Have You Not Read What God Said to You?
Being the Church • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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23 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him.
24 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses declared that if a man dies without having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.
25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to his brother.
26 The same thing happened to the second and third brothers, down to the seventh.
27 And last of all, the woman died.
28 In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? For all of them were married to her.”
29 Jesus answered, “You are mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
30 In the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the angels in heaven.
31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you:
32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
PRAY
We’re continuing our short series on Being the Church - how does God want us to think and act in the context of the body of Christ?
Last week we talked about the vital importance of the participation of every member in the ministry of the church. Every single believer has a vital role to play in the growth of the Body as a whole.
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From the section on member responsibilities in our church’s constitution:
2. The members of the church are urged to cultivate those graces in their Christian lives that will glorify the Lord, promote spiritual growth, and further the ministry of the church. And they are entreated: a. To engage in private and family Bible reading, prayer, and the regular attendance at the services of the church; Heb. 10:25; 1 Tim. 4:12-16.
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Today we’re going to look at the importance of personal and family commitment to Scripture and prayer. Our personal and family commitment to growing in our relationship with God will have an impact on the growth of the body.
If we are not committed to growing in our relationship with God, reading His Word and living in close fellowship with him, it will not only have a negative impact on us personally, but it will negatively impact the body. On the other hand, if each one of you here will earnestly pursue a close relationship with God in your personal and family life, it will greatly contribute toward the growth of the body as a whole.
And the primary means that God has given us for our spiritual growth are the Scriptures, prayer, and fellowship with other believers. Through these means we will grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:18)
Today we will focus especially on the place of God’s Word in our personal and family life.
Can you imagine if God had never spoken?
What would life be like if God had not chosen to communicate?
First of all, nothing else in the universe would exist, because Psalm 33:6
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth.
If God had never spoken, nothing other than God would exist. We would not be here. This is the power of God’s Word. What’s more, the universe is sustained moment by moment by the powerful word of God’s Son who is the Living Word of God.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
But God could have spoken all these things into existence and then stopped speaking. He could have chosen not to communicate to mankind.
But that is not the nature of God.
God has spoken.
God is a speaking God. God is a communicating God. He wants to have a relationship with people.
We see this from the very beginning. Only after creating Adam and Eve does God speak directly to his creation, entering into a covenant relationship with mankind:
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”
“God said to them…” Let us not get over the wonder of these words. God chose to speak to people. And not only to Adam and Eve.
Hebrews 1:1–2 (BSB)
On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets. But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son…
God revealed himself through the prophets and writers of the Old Testament. And he most clearly revealed himself in the Person and Work of His Son Jesus Christ.
What’s more, God chose to have people record his words for future generations, so that more and more people could hear and know what God has said.
Have you read what God has said?
Let’s examine the passage we read earlier from Matthew and see what Jesus has to say about the importance of reading Scripture.
The Sadducees come to question Jesus.
The Sadducees were a religious group in this time period, and they were known for their liberal views and interpretations. Much like theological liberals today, they denied the supernatural - things like the reality of the resurrection, the existence of angels or other spiritual beings.
So we need to understand as they come to Jesus, they’re not really interested in learning the truth; they’re simply trying to stump Jesus with their religious riddle. They’re trying to trip him up and make him look foolish - the same kind of thing that many liberal scholars do today to Christians. Maybe someone has even done that to you - tried to trip you up with a difficult question about the Bible.
They quote a Scripture text from the Law and then tell a story and finish it with their riddle.
24 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses declared that if a man dies without having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.
25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to his brother.
26 The same thing happened to the second and third brothers, down to the seventh.
27 And last of all, the woman died.
28 In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? For all of them were married to her.”
That’s a tough one, isn’t it?
My guess is that the Sadducees had told this riddle before to many other people and had left them puzzled or stumped. So they thought they would be able to do it to Jesus as well. But Jesus sees through their hypocrisy and spiritual blindness.
29 Jesus answered, “You are mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
Remember whom Jesus is speaking to here - religious leaders of his day. And what does he tell them?
“You are mistaken.” “You are wrong.” “You are deceived, led astray.”
In what ways had these religious leaders been led astray? How were they mistaken?
First Jesus says,
“You do not know the Scriptures!”
Something we can gather from this is that there is more to knowing the Scriptures than simply knowing what they say. It is possible to have a nearly perfect grasp of the content of Scripture and yet not truly know the Scriptures. There is a kind of heart attitude that is required, a dependence on the supernatural enabling of God’s Spirit to open our eyes to behold and understand and apply his Word.
If Jesus were standing here right now, would he say this to us? I’m afraid that many of us would hear these same words from him. Either because we’ve been lazy about spending time in His Word, or because we’ve done it with the wrong attitude, an attitude of pride and self-dependence or self-righteousness.
Second, Jesus says,
“You do not know the power of God.”
In their denial of the resurrection and other spiritual realities, they were denying the power of God. They were saying that God really isn’t all that great, he really isn’t that powerful. What this tells us is that ignorance of the Scriptures leads to ignorance of God. If we do not read and understand and apply God’s Word, we will not truly know God - because God has revealed his character - who he is - in his Word. We cannot know God in the fullest sense without knowing his Word. This is one reason that the Bible should have a high priority in our personal lives, our families, and our churches. It is through the Scriptures that we come to know God and grow in our relationship with him. You cannot have a deep relationship with God without spending significant time in His Word.
30 In the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the angels in heaven.
In this next verse Jesus affirms two of the realities that the Sadducees specifically deny - resurrection and angels. Jesus says these things are real and true, even though you deny them. You got these things wrong.
31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
In v. 32, Jesus is quoting the words of God to Moses back in Exodus 3:6 when God spoke to him from the burning bush:
6 Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Jesus says that in a sense, they have never really read and understood this text. The fact that God presented himself to Moses as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob must mean that they are truly alive with him, that there is life after death. This is Jesus’s interpretation of this passage, and his words to the Sadducees indicate that though they may have known these words, they had not truly read them in a proper way, because they had denied the reality of life after death.
I want to especially focus in on the last phrase of v. 31:
“Have you not read what God said to you?”
Two observations from this:
1. Jesus equates READING Scripture with HEARING God’s voice.
This is so important for us to understand. The words of Scripture, though they are human words, they are also the very words of God. To read or listen to Scripture in the proper way is to hear the voice of God. If you want to hear the voice of God, you don’t need to go looking for dreams and visions, and special experiences; you need to read your Bible. And you need to read it in the proper way, with the right attitude.
2. Jesus says that the words of Scripture are God’s message TO YOU.
To whom was God speaking in Exodus in the passage Jesus quotes? Clearly God was speaking to Moses.
But what does Jesus say?
Not only was God speaking to Moses, God intended these words, this message, to be for YOU. These words from God were directed to Moses, yet Jesus says, they were also for the Sadducees, and they are for YOU and me today. The Word of God is living and active. It isn’t just an old record of events from thousand of years ago. His Word is living and active today. And his Word is still speaking TO YOU today, if you will hear his voice.
Isn’t that amazing - that the Creator of the Universe wants to talk TO YOU?
But to hear his voice, you must open your Bible and read.
Are you reading His Word? It is for you! God wants you to hear his voice.
Clearly in this passage there is a kind of reading or an attitude of reading that is wrong, a kind of reading that leads us to wrong view of God and wrong ideas about many other things like the Sadducees.
What is a proper way to read Scripture?
Proper attitudes when we approach God’s Word (from a message on “The Clarity of Scripture and Interpretation” by Dr. Stephen Nichols)
· We must read Scripture Reverently – we’re on holy ground – God is speaking directly to us
When God spoke to Moses, Moses hid his face; many others in Scripture when they encounter God fall on their faces. We ought to approach God’s Word as if we’re entering the presence of God.
· We must read Scripture Prayerfully – asking for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and illumination (Psalm 119:18)
18 Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things from Your law.
Prayer ought to be the breath of the believer, and this is no less true when we read and listen to Scripture.
· We must read Scripture Collectively – not only by ourselves, but in community with other believers; others will help us see and understand things we’re missing
I try to make Scripture a very central and important part of our services, not just because it’s commanded in Scripture, but because we need it. God’s Word is our life, and this is true not just individually, but together as Christ’s body.
· We must read Scripture Humbly – I don’t have all the answers
Beware the attitude of pride when coming to Scripture - either thinking you already know what you need to know or doing it to make yourself look good. Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for such an attitude. They were certainly diligent in their reading and studying of Scripture, yet they did it with an attitude of pride, which is demonstrated because they refused to accept the Living Word of God when he came.
39 You pore over the Scriptures because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very words that testify about Me, 40 yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.
· We must read Scripture Carefully – using proper methods – historical, grammatical, cultural, rhetorical (genre), theological method; pay attention to the context, ask questions
Interpret Scripture using the historical, grammatical, cultural, rhetorical (genre), theological method
It is very easy to take verses out of context and make applications that have nothing to do with what the verse actually means. We need to be asking questions like, “what did the human author mean by this word or phrase?” and “what is the historical background of this text?” and “why did the author put the words and phrases in this order?” and “what kind of literature is this (poetry, history, letter, prophecy, etc.)?” and “what does this tell me about God and how does it relate to other Scriptures?”
All of these are important questions that help us make sure we’re reading and interpreting the text correctly.
Another help with interpretation is the three Cs of context
The three Cs of context: close, continuing, and complete
Close context: what is the immediate context of the verse or paragraph in the book you’re reading from?
Continuing context: God’s revelation of himself is progressive (as we go from Genesis to Revelation, God gradually or progressively reveals more of himself and his plan of redemption), so when we read a text we ought to ask ourselves how it relates to what comes before it
Complete context: how does this passage relate to all of Scripture and how does it point forward to the realities that God reveals later on in his Word, especially about how it finds fulfillment in Christ?
· We must read Scripture Christologically – everything in Scripture leads us to Christ; Luther said, “Until you see Christ in the Scripture you’re reading, you aren’t seeing the Scripture.”
The OT points us forward to Christ; the Gospels tell us of His life, ministry, death, and resurrection; the Epistles explain the significance and application of the truth of Christ; and Revelation tells us of His return and consummation of all things.
· We must read Scripture Obediently – being doers of the word and not hearers only (James 1:22-25)
25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.
You must be a hearer in order to be a doer, but don’t stop at hearing / reading. We must be both hearers and doers of the Word, seeking to apply the truths that we read to our lives.
There is much more that could be said regarding the way we read Scripture, but this is a good start. If we approach Scripture in the proper way, we will come to truly know God, and He will transform our lives.
The Necessity of Personal Time with God
Spending time in the Word and in prayer is vital for your personal and family growth in relationship to God.
Let me use this illustration:
Your life is like a plant. What is necessary for the continued life and growth of the plant? In the case of most plants, two of the most vital elements necessary for growth are water and sunshine. A plant that doesn’t get any water or sunshine will shrivel up and die.
The Bible is like water, and prayer is like the sunshine.
If all of the Bible reading and prayer you get is here at church on Sunday for an hour or two, it would be like keeping the plant in a pot out of the sunlight and only watering it and giving it sunlight a couple hours a week. In that case, the plant might survive, but its growth will be limited and it will produce little fruit.
But if that plant gets sunlight and water multiple time per week, it will grow healthy and strong with deep roots and produce the desired fruit. So will a person who regularly spends time in Scripture reading and prayer.
What you get here at church on Sunday is good and necessary, but it is not enough. You need to be setting aside personal time to spend with God as well.
And for those of us with families, it is good to spend time talking about God and His Word with our spouses and children and to pray together. And I would say this especially to the men: Men, we are called to be the spiritual leaders of our families. We must be examples to our wives and children in our own personal commitment to God and His Word and the way that we lead our families in worship.
And we all have room for improvement in this, don’t we?
Practical applications:
How much time should I spend in my personal devotions?
If you don’t currently have any habit in place, I would encourage you to start small. Don’t think that you’re going to build the perfect devotional life overnight. But it has to start somewhere. Maybe to start out with, you can set aside 10 - 15 minutes per day to read a chapter or two and pray. Maybe it needs to start even smaller than that, but start something.
If you already have a habit, consider whether you can increase what you’re already doing to go even deeper in your relationship with God.
Where should I start reading?
The Bible can be a pretty overwhelming book, especially if you haven’t already read through it.
Genesis, right at the beginning, is a good place to start. Read it a chapter at a time or even a book at a time. It’s not a race or competition!
Psalms and Proverbs are other good places to start. Proverbs has 31 chapters, so some people like to go there and read the chapter that corresponds with the day of the month.
Or if you’d like to start in the NT, any of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, are a good place to start.
What if I can’t read or have trouble reading?
Reading may be difficult for some of you. Maybe you just don’t like reading or you find it difficult or you struggle to retain much of anything. Don’t give up hope!
It is likely that most of the original audience of the Bible did not know how to read. They could not read it for themselves, but they could listen to someone else read it. If it’s hard for you to read, find an audio Bible to listen to, and listen through the Bible.
When should I read?
Many biblical texts speak of starting the day with God - a morning devotional time. But the time and place that we commune with God is not commanded. What works best for your schedule? When do you have an uninterrupted time to focus on fellowship with God? Maybe it’s in the morning, maybe it’s at lunchtime, maybe in the afternoon or evening, or all of the above. But whatever you choose, let it be some of your best time, and not just the leftovers.
How much of the Bible should I read?
Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16 that all Scripture is inspired or breathed out by God and it is useful for our growth in relationship to God. And of course when Paul writes this, he has in mind primarily the OT since the NT wasn’t complete yet. The whole Bible is inspired and all of it is useful in helping us get to know God and grow in our love and obedience toward Him.
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
What translation should I use?
There are many different translations of the Bible into English available to us. Each translation is slightly different and each has its strengths and weaknesses.
One thing I would encourage you with is this: don’t limit yourself to only one translation. Maybe you’ve always used one translation your whole life, but I would strongly encourage you to consider trying to read through the Bible in more than one translation.
I have read or listened through the Bible in about a dozen different translations, and some of them I’ve liked more than others, but each of them has been helpful in seeing and understanding new things.
Word-for-word translations: KJV, NKJV, NASB, ESV, NRSV
This is what is referred to as formal equivalence - seeking to stay as close to the original word order and literal meaning.
These are helpful for deeper Bible studies.
Thought-for-thought translations: NIV, NLT
This is referred to as dynamic equivalence - seeking to convey the meaning of the text and make it as readable and understandable as possible.
These are helpful for reading and listening.
Somewhere between word-for-word and thought-for-thought: BSB, CSB*
This has been called optimal equivalence: trying to strike the perfect balance between formal and dynamic equivalence. I can heartily recommend the BSB, and I’m hoping to read the CSB next year.
These are helpful for both reading and listening as well as deeper study.
All of that to say this: it is good and helpful to use more than one translation.
What if I don’t have time to read?
Thinking especially of mothers of young children, but this could apply to others as well.
For most of us, it’s a matter of priority. There are things that we can give up or cut out of our lives to make time for fellowship with God.
But I think especially of stay at home moms with little kids. It’s extremely hard to find an uninterrupted time to focus on Scripture reading and prayer. What can you do to cultivate a relationship with God in the midst of the chaos and busyness of raising little children?
Find a verse or two that you can write out when you have a couple of minutes, and place that in a strategic place where you’ll see it regularly and be reminded of its truths - whether that’s by the kitchen sink, bathroom sink, your child’s bedroom, the coffee table, or wherever.
What’s more, over time, you can fill your home with Scripture. Full verses or phrases - whether it’s printing out a page, making your own artwork, or buying something at Hobby Lobby. You can fill your home with God’s Word, so that wherever you are and whichever kid you’re chasing around, you’re surrounded by Scripture.
Your prayers also may be short and sweet like Nehemiah’s, and that’s ok.
You can do something to grow in your relationship with God. It might not be big, it might not be as much as you want or as much as you feel like you should be able to do, but there are small things that we all can do to cultivate a deeper relationship with God.
Application: (bowed heads)
What are you doing with God’s Word?
What has God showed you this morning that needs to change in your life?
How do you need to make God’s Word and prayer more of a priority in your personal or family life?
Take time to consider how God wants you to grow in your relationship with Him for the benefit of the body.
