Give to God What is God's

Intro

Jesus is telling us something

Beginning this week, we are going to see a 4 part movement designed to makes us Children of the King!

It’s framed this way:

4 questions

2 Revelations of God

2 Commands to Serve God

(( We need both - Revelation and Command - if we are to relate to God rightly ))

If we Don’t know Who He is… how can we love Him?

If we don’t know what He desires of us… How can we serve Him?

IN FACT, these are two easy questions to ask of any text in the Bible:

Is there a truth to believe about God?

Is there a command to obey from God?

(Easy to ask… tricky to answer sometimes)

4 questions

4 ingredients to make you a child of the King

important because you need them and you need them in the right proportions

Cornbread…?

‘We need Milk’

2 cups of milk…. 1/3 cup of milk (( double that is 2/3 cup of milk

These ingredients help to live out the recipe established in John 1:11-13

John 1:11–13 NASB95

He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Then if we add in

John 3:21 NASB95

“But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

The Reality: Anyone who Receives Him becomes His child

The Command: Practice the Truth

Are you a child of God? Practice the truth.

And here are the 4 ingredients we will see over the next few weeks to help us:

Give to God what is God’s

God is the God of the Living

Love God and Love Others

God is the Lord

“Render to God the things that are God’s”

The Hypocrisy of Pharisees (Matt 22:15-18)

Matthew 22:15–18 NASB95

Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said. And they *sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. “Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?

This, the first of the 3 questions form the religious leaders, sets the tone: They are PLOTTING to get Jesus

Jesus came into the city and stirred the place up

He is being praised

He told 3 parable to indict the Pharisees

They. Are. Done. With. This. Guy.

So the text tells us: Matt 22:15

Matthew 22:15 NASB95

Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said.

We have to keep this in mind: All three of these questions are designed to trap Jesus.

Matthew 22:16–17 NASB95

And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. “Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?”

They send their boys AND the Herodians

Now, we should ask right away: Why are the Herodians there? Why mention that?

The Herodians would have been religiously aligned with the Pharisees but politically their allegiances differed

The Pharisees were Pro-Jewish which mean Anti-Roman Rule

The Herodians were loyal to **Herod**, the Roman rule of law

So here is the trap: Either Jesus rejects the Tax and upsets the Romans OR He affirms the Tax and loses the people. Check-mate.... right?

NOPE.

Matthew 22:18 NASB95

But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?

Jesus sees what is happening, and He addresses it.

“You Hypocrites”

In Matthew 23 we will see Jesus pronounce woes upon the Pharisees.

Each of these woes is tied to their hypocrisy

Saying one thing and doing another

Instructing the people to do things they themselves aren’t doing

Presenting themselves outwardly in a way that isn’t true inwardly

This is a trap we are prone to fall into....

“People were just behaving hypocritically and it turned me off to the church”

This is proof of one thing we all need to keep in mind:

The way we treat people, the way we present ourselves and talk and act will influence the way people view the church and by extension view God.

One of the woes Jesus pronounces on the Pharisees is in Matt 23:13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”

The terrible truth of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees was that they were the very people designated and trusted to direct people to Heaven, and they were doing the opposite.

But don’t miss this: As the church YOU are the ones designated and trusted to direct people to heaven.

How are you representing Heaven?

Are you helping others toward Heaven or pushing them away?

Our actions have the ability to shut people out of Heaven!!

This is why these 4 ingredients we’re getting are so important

For you to live in a way that glorifies God? Yes.

But beyond just you this is how we live in order to help get others to heaven… by practicing “truth” as John 3:21 said.

So Jesus calls out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees then moves on to ask for a coin.

The Position of Caesar (19-21)

Matthew 22:19–21 NASB95

“Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax.” And they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.”

This question “whose likeness is on the coin” is awesome.

And the way He applies the answer “Then render to Caesar” is eye-opening and it challenges the way we think about our possessions.

Let me show you what I mean.

I see 2 reasons why people would have a problem paying taxes

1. They disagree with Caesar’s rule over them

2. They want to keep their money

(for us today, its the second reason with few if any exceptions)

Jesus’ point will dismantle both objections

(( So, even though Jesus is turning the idea back on the Pharisees, He is still teaching the people. He can do both.))

First, They disagree with Caesar’s rule over them.

Jesus asks for the coin, and someone delivers one.

Now, this is Jewish crowd in Jerusalem… but someone produces the coin!

For me, there is only one reason to have money on your person: you want to spend it!

So if you’re in the camp where you reject paying taxes to Caesar as a matter of national pride or principal… but you still want to spend Caesar’s money........ then you’ve slipped into a little hypocrisy haven’t you?

If you’re okay spending Caesar’s coin at the market, you don’t have any excuse for not paying Caesar’s tax

Jesus says “render to Caesar” and that word “Render” means to repay or make whole

He’s in charge, give him his coin back

The reality is, Caesar is in charge. The people don’t like it, they don’t want to pay his tax, but he is in charge.

Sounds a lot like what Christians have to deal with today, right?

We don’t agree with our rulers

They don’t agree with God

So do we withhold taxes? Jesus is saying no!

What we have to remember is that there is no ruler on earth outside of God’s appointment.

Romans 13:1–7 NASB95

Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

Paul uses identical rhetoric to Jesus to expound on His teaching: render to all what is due them.

You can disagree with the one ruling over you, but the Bible is clear!

Go out and vote? Yes

Educate and influence? Yes

Withhold tax? No. Because God is the one who establishes rulers.

Now, we could have a principled discussion on this matter, but its my experience that the real reason people don’t want to pay taxes is . .

. . .

Second, They want to keep their money

“Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s”

It isn’t their money!

this is the second way Jesus is correcting their thinking: you think its your money but whose picture is on it?

He is effectively saying “who cares of you pay the tax? It isn’t your money”

This an important turn that Jesus has made

and we have to see it if we’re going to see it in the next point.

Jesus is challenging their perception about what belongs to them and what belongs to Caesar

And He’s doing the same thing in the next section

The Possession of God (21-22)

Matthew 22:21–22 (NASB95)

They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” And hearing this, they were amazed, and leaving Him, they went away.

Jesus’ declaration “give to God the things that are God’s” broadens this thing way beyond the poll-tax.

The first question I had about this phrase was “doesn’t everything belong to God?”

What could Jesus mean “give to caesar his and God His?” Is not everything God’s?

We even just saw that rulers belong to God!

What do you mean Jesus?

But this is point of that statement. We are forced to ask “What belongs or doesn’t belong to God?”

Just like challenging our thinking about Caesar’s coin

He’s forcing us to think this way “What is God’s”

From a theological standpoint its an easy answer

Acts 17:25 “nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;”

Colossians 1:16 “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.”

Romans 11:36 “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”

Theologically, the answer is clear: everything belongs to God.

But what does this look like practically?

Remember, we are to live in TRUTH, not as hypocrites.

So really think: do you live as if everything is God’s?

The Bible is clear on this one! But what does your life reveal?

The people rejected the tax in principle.... but they still had the King’s coin.

So the question "what belongs to God?” Can’t simply be a theological one….

It can’t be!

“What do you deem is God’s”?

Millions and millions of people in the world would never say ‘everything is God’s’

and of those that might say it, few live it out

Here’s a personal example of what I mean

I have a little prayer journal on my phone

I was praying for VBS

“Isn’t that the whole point?”

And I meant “Isn’t that the whole point of our being in New Mexico…of planting a church?”

Seeing people saved is the reason we live 900 miles from our closest family

Allie’s mom was visiting last week - and there were tears when she left

And I was praying for people to be saved and saying to God “isn’t the whole point of her tears that people would be saved?”

“Where is Mary maw ?”

We have given to God what is God’s and trust in Him.

Like Paul, sitting in prison, declared:

2 Timothy 2:10 (NASB95): For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.

Pauls says “my chains…my beatings… my starving…. the whole point is for people to be saved!”

But catch this: you don’t have to be a pastor or missionary for the whole point of your life to be given to God!

Because Pauls also said

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NASB95): Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

you don’t have to be a pastor to do that

you don’t have to be a missionary to do that (though I wouldn’t ever take that option off the table for yourself)

You simply have to Give to God what is God’s

Do you want to live a life that has purpose and meaning? Give it to God.