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Matthew 22:23-33Town North Presbyterian Church – Rev. David J. RogersMay 30, 2021Here at Town North our mission is to “make disciples of Jesus Christ.”That means we help people follow Jesus.To follow Jesus means He takes away your sins – and brings you back into right relationship with God and into His family. You belong to Jesus and FOLLOW Him in such a way that you begin to LOOK like Him in the way you conduct yourself.In what ways do disciples of Jesus begin to look like Him?A few chapters earlier in this Gospel Jesus explained what His followers are to look like.He told his followers things like this:“Blessed are you when others revile you, and persecute you, and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”In other words, “rejoice and be glad” when you are hated and falsely accused by people simply because you are a follower of Jesus.And Jesus said…“Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, give to him your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.”And…“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.For if you love those who love you what reward do you have? Do not even tax collectors do the same?”In other words, DON’T take revenge into your own hands – but give MORE when people demand things of you – and LOVE enemies who hate you and persecute you.HOW can we POSSIBLY do this as followers of Jesus?HOW can we “rejoice and be glad” when we are hated and falsely accused?HOW can we ALLOW people to take advantage of us – and suffer LOSS – yet NOT take REVENGE?HOW can we LOVE enemies?HOW can we POSSIBLY do this as followers of Jesus?The answer is in our text this morning.And it is all tied to RESURRECTION from the dead.Resurrection of the dead is the topic of these verses because of the question asked by Israel’s leaders.In these verses we read the SECOND question asked of Jesus by the leaders of Israel.It was yet another attempt to entangle Jesus in a trap.The leaders who asked this question were the highest leaders of Israel of the day.They were a group called the Sadducees. You could say they were upper-class religious leaders of Israel. They held most of the highest positions in Israel.And the question they posed to Jesus was based on a doctrine they taught.We are told of this doctrine in verse 23.“The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question…”We are told that the Sadducees said “…there is no resurrection.”In other words, they taught that when a person dies – it is the END.The soul dies with the body. When a person dies, that person simply ceases to exist.There are many people who believe this today.They believe the only sphere in which human life exists is in the “here and now.”They believe that when you die – it is the END. There is nothing else. You simply cease to exist. Just as you ceased to exist before you were born – you also cease to exist after you DIE.So that was what these Sadducees believed.They believed “…there is no resurrection.”But these Sadducees also KNEW Jesus taught the OPPOSITE.Jesus taught that THERE IS resurrection from the dead.In other words, death is NOT the END of a person’s existence.Jesus taught clearly that there SURELY IS RESURRECTION from the dead.We read in another Gospel account (John 5) that Jesus taught ALL human beings will be raised from the dead – some to the “resurrection of life” – and some to the “resurrection of judgment”And we also read in John’s Gospel that only a few days before the Sadducees asked this question – Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead – and told Martha (John 11:25):“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live…”The Sadducees knew all of this – so they intended to entangle Jesus by taking his position on the resurrection to its logical conclusion – and show how foolish it was.They presented an absurd scenario – to back Jesus into a corner to admit that the resurrection was nonsense.We read that absurd scenario and their question in verses 24-28.“…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.”And notice you could say Jesus gave them the “short answer” in verse 29:“But Jesus answered them, ‘You are wrong…’”In Mark’s Gospel Jesus says: “You are quite wrong.” – or it could be “very wrong.”In other words, Jesus could not have spoken anymore plainly or directly.Jesus said they were simply WRONG about the resurrection of the dead.Jesus is telling us clearly here that physical DEATH is NOT the end for us as humans.Jesus is telling us that there is LIFE beyond the grave.That is the opposite of our experience as human beings – but it is something Jesus Christ confronts us with in His teaching.I say it is the “opposite of our experience” – because we DO NOT see life after death in our experience. When your grandfather, or father, or uncle, or husband dies – in YOUR EXPERIENCE he is GONE! He ceases to exist. You can’t get him back.That is true for all of our experience in this world.People who lived 100 years ago – or 500 years ago – or 1000 years ago cease to exist from what we see.So if we only went by our experience – we would say: “Jesus, YOU are wrong.”I have NEVER SEEN a person DEAD and BURIED come back to life! It just doesn’t happen. In my experience, when people die they CEASE to exist.We would have to be so bold as to say to Jesus: “You are QUITE WRONG.”But Jesus does not give us an inch.Jesus confronts all those who say THIS LIFE is all there is by simply saying:“You are WRONG.”There IS a resurrection from the dead. It WILL happen![I don’t want to go too far afield on this topic – but let me just say one thing before I move on to the main point.Hopefully you recognize there is a LOT riding on this question for EVERY one of us!The question of whether there is LIFE beyond the grave is an important question – with serious consequences.I believe many people who consider suicide don’t really take this into account.There are many people who consider suicide – because they are seeking RELIEF from the pressing and distressing problems in life.They believe killing themselves will simply “end it all.”As a matter of fact, this is sometimes what people say who contemplate suicide:“I want to END it all!”That statement is based on the belief of the Sadducees.That thought DEATH was the END. If you commit suicide you “END it all.”But Jesus tells us here that you DON’T “END it all”!You CAN’T “END it all”! It’s impossible!You WILL live again.That should be a HORRIFYING truth for someone who rejects God – or DENIES God – and thinks he will be rid of the whole problem when he dies.Jesus is simply telling us: “You CAN’T simply ‘quit’ living. You CAN’T simply get away from dealing with God – no matter what you do!”Jesus says it doesn’t work that way.God created you as a human being. God gave you LIFE. And that LIFE can now never be extinguished! It can never “END” – even with your physical DEATH!As I said, I don’t want to go too far afield with that.It is NOT the main point of our text. But it is something you need to consider if you are a person that believes you will simply “cease to exist” when you die.Jesus is telling you here in very clear terms: “You are WRONG.”So you either need to re-think your position – or say to Jesus:“No, YOU are wrong!”And it is very bold and pretentious to tell Jesus Christ: “YOU are wrong!”]But back to the main point…The main point is HOW we – as followers of Jesus – can possibly DO what Jesus tells us we must do as His followers.And – as I mentioned – the answer is all tied to RESURRECTION from the dead.Remember that Jesus clearly tells us there WILL be a resurrection of the dead.So…Since there is a resurrection from the dead, followers of Jesus are willing to SUFFER LOSS in this life.WHY are we willing to suffer LOSS?Because of the resurrection.Jesus tells us TWO things about the resurrection which should make us WILLING to suffer LOSS as His followers.FIRST, we will be like ANGELS.SECOND, we will be like our ANCESTORS.What does Jesus tell us about the resurrection – and what is true for His followers?MP1: Jesus says we will be like ANGELS (30)FIRST, Jesus says we will be like ANGELS.Jesus told them this in verses 29-30.“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.”Notice Jesus tells us that at the resurrection His people will be “…like angels in heaven.”What does Jesus mean by that?Does Jesus mean that we will all BECOME ANGELS?NO!Notice Jesus DOES NOT say we will “…BE angels in heaven.”Jesus says that in the resurrection we will “…BE LIKE angels in heaven.”Jesus does not appear to be saying we will be “LIKE angels” in EVERY way – but in ONE SPECIFIC WAY here.Notice Jesus is referring to a specific WAY that His people will be “like angels” – that is related to the question posed by the Sadducees. They asked about MARRIAGE after the resurrection.And we see Jesus responded here by saying people who are resurrected WILL NOT MARRY or be given in MARRIAGE – but will “…be like the angels in heaven.”In other words, the angels in heaven are not MARRIED.And so, in the same way, resurrected people will not be MARRIED.In this account in the Gospel of Luke Jesus stated the comparison even more clearly.Luke gave us a little more detail of what Jesus said (Luke 20:36):“…neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels…”Notice Jesus said that after the resurrection we will NO LONGER DIE.We will be free from the weakness and sickness –and threat of death– in this present life.We will no longer die.And that’s one of the reasons for marriage, isn’t it?One of the purposes for marriage is to have children.It is surely NOT the ONLY reason for marriage – but surely one reason that God made EVE as a helper suitable for ADAM. God created human beings to be SOCIAL beings.It was NOT GOOD for man to be ALONE – so God created WOMAN – so that MAN and WOMAN could be united together and produce CHILDREN.And it was in this way that the world became populated – and still does today.If men and women ceased to have children – the earth’s population would all DIE OUT in 150 years!But Jesus tells us at the RESURRECTION that will not be the case.In the NEW WORLD there will be NO MORE death.Those who belong to Jesus in the new world will NEVER to die again!There will be NO NEED to re-populate the earth – because there will be no more death!So what Jesus was telling them was that people in the new world will NEVER DIE.Life in the world to come is ETERNAL!The LIFE of the world to come will have none of our WEAKNESS, SICKNESS, CANCER, PANDEMIC, or DEATH!App: So Jesus is teaching us the LIFE of the WORLD to COME which HE came to give – has NO MORE DEATH!Life in THIS WORLD is marked by PAIN and DEATH.But the LIFE of the world to come which He gives is marked by PEACE and LIFE.So Jesus tells His people the life of the WORLD to COME to come is BETTER for HIS PEOPLE than LIFE in this WORLD.If you have life to come which is BETTER – why should we be afraid of SUFFERING LOSS in this world for the sake of Jesus and His Kingdom?Illus: The Christian ministry Voice of the Martyrs puts out a monthly magazine – and I was struck by the most recent editorial.The editorial said this:“God sends some of His most faithful servants to their deaths, and He has every right to do so. Our merciful and loving Savior is also our sovereign Lord, and He calls us to be His witnesses at any cost.”Think about this.WHY would God be willing to send His most faithful servants to DEATH?The answer is simple.It’s because their DEATH in this world is NOT THE END!Their DEATH DOES NOT – and CANNOT – extinguish God’s great SAVING work. The servant of God who is KILLED by enemies or persecutors is NOT ultimately harmed!A human enemy or persecutor CANNOT ultimately DESTROY or HARM God’s servants!As Jesus told us (Luke 12):“Do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.”Persecutors may kill the BODY – but they CANNOT kill the soul or God’s saving work.And they CANNOT EXTINGUISH or THWART God’s great SAVING work!Even the worst human tormentor – or persecutor – CANNOT have ANY EFFECT on a Christian beyond the grave.That’s why GOD is willing to allow His servants to go through terrible suffering – and even DEATH in this world. GOD is willing to do this for His purposes – because He knows these things WILL NOT ultimately HARM His servants.God has promised His servants a BETTER LIFE.There is a BETTER LIFE is in the world to come!We are willing to suffer LOSS – even of our lives as followers of Jesus – because we cannot ultimately LOSE our lives. We WILL have our lives FOREVER. That is God’s promise in Jesus Christ – who is the resurrection.So FIRST, Jesus says we will be like the ANGELS.MP2: Jesus says we will be like our ANCESTORS. (31-32)SECOND, Jesus says we will be like our ANCESTORS.We will be like our ANCESTORS – meaning our ANCESTORS in the FAITH.Notice what Jesus said about the resurrection in verses 31-32.“And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘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.”We see here that Jesus chose a passage from the Scriptures these Sadducees would have recognized – and agreed was God’s Word. The Sadducees accepted the first 5 books of the Law of Moses – which were Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy.This quote Jesus referred to was in the book of Exodus – chapter 3.It was the incident that many of you may recognize – when God spoke to the man named Moses. Moses was a descendant of Abraham (he was an Israelite).One day while Moses was out keeping the flock – he saw a strange sight.Moses saw a flame of fire coming out of a bush – but the bush was not burned up!Moses went over to the bush and God said to Moses:“Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”What point was Jesus making about the resurrection from the dead with this obscure text?(I’m sure not many of us would not think this text in Exodus 3 was a good “proof” for the resurrection of the dead. But Jesus surely believed it was sufficient!)The first thing to remember is the TIMING of things.When God spoke to Moses at the burning bush – Abraham has already been dead for over 600 years!By using this text Jesus appears to be making the point that God’s relationship with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was based on an ETERNAL promise God made with them. That promise (or covenant) God made with them was NOT a promise that DIED when they died!The relationship God entered into with Abraham was an ETERNAL relationship.It was NOT a relationship that was cancelled by DEATH!All we must do is read the New Testament book of Hebrews – chapter 11 – to see this.“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance…[But Abraham and Isaac and Jacob] all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”You see, God’s PROMISE to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was an ETERNAL promise. It was NOT a promise that would be FULFILLED in their lives in THIS WORLD – and they KNEW IT!They were looking FORWARD to God’s ETERNAL PROMISE.It was NOT simply a PROMISE that would DIE when THEY died!No! God was preparing for them an ETERNAL CITY.And they lived their lives in this world looking toward that ETERNAL CITY!They were LOOKING toward the resurrection of the dead!But HOW would that resurrection from the dead be accomplished?They didn’t know the details. There was no way that they could at the time.They only knew that God was promising them something BEYOND this world!But NOW – when Jesus Christ came into the world He made everything CLEAR!Jesus said “I AM the resurrection and the life!”In other words, HE is the GOD-MAN who would be the FIRST to RISE from the DEAD – and RAISE all of His people with Him!God tells us that Jesus was the FIRSTFRUIT of a whole HARVEST of people who would RISE from the DEAD to LIFE in the world to come!That is what was so EARTH shattering about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.He was the FIRST ONE RAISED from the DEAD to LIVE and NEVER die again!He PAID the full debt of SIN – so DEATH could NO LONGER hold Him!And in the same way – ALL those people who are UNITED to Jesus by FAITH – will ALSO be RAISED to LIFE one day! Their DEBT of SIN is paid – so DEATH will no longer hold them!It is in THIS WAY that WE (as followers of Jesus today) will be like our ANCESTORS!We will be LIKE our ANCESTORS Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – who BELIEVED God’s PROMISE!And that PROMISE to Abraham was FULFILLED in JESUS!App: It is because of THIS PROMISE that Christ’s people have been able to face incredible LOSS and PERSECUTION and even DEATH for the service of Jesus in this world.They trust JESUS who told them: “I AM the resurrection!”They trust JESUS who told them: “There WILL BE a resurrection from the dead!!”In the book of Hebrews we read that this is how the earliest followers of Jesus endured such great SUFFERING and LOSS in the world.In Hebrews 10 the writer reminded those Christians:“But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and…you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. 35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.”And the same is true for us – as disciples of Jesus – today!Jesus is telling us clearly here that THERE IS a resurrection from the dead.In the years ahead in the United States things may become increasingly difficult for us as followers of Jesus.How will we respond?How will we respond to SUFFERING and LOSS?Will we FIGHT?Will we return HATRED for HATRED?Will we HATE persecutors as persecutors HATE us?Or will we respond as our Lord Jesus taught us to respond? Will we have the STRENGTH to speak the good news of Jesus – even when we HATED?Illus: Many of you may have heard of Richard Wurmbrand.He was the Christian Pastor from Romania who was tortured by the Communists when they took over Romania.Wurmbrand once told this story about a Christian being beaten by the Communists.The Communist officer told the Christian man:“I am almighty, as you suppose your God to be. I can kill you!”The Christian boldly replied:“The power is all on my side. I can love you while you torture me to death.”Wurmbrand said such is God’s POWER in the souls of His people.They do not ask: “Why the SORROW?” – because they have learned to love the CROSS!They have learned to love the CROSS – ACCEPTING rejection and discomfort.Wurmbrand also said he has seen faithful Christian prisoners dancing for JOY!He said they recognize God’s MIGHT and patiently show LOVE toward their torturers. God’s LOVE will CONQUER.Then Wurmbrand said this:“And cannot God compensate in eternity for suffering endured here for a little while?”Conclusion: HOW can we be willing to SUFFER LOSS in this world as followers of Jesus?HOW can we “rejoice and be glad” when we are hated and falsely accused?HOW can we ALLOW people to take advantage of us – and suffer LOSS – yet NOT take REVENGE?HOW can we SUFFER – yet LOVE enemies?The answer is partly found in what Jesus tells us here.Jesus tells us there IS RESURRECTION from the dead.THIS LIFE is NOT the END ALL for you as a follower of Jesus.You belong to HIM – and He WILL raise you to new life one day.So TAKE HEART! HE has overcome the world!Let’s pray… ................
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