're offered life. But you gotta receive it. You gotta accept it. Just like we come back to remind ourselves of the receptivity that's required in order to become part of the body of Jesus Christ.”

39s

#BelieveAndConfess

“Because the bible's so clear that if you will believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead and confess, speak with your mouth that he is Lord, you will be saved. You will be guaranteed. And I know some people wanna challenge that. Why do they wanna challenge it? Because they refuse to submit to the authority of God. They want it their way. Well, you can't have it your way and Jesus. Can you believe? Can you confess? Then please come and let us serve you. And if it's your first time and you wanna tell one of us, that would be glorious. If not, keep it to yourself. It's fine. Because it's ultimately between you and God anyway, not you and man.”

31s

#UnderGodsAuthority

“Because they don't wanna submit to his authority. They wanna continue to live under theirs. And so here's the picture. You'll always only have two choices. You live under the authority of God or under the authority of man. You choose. And I promise you, under the authority of God, traveling with his mercies is a whole lot better than living under the authority of man. Because the authority of man will do to Christ what it does on Friday, and that's what it'll do to you and me too. It will utterly destroy us.”

46s

#SacredCommunion

“Something mysterious happened when she came up out of that water that no human being can possibly explain. And something mysterious happens when the people of God gather together and we take a small piece of Kroger bread and dip it into a glass of Welch's grape juice. And the minute you swallow that, my chest gets warm. Something happens inside me and that's because it goes from the secular to the sacred because of your faith. And it moves in us in ways that are far beyond the quality of these elements. But if you are not a follower, you cannot come. Because the bible says, you must first recognize his body or you take judgment on yourself.”

35s

#MercyThroughTrials

“But each and every time there's a narrative in Luke, you're basically seeing this call to mercy, call to mercy, take advantage of this opportunity. Because you know, all throughout this life, now the the mercy of God does not prevent us from facing the the tragedies and the heartaches and the brokenness of life. What it does guarantee is you're gonna get through it. That the mercy of God will meet you in the midst of it like the twenty third Psalm. Right? Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil for thou art with me.”

33s

#PrayForProtection

“We we ask for traveling mercies, you know, if we're gonna travel, we ask our life group, our friends, our family, just an extra prayer, and it's very biblical. I mean, all throughout the New Testament, you see Paul, especially in the book of Acts asking for for prayers of protection and those things. So it is a it's a reality that there there's nothing wrong with asking God for protection from point a to point b, to dispense extra mercy as you journey. The truth of the matter is, we all need traveling mercies from point a to point b, and that point b is the end of time.”

37s

#QuestionAuthority

“So they're now trying to trap him based upon who do you think you are and where do you think you've come from and where do you think you get off? Where do you think you got this authority from? And this question is ultimately the question that has destroyed any human life that's been destroyed. It's what destroyed all of creation. This is the question basically in a different format that the devil asks Adam and Eve. Did God really say? And here it is like, where did you get your authority?”

46s

#ChooseWhoseAuthority

“Look where they're stuck. They're stuck in the middle of their own question. And it has nothing to do with the content of the question. It has everything to do with authority. Authority. Do you or do you not want to come under the authority of Christ? If you want to experience traveling mercies, you must come under his authority. If you wanna buck up and say, no, nobody tells me what to do, then go live your life. But where do you see the consequences? So they answered him, we don't know where it's from. Great. Jesus said, neither am I going to tell you. See, it all comes back to this.”

46s

#RespondToTheGospel

“You're like, that's harsh. I know. But let me ask you another question. Whether or not they hear or not is not nearly as important as what are you going to do now that you have. You're worried about people who live in, you know, the mountains of Peru having never heard the gospel. Okay. You're in Bowling Green, Kentucky hearing it. You're in Morgantown, Glasgow, and there'll be a thousand plus people literally around the world that will watch this this week. What are you gonna do? See, you're asking questions that you don't have an answer for rather than answering the questions that only you can answer. Bingo.”

32s

#UnderHumanAuthority

“I wish I could tell you how many people I've had to talk to and say, listen, now that you've been arrested, you need to understand something. Because you refuse to come under the authority of God, you now find yourself under the authority of man. And the authority of man generally knows one principle, justice. Right. It's tense. Right? It's supposed to be. He's getting ready to die in a few days. I can't paint this a pretty flowery picture.”

42s

#WhereDidSinStart

“You see, it's interesting when people begin to question the authority of God, it's amazing how quickly you can reveal that they don't even have the answers to their questions. And there's still a lot of questions being asked about the authority of God, like probably the most popular one is if God is so good, then why does he let so many bad things happen? Well, the the question to that is simply this. Well, who's responsible for sin entering the world? Eve or Satan? Answer the question. Right? Who was it? Eve or Satan?”

34s

#EverythingDependsOnGod

“What authority what authority am I doing this by? So understand, even this day, there is no issue in my opinion on the face of this earth that doesn't have to do with the authority of God. And the consequences and the collateral damages and the sin and the poor, all of it is whether or not we're willing to come under the authority of God. And as saved people, we understand this too. Because when we begin to get outside the authority of God, it's going to get very difficult for you and I to live.”

41s

#HistoryOfRebellion

“And so what Christ is picking out for them is this is how you treated the prophets. Ever since God called you a people from Abraham forward, you have been a rebellious people. You have refused to come under my authority since the beginning. And you see it throughout their history, the store that salvation history is full of people refusing. Even people who were planted by God to obey God and come under his authority. And when God moves in their direction, they don't submit, they fight. They don't give up. They start going after God and the messengers. They killed so many prophets.”

29s

#ChooseChristsMercy

“Point a will be this very moment. Okay? So from this moment, because you don't have to worry about the ones behind you. This moment forward, the question is, do you want to be protected by the mercies of Christ? And on the final week of the life of Jesus Christ, this is one of the primary issues. As the urgency of the moment is literally thrust upon human history, the animosities as you can imagine begin to increase as well. And today, you're gonna see the primary reason why.”

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Traveling Mercies: Living Under Christ's Authority

Devotional

Day 1: The Choice to Live Under God’s Authority

Day 2: God’s Persistent Call to His People

Day 3: The Ultimate Act of Love: One for All

Day 4: The Cornerstone of Our Faith

Day 5: Receiving the Gift of Life in Christ

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Traveling Mercies: Living Under Christ's Authority

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