Living With a Jesus World View Part 4

INTRO: Unless you have been to the other side. the verdict is still out on life after death, but people have a lot of thoughts on it.

“I would love to believe that when I die I will live again, that some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue. But as much as I want to believe that, and despite the ancient and worldwide cultural traditions that assert an afterlife, I know of nothing to suggest that it is more than wishful thinking.”

― Carl Sagan, Billions & Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium

“In sorrow we must go, but not in despair. Behold! we are not bound for ever to the circles of the world, and beyond them is more than memory.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien (Hobbit, Lord of the Rings)

“The soul takes nothing with her to the next world but her education and her culture. At the beginning of the journey to the next world, one's education and culture can either provide the greatest assistance, or else act as the greatest burden, to the person who has just died.”

― Plato, The Republic of Plato

Life After Death Luke 20:27-44 Part 1

A. Question about the Resurrection v.27-33

1. Who are these Sadducees?

NOTE: They were a religious school of Jewish thought during this time. They saw scripture as the authority but denied life after death and fate.

NOTE: Matthew 22:23, Luke 20:27, (who say there is no resurrection) Acts 23:8 “For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, or angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.”

2. The question about marriage wan’t about marriage.

ILLUST: Deuteronomy 25:5-6 “When brothers live together and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the deceased shall not be married outside the family to a strange man. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her to himself as wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. It shall be that the firstborn whom she bears shall assume the name of his dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.”

ILLUST: Matthew 22:29 “You are mistaken , not understanding the scriptures nor the power of God.”

NOTE: The Question about Marriage was possibly to show the inconsistency with life after death and the fulfilling of God’s law. That to go on living was impossible to solve the problem of multiple marriages. But, as we will look at more closely next week, in the resurrection we are immortal and lineage or carrying the name of a dead brother is not even an issue.

3. The Resurrection is more than existence in the Afterlife.

ILLUST: Dr. Gary Schwartz professor of psychology, medicine, neurology, Psychiatry and Surgery and Director of the Laboratory for Advances in Consciousness and Health at The University of Arizona began work in 2008 on the “Sophia Project”. He interviewed mediums to contact “post material” beings. Well His research has lead him to begin “Soul Phone Foundation” where with the help of mediums, researchers, new technology, and post material people, to create the opportunity for people through texting, holograms, to talk with deceased loved ones.

ILLUST: Just Published in 2020 “The Immortality Key” by Brian Muraresku is a 10 year research project of ancient artifacts, pottery, through chemical analysis. He focuses on a mystery city known as “Eleusis: the spiritual capital of the ancient world. It promised immortality to Plato and the rest of Athens's greatest minds with a very simple formula: drink this potion, see God” Through his research Brian tries to connect the use of Psychidelic potions to Jesus and the early Christians. The motivation for his research appears to be his desire to prove Psychadelics help us see the non material realms and they should be legalized for the use of therapies for anxieties, fears, etc.

ILLUST: The Quran teaches that there is an after life and resurrection of the dead is the “day of Meeting or the day of gathering together.” Hindus teach reincarnation and Buddhists about dissolving into this energy force of life.

THE BIBLE: The Resurrection is more than existence in the afterlife.

a. 1 Samuel 28:8, 11-12,14,16-19 King Saul seeks out a medium to call up Samuel from the dead to get help on whether he should go to battle.

b. 2 Samuel 12:21-23 David has just lost his son because of His sin and when questioned by his servants as to why he is no longer fasting or praying he says “Can I bring him back? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”

c. Matthew 17:1-7 Jesus is transfigured before Peter James and John and Jesus is talking with Moses and Elijah.

d. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

“Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”

CLOSE: The Resurrection solves the problem of death which is a result of sin.

So from now until Easter we are going to explore Life after death. Specifically the need for “Resurrection”

Even if you can prove there is life after death its useless if you do not know how to obtain to the resurrection. Jesus was not answering whether we will exist in the afterlife, but who will be resurrected to what He calls “Eternal life”.

“You do not know the scriptures or the power of God!” The Resurrection was not a plan to carrying on lineage here on earth or in the afterlife, it was to break the curse of sin and death all together. And Jesus Alone is the Power of God to do that.

B. People can't die in the Resurrection v. 34-38

1. V.36a “Like angels” refers to them not dying. not that they would be “asexual” or that they would no longer be recognized as a certain sex, male or female.

NOTE: Our sexuality is part of our humanity it was how God created us.

2. V.36b “Sons of God being sons of the resurrection.” refers to the eternal state of a spirit being. Genesis 6:2, Job 1:6, 2:1, 38:7, refer to spirit, angelic beings as “sons of God”.

C. Jesus is the Resurrection for He is Eternal v. 39-44