The God of the Living

Introduction:

People come up with some really crazy questions to try to prove that God doesn’t exist. Sometimes, children may ask some of these questions and really want to know the answer, like, “Why is the sky blue?” or, “Why are trees green?”

But others will ask questions like these:

Can God make a burrito that is too hot for Him to eat?

Does God get bored in heaven?

Does God know what it’s like to forget something?

If God is everywhere, is He in my fridge?

Can God make a rock He cannot lift?

Can God fit a round peg in a square hole? ( I was just checking to make sure you were paying attention!)

Some of these questions might be real questions, but many of them are logically impossible and are attempts to try to disprove God.

Well, this morning, we are going to look at another one of the barrages of questions that was levied at Jesus to try to trip Him up. This time the questions came from an unlikely source.

Matthew 22:23–33 ESV

23 The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.” 29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

Pray

Background:

Several groups are coming to test Jesus with questions

The interesting thing is the Jesus is not afraid of questions, even from His enemies

The God of the Bible and the Scriptures themself can hold up to the probing questions of the skeptic

Jesus always had just the right answer to give to get to the core of the problem the person had and to really answer their questions

Sadduccees

Caiaphas the High Priest was a member of this party

These were the liberals

Didn’t accept but only the first 5 books of the Bible

Didn’t accept the teaching of the resurrection, angels, demons, etc.

They present what they perceive to be a dilemma for those who believe in a resurrection.

Their story is an unlikely one

It is based on the principle of Levirate marriage from Deut. 25:5-10

Purpose was to provide for the widow and orphans and ensure that the land didn’t get lost due to a tragedy

Ruth and Boaz is the most famous example

Mormons have a form of this where if you are married in their temple in Salt Lake City you can have your wife or wives in heaven and populate your own planet one day. (They keep that on the hush hush though)

The Sadducees believe that they have proven that Jesus is wrong about the resurrection and that he can’t escape this one

They erroneously believed that if their was going to be an afterlife, then it must be like this life and just a continuation of things.

Some groups that oppose Christianity will mischaracterize the teachings of Jesus to do this same thing

For all of the men to be married to the woman in heaven would create an adulterous relationship

1. Do you know the Scriptures? (v.29)

Matthew 22:29 ESV

29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.

Jesus basically tells them that they need to go back and read their Bible

There are perhaps some of you here today that “do err” as the KJV puts it, “not knowing the Scriptures.”

This is exactly why we must read the Bible regularly to know what God has taught us.

Jesus is going to quote from only the first 5 books of the Bible that they accepted to help them see that they are wrong.

False religions sometimes accept books of the Bible or the whole Bible as true

Story of witnessing to a Muslim co-worker and using the 10 commandments and Moses since he acknowledged that these were true

They also did not know the power of God.

If God can make it, and we can break it, God can fix it again as well.

All of creation is waiting for the power of God to be revealed in the consummation of all things.

2. Do you know what Heaven will be like? (vv. 29-30)

Matthew 22:29–30 ESV

29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

No marriage in heaven, though we will know relatives

No sorrow - God may wipe our memory of those who are lost or more likely we will see the holiness of God and know that He is just without being sad. Remember that we will be glorified.

No need for sexual relations because we are not going to be populating heaven with spirit babies or populating a new planet like the Mormons try to teach

Like the angels - refers to the marital state of angels not that we will be angels in heaven

“like” is a key word here

3. Do you know the God of the Living? (vv.31-32)

Matthew 22:31–32 ESV

31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”

Jesus quotes from Exodus and an encounter Moses had with God

He accommodates them

God does not say that He was the God of the Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but He says that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

They still exist with God

Jesus also taught in other passages about heaven like in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus