Oct. 2, 2022 Sunday Worship Service

But they're not questions because they want to know the answers. You're asking questions to try and entrap Jesus to get him into a position so that they can destroy him. And destroy the movement that goes with him.

Things we covered recently on this enduring this week, yet, we know that he arrived in Bethany on Friday.

And then, on Saturday, he had dinner with Simon and Lazarus Martha and Mary and he was anointed by Mary.

On Sunday. He made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Riding on a donkey as was foretold in the Old Testament. It on Monday, memory curse. The Fig Tree in front of the disciples.

in order to teach them about, Their need for being repentant. When they say prayers, They also cleanse the temple. This is the second time, he cleans the temple, getting rid of all the money changers and merchandisers, Then on Tuesday, he returned to the temple and he began teaching there.

And it probably started. What was the most grueling part?

Others Ministry were those few days. You know, that Tuesday was a day of teaching and a day of questions, a day of conflict. And a day of rejection.

So, we've already started this day and have been studying in the last couple of lessons about Jesus being in the temple and the Sanhedrin questioning his authority. And then Jesus taught the first. The first three Parables we covered to show them how they had abused their Authority.

Is this abuse of their Authority. That is led to the division between themselves and God and begins to turn. The Israelites away from righteousness. But can you imagine being surrounded by people who do not? Like simply do not like you but continue to come after you to bring you down.

Imagine having to put up with that day in and day out what's happening to Jesus and what happens to God everyday? People work actively to bring God down and to bring his followers down. We know that they will never bring God down but they can bring his followers down. By the evil that they do by the, by the abnormal things, they tend to try and make normal and and, and turn it around on the Christians to say, will you there something wrong with you that you don't accept this evil is being normal?

but can you imagine being God and having to

Go through everyday. Knowing that this is going on to your children that that the people that you were selected to be your chosen ones have turned against you and continually fight those battles. Jesus's teachings have been have exposed to Jewish hierarchy and made them more determined than ever to destroy them. If this time they actually caught cooperated together. People that all these little groups normally didn't even get along, But they were so threatened by Jesus, they actually cooperated. In their attempt to try to get rid of him. They sent their smartest people to try and entrap him their little spies, you know?

Got to remind you. That old cartoon spy versus spy, you know they're constantly blowing each other up and stuff and never did succeed and that's kind of how they were. I should tell you a lot about how much they hated Jesus in that they would work together even though they couldn't get along in the normal sense.

So, who were these people?

Once in awhile, it helps to go back in and take a look at just who who were these people that were out after Christ? We, we hear, we hear him talk about different factions as we go through reading the Bible. So, I just thought I'd throw in here. This is who they were the scribes.

Their focus became the details or the letters of the law and they they transition from Mere copyist to teachers of the scriptures over over a. Of time with

Jewish religion. The next to where the Sanhedrin we've heard them mention lot. That's a group of Judges. It was made up of a council of 70 Jewish men who were directly under the high priest. They acted like our Supreme Court In legal and religious trials. And some believe that the group began under the rule of King Jehoshaphat around 800 BC, That's when the Sanhedrin was developed. So they are the judges.

And so if somebody had a religious complaint or a legal complaint against you, they could draw you drag you before the Sanhedrin.

The Pharisees its group of all got a group of Jewish separatist. During the maccabean Revolt they sought to protect the right worship of God in Jesus. Eventually criticize them for adherence to the traditions of their father. Rather than seeking the words of God. In other words, this is who he was talking about when he said you can't. Replace the words of God with the traditions of men.

So, why they may have started out with a right heart. They weren't any longer. Pursuing a right heart. They they were in trenching, the Jewish religion on Manly manly Traditions more than Godly words.

The Sadducees. This group was functionally like the Pharisees as far as being a group with religious religious intent, the primary ways they differed from the Pharisees, is that the Sadducees reject all scriptures, besides the Torah? That means Genesis through Deuteronomy They thought that was all the scriptures. There were that's all they believed in following. And they rejected the belief in a future generation, our general resurrection of the body. In other words, heaven,

When they thought. About Dad that was just your alive or you're dead. Just like her over your dead, all over as far as they were concerned, there was no Heaven. We're No Angels, no spiritual side of God, however, the two groups hated one another and step when they found a condom common enemy like Jesus,

And then we had the herodians. These are members of a Jewish sect associated with the Pharisees in opposition to Jesus. That doesn't mean they were Pharisees. It means they got a long as long as they can help them get rid of Jesus. They were a political group. okay, that were supporters of Herod the Great.

So you can see he has. He had his hands full.

in the if you look at Matthew, 22 verses 15 through 16, Then the Pharisees went and plotted. How to entangle him in his words, right? This is what they were all about. How can we

Get him to say something that we can use to destroy him as every one of these groups had the same same thing and they sent their disciples to him along with her own saying teacher. We know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully. And you did not care about anyone's opinion for you or not swayed by appearances. In other words, let me stroke you and tell you how great you are for saying these things. Now say some of them so we can use them to hang you with That's exactly what they were after here.

Palestine. What you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? But Jesus was aware of their malice. And said why put me to the test? You hypocrites.

He said, show me the coin for the tax and they brought him a Denarius and Jesus said to them whose likeness and inscription is this. They said Caesars then he said to them there for render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's when they heard it they marveled and I left him and went away. so, He didn't win. They just had to turn their backs and leave cuz all these smart people, the Pharisees and herodians and sent, they couldn't outsmart him because what he said,

Did not. Fit their needs, what they had. A reason for asking him, that question. If Jesus said yes, then the Pharisees could condemn him to the people for supporting the Romans If he said, no, then the herodians would report him to the Roman government and condemn him for not being loyal to the Civil Authorities. now we know why the Pharisees brought the herodians because If they said yes, the Pharisees had him. And could take him to the Sanhedrin and trying, right? If he said no then the herodians had him. Jesus response. Was it? Because he knew their hearts.

He knew what they were trying to do so he managed to answer their yes or no question. Without using yes or no.

So what did he teach them by doing that or teach us? One of the things he taught us was

we have an obligation.

Do I fulfill our civil responsibilities? We have an obligation to pay taxes? We have an obligation to fulfill the law of the whatever government we're under.

And I by fulfilling that obligation, in this case, it was to Caesar in our case it was to the IRS.

It's not inconsistent with. A total allegiance to God.

We have to fulfill both our duties.

So since that didn't work here come the Sadducees right. Matthew 22, 23 through 33 the same day. This actually. So anyway not to be outdone. They came to ask about Resurrection.

The same day, they came to him and they asked him a question. Same teacher Moses said, if a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the Widow and raise up off. Bring for his brother. So now, there were seven, brothers. Among Us the first married and died, having no Offspring left. His wife to his brother. So to the 2nd and the 3rd, to the 7th, After them all the the woman died in the resurrection, are four of the seven. Whose wife will she be for? They all had ER,

But you just answered them you're wrong because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God for in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven. And as far as the resurrection of the dead, has you not read? What was said to you by God? I am the god of Abraham and I am the god of Isaac and the god of Jacob.

there's a lot of meaning and what he just said here, God says he is not the god of the dead but the god of the living

But you don't catch this, unless you look at it really close. And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching. While what is his teaching here.

remember he, when he was talking to Moses and Jesus, I am the god of Abraham. I am the god of Isaac and the god of Jacob.

How can you be there? God if they no longer exist?

So the point here is that if he is the god of those three then those three are still living.

So there is obviously an afterlife. They did not just die. And turn to nothing but Dad. Their Spirit lives on.

And there are none of these.

Sadducees that argue. That verse in the Bible. Remember, they believe in everything from Genesis to Deuteronomy.

Well guess, who's in there Moses? All right. And I believe that God told Moses. That he is the god of those three. Those living 3, he's not the god of the dead, but he is the god of the living, and when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching. So once again, there goes the Sadducees.

So you know, they assume that the resurrection existed, it would be what they assumed was that if their Resurrection existed, it would be impossible to straighten this out. That Jesus's response. He said they did not know the scriptures.

He said, they do not know the scriptures of power and Matthew 22-29, but also, he says, concerning the relationship, there were several things to consider. One is death dissolve, the marriage bond.

Also, we will have spiritual bodies not physical bodies.

Physical appetites will be left behind. This does not mean that we will not have a connection with our loved ones, but our relationship will be different. We will have a spiritual relationship, not a physical. One concerning the spiritual world, Enough. Matthew 22:32 was a quotation from Exodus. 36 K member, that's one of the books of sajan sees believed in God, said, I am the god of Abraham God of Isaac, the god of Jacob K, and that's why he use that argument.

And once again, he shut them down. If the Sadducees premise that dead man, vanished, vanished and nothing were correct than God was basically saying in that verse, I am the god of nothing. If he said, I am the god of Jacob and Isaac and Abraham.

If they did not live, then he would be the god of nothing. Leaving the Sadducees knew that he was not the god of nothing.

I don't know. Okay.

So far, what we learn from these interactions.

Notice that Jesus answered these questions and what we can learn from his answers, it's important that we explain why we do things. so, when

When we look at what Christ is doing, it's important that we explain why we do things. As in the case of the Pharisees, it's important that we use the scriptures to explain answers. As Christ. Did he used?

that little part of Exodus to explain why God What is the god of a living, Winder? Must be an afterlife.

It's important that even when we're surrounded by our enemies, we stay focused on the situation and glorifying God, that needs to be our Focus, not getting it over on our fellow men. But glorifying God. It's important not to forget the people around you. The one telling you is not the only one who matters. Jesus was not finish. The Pharisees then came back and asked another question. Jesus was on the, on his way to the Cross, but he was still trying to teach people. Can you imagine knowing that you had all that coming up, but yet you love the people so much that you still continue teaching from that love.

Maybe that's why we need maybe if we thought of ourselves as being on the way to the Cross, we could be more to be more motivated to learn and more motivated to teach others if we thought of ourselves as having to be ready to meet Jesus.

Perhaps we could do a better job.

I forgot to click that one. So, It makes me make sure I cover all of this.

Jesus.

Was never finished.

He wasn't finished on this day. He wasn't finished with everything. They threw at him. He did not finish until when

he said it is finished. Right.

He was there and teaching and loving us. Until he said it was finished. What? So say it ain't over till I say it's over. Or some movie or something, another has that her, but that's the way it was that's when he was finished.

We look look back at all the things he went through. coming to this day and this time, All the, all the people that were stacked up against him.

He had to put up with the scribes and the Sadducees in the fairest Pharisees in the sanhedrin's in the herodians and the Romans.

He had to put up. What is own family? That didn't believe in them. His own town is on Village.

but,

He loved us so much, that putting that word out. And warning them, and praying for them and weeping over them. where his priorities in life, just as our priorities in life, should be Praying for those around us, loving those around us today. And working to save those around us. That's the messages he's putting out here. He's putting the message out. And teaching all these different sex humility.

Be humble and love your God, work. All ways to show your love for God.

So I guess when we look in our hearts, what may we do need to keep in mind that we need to be making that trip to the Cross. We need to be going there.

To worship Him. To show our love and our sacrifice and be willing to give all for God. We need to ask ourselves every day when we get up and we say that first prayer,

Are we doing all that we can for God? Are we doing all that we can for God by? Loving those around us by spreading his love to those around us. Are we doing that or are we just concentrating?

On. Our own lives. Our own things are money.

Are we doing everything? Are you doing everything? You can to show God that you love him. Have you have you made? That commitment to God.

Have you heard what God's got to say? Have you believed it? Have you repented of your sins? you know, you don't

You don't just repent of your sins. In preparation for baptism. You should repent of your sins in preparation for the day. You should repent of your sins and preparation to go to sleep at night. You should repent of your sins prior to taking the Lord's Supper

Because you didn't stop sending when you were baptized. If you did. You're like a miracle baby, huh? Because the rest of us didn't, I've never been able to quit. But I am sorry for it and I tried to investigate it when I catch it. So that I can change it, that's what we need to do. Cuz we'll never be completely clear and God knew that, and that's what it was all about. That's why he enabled us to repent of our sins rather than

Sacrifice an animal which never really got rid of them.

So,

Once you once you repented us and are you confessing daily to someone about your love for Jesus.

Not just to yourself but confessing means to spread that word to others that you love Jesus. Confessing mean sounding off. I'm a Christian. I love God, won't you come with me and love him too? Let me share that with you. Are you helping others to come to baptism? Or if you're not baptized have you thought maybe it's time

then once we do all that, we know

the baptismal is always ready, brother. You'll keep that thing. Filled with water all the time.

I notice I didn't say warm water. It's not always warm.

but, It's ready for you. God's ready for you guys? Also ready, if you feel like you need to come forward and repeat it

and get the prayers of the church. Now's a good time to do that. You seen what he's gone through. What he went through in the temple. Surrounded by enemies, trying to destroy him. Trying to belittle his work trying, trying to make him stand out as something evil. You saw what he went through for you? Won't you go through some things for him? If you're ready, you can come as we stand and sing.

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