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Precious Lord God – as we come together today to hear from You, this is what we wish. We pray that You would teach us of your Scriptures. We pray that Your Spirit will touch our hearts and illuminate our conscience. We pray that all external distractions be pushed away, and that we would find the “best part” at Your feet as Mary of Bethany did. We wish to know the Scriptures so that we can know the power of God. In the Name of Your Beloved Son Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Matthew 22:23-25 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, 24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 25 Now there were with us seven brethren … 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

Our text begins with “The same day”.

Let us examine this day.
What happened to Jesus this day?

The Bible tells us that the day before this day our Lord Jesus “went into the Temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the Temple..” (Matthew 21:12). When Jesus did this He emphasized the reason that God’s people should come together. He said:

Matthew 21:13 (KJV) … It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Jesus quoted Scripture from Isaiah 56:7 where the Lord said:

“My House shall be called a House of Prayer for ALL PEOPLE”

God wants to hear from all people.
He wants to talk to everyone.
He gave His Son for whosoever will.

The Temple authorities had allowed the services of God’s House to degrade into a place where communion with God was diminished, but tradition was exalted. When we come together as God’s Church we come together to hear a Word from our God. The Children of the King come together to grow in their relationship with God. The Children of this world come together with us to hear of the God we serve. My prayer is that the Children of this world in gathering with us will hear the wondrous call of salvation and run to the embrace of Christ! It is in His loving arms that God will take you, and like Enoch of old take your souls and …

Deliver you from the power of darkness and
translate you into the Kingdom of His dear Son!
(Colossians 1:13)

Jesus removed the hindrance to communion with God. Oh that He would even now cast out anything in this Temple that is hindering the Gospel and the conversion of the lost. God wants ALL PEOPLE to be saved. God wants ALL PEOPLE to come to Him and know His power.

We Hinder The Power Of God When We Will Not Hear

“The same day came to Him the Sadducees”. God would save anyone. God would save everyone. But God will not force any to the Throne of Grace. What happened on “this same day” in the life of Jesus? Before the Sadducees came to Jesus:

“…the Chief Priests and the Elders of the people came unto Him as He was teaching, and said By what authority does Thou these things? And Who gave Thee this authority?” (Matthew 21:23)

They would not hear Jesus because He was not endorsed by a famous person or a well known Rabbi. But Jesus had something else. Jesus knew the Scripture. The Chief Priests and Elders knew portions of the Scripture. They knew things out of context. But they did not know the Scripture. Jesus told them:

Matthew 21:42 … Did you never read in the Scriptures, the Stone which the builders rejected, the Same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?

The Chief Priests and the Elders were the “builders of the Temple”. They were the pillars of the Temple Community. But they never knew the Scripture. They had memorized Scripture. They had read Scripture. But they had never known the Author of the Scripture. God is the Author of the Scripture.

2 Peter 1:20-21 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Those who were set apart by God to write Scripture wrote as God the Holy Spirit moved them. You cannot take what God has given and use it according to your whims. Scripture matters. Scripture Jesus is the Living Word of God, and He spoke with authority because He spoke the Word of God. He knew its Author. The Chief Priests and Elders did not know the Author of Scripture. They did not know God. This is why Jesus told them “the Kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof”.

It is not your title or your position that brings you to God.
The Chief Priests and Elders were satisfied in themselves.
They did not know the Writer of Scripture,
and so did not know the Power of God.

“The same day came to Him the Sadducees”. God would save anyone. God would save everyone. But God will not force any to the Throne of Grace. What happened on “this same day” in the life of Jesus? Before the Sadducees came to Jesus:

Matthew 22:15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle Him in His talk.

The word “His” is added by the King James translators. The Pharisees – which could be compared to the Right Wing of the Church and of the Nation – were very conservative people. They read the Bible. They and their cohorts the Scribes knew and memorized great sections of Scripture. They came to Jesus to attempt to entangle Him in talk. The Pharisees ….

Matthew 22:16-17 … sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. 17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?

The Pharisees were – according to Jesus – HYPOCRITES. He called them this because they had no respect for Jesus nor for the Word of God. And yet OUTWARDLY they showed Jesus respect. They called Him MASTER or the Greek διδάσκαλος didáskalos, (pronounced did-as’-kal-os) which means A Master Teacher, someone who holds a Doctorate or Rabbinical Status.

Just as the Venus Fly Trap offers pretty colors and sweet nectar to kill its victim, these Pharisees and Herodians (Supporters of Herod) put the sweet flattery out there. As the Psalmist said (12:2-3) “With flattering lips and with a double heart they speak”. Jesus knew they were hypocrites, and called them on it.

Matthew 22:18-21 … Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? 19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. 20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? 21 They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.

Flattering Jesus will not bring blessing to your life.
You need to hear the Word of God.
You need to heed His Word … He is the Author.

“The same day came to Him the Sadducees”. God would save anyone. God would save everyone. But God will not force any to the Throne of Grace. The Chief Priests and the Elders came to Jesus, but rejected His Word. The Pharisees and the Herodians came to Jesus, but rejected His Word. Now the Sadducees come to Him. They do not want to hear His Word, but test Him.

The Sadducees were different in their approach. They quoted Scripture. But in the quoting they twisted the Scripture so as to suit it to what they believed.

Matthew 22:24-28 … Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 25 Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: 26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. 27 And last of all the woman died also. 28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.

This is what many in the world do today.
The children of Adam take the Scripture;
Do violence to its text;
Twist it to conform to their Word.

It is God’s Word. In the Law God established a rule for Israel:

Deuteronomy 25:5 If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband’s brother unto her.

Why did God give Israel this command? Because each family in Israel was valuable. God wanted no family to die out. So the brother was responsible to his brother to insure that his blood line continue. That was God’s ruling. The Sadducees came to Jesus with a ridiculous proposition. What if seven brothers lived together, and one died and the second brother married his widow, then number two died, and number three married his widow, etc, etc, until all seven brothers married that widow and then the widow died.

Then they asked the key question,
the question they thought would trip Jesus up.
In Heaven WHO will the husband of this poor woman?

You Cannot Know The Power Of God If
You Do Not Know The Author Of Scripture

Matthew 22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

The Sadducees thought they “knew” the Scriptures, but they didn’t. Knowing the Scripture does not mean to just be able to quote portions out of context. The word for “knowing” that Jesus uses is the Greek εἴδω eídō, (pronounced i’-do) which means:

To perceive so as to understand
To fundamentally understand
To experience and therefore know

This word is used of the Wise Men who came to see the Baby Jesus:

Matthew 2:2 … Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen (eídō) His star in the east, and are come to worship Him.

The Wise Men did not just SEE with their eyes the star of Bethlehem. They PERCEIVED it’s significance because they knew the Star’s Creator. When the Wise Men came into the home where Jesus was the Scripture tells us:

Matthew 2:11 … they saw (eídō) the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

When the Wise Men saw Jesus they did not just SEE with their eyes. They PERCEIVED the significance of this Child because they knew the Child’s Creator.

The Sadducees could not SEE or PERCEIVE the Scripture because they did not know the Creator of Scripture. Why didn’t they know Him?

They were spiritually dead.
Oh, they were animate. They walked and talked.
But they were cut off from God by unbelief.
The Chief Priests were spiritually dead.
The Elders of Israel were spiritually dead.

The Herodians were spiritually dead.

The Pharisees were spiritually dead.

The Sadducees were spiritually dead.

All are spiritually dead who are not known of God. The spiritually dead are those who will not look with they eyes of faith. The Apostle says:

1 Corinthians 2:9-14 .. as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The NATURAL MAN cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God. The lost person cannot process the truths of God. The person bound to sin and self, continually chasing after the things of this life, will not hear the Word of God. The Evangelical Church in America has done violence to the Church itself. We have many times befriended the world. Rather than stand on the truths of God’s Word and holding fast to the Gospel we have compromised. We have tried to be appealing to the …

Chief Priests
Elders
Pharisees
Herodians
Sadducees

yet the natural man cannot receive the things of God. The lost must be told of the Messiah. The lost must learn the Word of God that applies to them, the Gospel that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The lost must be taught that we are all dead in trespasses and sins until we turn to Jesus. It is God that opens the eyes. It is God that gives the perception of Scripture. The lost …

… do err (planao, lead away from the truth) not knowing (eídō, perceiving) the Scriptures, nor the power (dunamis, dynamic power) of God …

The lost must have Christ. They must not debate Christ, nor judge Christ. They must come to Christ. If they would come to Christ then they would experience the power and eye opening majesty of His glorious Gospel. They would understand what we speak of when we say with the Apostle:

Ephesians 2:5-6 … Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

The Christian was DEAD. Like the Sadducee that person without Christ – debating Christ – rejecting Christ was DEAD. A corpse can perceive nothing. The dead can perceive nothing. We are told in Ecclesiastes 9:5 “the dead know nothing”. The Chief Priest, Elder, Pharisee, Herodian, Sadducee – they know NOTHING. We knew nothing until we knew Jesus.

Those who know the Creator of Scripture know the Scripture. Those who seek to love God will know of God. God sent us all that we need to know of Him in His Word. He sent us all that we need to know of God in His Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jesus came to raise the dead.
Jesus came to raise the dead.
Jesus came to raise the dead to spiritual life.
Jesus came to raise the spiritual to eternal life.

Jesus told these Sadducees – these spiritually dead people:

Matthew 22:31-32 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

God Is Not The God Of The Dead
He Is Not Your God If You Are Dead In Sins

Jesus explained eternal life and spiritual life in a very simple way. God came to Abraham and spoke to Abraham – and Abraham loved God. Abraham had a son named Isaac when he was a hundred years old. Abraham lived to the ripe old age of 175 years old. After Abraham left this life Isaac went to a place called Beersheba. While at Beersheba the Bible tells us:

Genesis 26:24 … the Lord appeared unto {Isaac} the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.

If Abraham had ceased to exist then God would not have said I AM the God of Abraham thy father. He would have said I WAS the God of Abraham your father. But Abraham yet lived. And when Isaac had a child named Jacob, and Jacob grew up, God appeared to Jacob and said:

Genesis 28:13 … I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

Abraham had been dead for some time when God appeared to Jacob. Yet the Lord says I AM the Lord God of Abraham who was actually Jacob’s grandfather. Not I WAS, but I AM. Our God is not the God of the DEAD, but of the LIVING. God’s Word to whosoever will cease to debate Him and just hear Him is very clear. Jesus said:

John 11:25-26 … I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

There is life beyond this life. There is life IN this life. Jesus Christ came to this earth to bring us from spiritual death to spiritual life. Jesus Christ came to this earth to give us life, and life more abundantly (John 10:10). Jesus promised whosoever believeth in Me shall never die. Here our Lord used a DOUBLE NEGATIVE for emphasis. Ἀποθνῄσκω οὐ μή εἰς αἰών ἀποθνῄσκω (apothnēskō ou mē eis aiōn apothnēskō) which is literally “shall not die forever”. There is life in Christ. Oh Beloved, do not debate Him. Do not reject Him. The Scripture promises:

Romans 10:9-10 … if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Oh believe! Oh believe! Do not go the broad way of the Chief Priests, the Elders, the Herodians, the Pharisees, the Sadducees. Go the way of Christ. May God the Holy Spirit open your eyes to this great and wondrous Gospel! It is in Your hands, O Lord, in Your hands!