The Adversaries Of The King
Text: Matthew 22, 23
Focus on 22: 15-39
As we know Satan's followers will always try to discredit the Lord Jesus in His teaching. In our day the followers of Jesus Christ are treated the same way. The truth must be heard because everyone has the freedom to choose. If you have not ever heard the truth you will not choose. To not choose is still to be lost in a dyeing world.
Ever since the time of Daniel, God's clock had been ticking off the moments that would lead to the Cross on Calvary's mountain. Jesus still had to be dealt with until that time one way or another.
We all have to deal with Jesus in our lives because we all will face Him in our death!
When we study God's Word we know that after being saved we should become a walking living Bible ourselves. This does not mean we have to quote the entire Bible though we should know some of it by heart.
This does mean we need to be obedient to God's Word!
2Co 3:2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
2Co 3:3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
1.) The Bible is a book with a back, some call it a spine:
I should ask myself if I have some backbone about Jesus Christ and God's Word of truth?
2.) The Bible has many pages that are bound together. The Bible has a "binding".
I should ask myself, am I bound together with my brothers and sisters in Christ or is my life like a loose leaf notebook?
3.) The Bible has a purpose which is to teach us how to live a spiritual life.
I should ask myself, do I live a spiritual life?
4.) The Bible has in it many blessings.
I should ask myself am I a judge or am I a blessing to those I meet or do I always have a bad attitude?
5.) The Bible is a book of balance. Christ Jesus not only preached but He also fellowshipped.
I must ask myself do I have balance in my Christian life?
6.) The Bible is a book of biography. It is all about Jesus!
I must ask myself, do I promote the life of Christ in my life and not myself. Is God glorified in my life?
7.) The Bible is a book of benevolence. God cares about His people.
I must ask myself do I truly care about others enough to tell them how to avoid Hell? Do I have compassion on the lost of this world? Do I truly have concern for others?
As this Book takes us to the Cross we need to get our attitude straight and walk the talk of our Lord.
*****Our Text:
Mat 22:1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
Mat 22:2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
Mat 22:3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
Mat 22:4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
Mat 22:5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
Mat 22:6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
Mat 22:7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
Mat 22:8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
Mat 22:9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
Mat 22:10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
Mat 22:11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
Mat 22:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Mat 22:13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
First, just because those who divided the Bible into verses and chapters did so at this time does not mean some time had passed from the last parable. These evil men knew Jesus was speaking of them in these parables and he did not stop but continued. He continued in prophetic parables.
This first parable of chapter 22 will show us the contempt of Israel at God's feast. This parable can be broken down into three parts for they absolutely refused to come at the calling of God.
I.) The first "calling" to the marriage feast was given to the Jews by the prophets of the Old Testament. They foretold of the feast of of the exceeding great and precious promises, the peace, and the salvation of the Messiah.
2Pe 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
2Pe 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
The Jews refused to come!
God sent other servants in His chosen Apostles and even His own Son. These brought even a more urgent and explicit invitation. They "preached" a complete Gospel.
Act 4:1 And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,
Act 4:2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
Act 4:3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Act 13:45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
Act 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, [It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life], lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
The result of the preaching to the Jew is that they became more antagonistic to the point of violence.
The Apostles were bitterly persecuted unto death except for the Apostle John.
This parable tells us of a very graphic manner of punishment at the hands of an angry God.
Jerusalem was devastated in 70 AD.
II.) We now see the King "commanding" the slaves.
"The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy."
To the Jews that were present when Jesus told this parable it was apparent that Jesus would invite the Gentiles to His marriage feast.
This was a true prophecy of what would happen soon.
Act 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
Act 10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. Act 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
Act 10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
III.) Thirdly we see the "conditions" which must be met by the wedding guest.
All the wedding guest must be clothed in the wedding garment!
Rejection of the wedding garment showed a complete disregard and disloyalty toward the King who prepared this feast.
This wedding garment represents the Lord Jesus Christ!
Rom 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Rom 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Rom 13:14 [But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ], and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27 [For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ].
Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
The Kingdom of God demands not only a profession of faith but also a moral character.
Those that do not will be cast into the darkness away from the light of Jesus.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
1.) Jesus Christ showed in this parable that this nation had been prepared beforehand for the kingdom He was offering.
2.) They had been told this kingdom was near.
3.) They had refused to enter into His Kingdom.
4.) They were excluded from His Kingdom.
5.) Christ taught the requirements to enter in to His Kingdom.
All those that refused then could not be accepted because they had not prepared themselves.
Salvation takes an action on our part. Salvation is absolutely the free gift of God but to refuse the gift is to refuse the giver of the gift.
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
These parables taught all that listened that those that followed the teaching of the Pharisees were not sons of the Kingdom.
There is only one Gospel!
Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Gal 1:9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
"Many are called but few are chosen"
*****Our Text:
Our Theme for this chapter "The Adversaries of the King"
Mat 22:15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
Mat 22:16 And they 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.
Mat 22:17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
Mat 22:18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
Mat 22:19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
Mat 22:20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
Mat 22:21 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.
Mat 22:22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
After the parables the enemies of Christ Jesus joined forces to destroy Him. He had exposed their evil intentions using some parables and the written Word of God they had in their own possesion. They had not enjoyed being humiliated in front of those that came to the Temple. The only weapon these evil men had left was to convict Him of a crime against their religious teachings that required death or convict Him of being against the government of Rome or both.
There are three main groups involved here who at more normal times were enemies of each other.
1.) The Pharisees
2.) The Sadducees
3.) The Herodians
Before we get into this questioning we need to remember something about the Lamb of God. The enemies of Jesus did not realize they were fulfilling scripture because it was necessary for the Lamb to be examined for blemishes before He died.
Exo 12:3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
Exo 12:4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
Exo 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
Exo 12:6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
Jesus was to be examined publicly. We will see that He had no faults in Him!
When they should have believed they still rejected Him.
The "adversaries" of Christ approached courteously. They knew Christ did not speak to please people but Jesus taught the truth because He was the truth. They clearly ask, "Was it alright to pay taxes to a foreign government?"
The Pharisees opposed the Roman tax for many reasons:
1.) They would not submit to a Gentile power.
2.) The Romans looked at Caesar as a god.
3.) They would rather spend their money on anything than give it to Rome.
Many of us would have these same thoughts if we were in their shoes.
The Herodians on the other hand supported the tax. They knew that Herod's authority came from Caesar and they would not be in power without this relationship. We can also see that we have many that feel the same way that are running our governments.
Palestine was occupied and dominated by Rome at this time. Paying taxes to this cruel government just reminded them that were not free.
This is why this question was chosen to present to Christ Jesus.
It was believed by these two groups that Jesus could have no acceptable answer to this question and therefore it was a "trap".
a.) If Jesus opposed the tax, he would be an enemy of Rome
b.) If Jesus approved the tax He would be an enemy of the poor Jews.
Because of this deception these men were hypocrites.
There was a great multitude of people in Jerusalem at this time as we have already discussed in the last chapter and many here now at the Temple.
Christ Jesus did not miss opportunities like this to teach His doctrine very often.
Jesus asked for that coin.
Each ruler minted his own coins and put his own image on it. This coin a "denarius", [a
penny], had the image of Caesar on it.
Jesus said:
"Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's"
What do we learn from this answer?
1.) Christians must honor and obey rulers.
1Pe 2:13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
1Pe 2:14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
1Pe 2:15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
1Pe 2:16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
1Pe 2:17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
2.) As Christians we must honor and obey God!
Act 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
The Christian knows to worship God and Caesar was not God and no ruler should stop the Christian from the worship of Jehovah God.
3.) The Christian bears the image of God and owes all to God.
Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Though sin has distorted that image, it is restored through a righteous Lord Jesus Christ.
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Col 3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
We seem to forget that the writers of the Constitution of the United States of America had the time of Joseph and Daniel in mind when they wrote the the laws of religion in politics.
"It is right for the people of God to serve in government, but it is wrong for the government to try to control the Church of the living God."
The evil men of our country and some women too have twisted this around to change the intended meaning and we have allowed them to get away with it.
Needless to say:
"When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way"
*****Our Text:
Mat 22:23 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,
Mat 22:24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
Mat 22:25 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:
Mat 22:26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
Mat 22:27 And last of all the woman died also.
Mat 22:28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
Mat 22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
Mat 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
Mat 22:31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
Mat 22:32 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.
Mat 22:33 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.
The next attack came from the Sadducees.
History tells us that these super religious men relied only on the five books of Moses, The Pentateuch. They had no regard for the Prophets nor the oral laws designed by the Pharisees. They did not believe in angels, The Holy Spirit, nor in the resurrection of the body. They said these doctrine were without authority in the written law.
When these men presented their question to Jesus they referred to the writings of Moses:
Deu 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.
Deu 25:6 And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.
There was a purpose for this custom. The family inheritance was a major thing in Israel and it was important for each home to have an heir. The Book of Ruth is written proof of how important this was to them and there are many more places in the written Word of God.
These Sadducees also had a purpose. They wanted to discredit the doctrine of resurrection and therefore discredit the authority of Jesus as a teacher.
Christ had revealed the power. He had raised the dead more than one time. He had even promised men a resurrected life.
Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Jesus had even claimed to be the resurrection and the life!
Joh 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Joh 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
These men wanted to discredit all these teachings of Christ and they felt this was their opportunity before a large crowd. They intended to prove Jesus had no authority in their Temple.
Jesus had these words:
"Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God"
Jesus said to them that they were "ignorant".
Ignorant means: Destitute of knowledge; uninstructed or uninformed; untaught; unenlightened.
To err means: To miss the right way, in morals or religion; to deviate from the path or line of duty; to stray by design or mistake. To mistake; to commit error; [to do wrong from ignorance or inattention]. [Men err in judgment from ignorance], from want of attention to facts, or from previous bias of mind.
To all those that are reading this, there can be no clearer message from Jesus than this statement. We need to know the scriptures. Not just the laws of Moses as these. Not just the New Testament as some teach to the church but the entire Word of God that He has given us.
Again, I believe the King James Bible is that Word God has given to the English speaking people, rightly divided.
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2Ti 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
We can see here that though these men said they knew the Word Of God Jesus said that they were ignorant of it's truth.
Notice how Jesus quotes the Bible:
"I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob"
Notice how the Lord states the words "I Am". Jesus did not say "I Was".
"God is not the God of the dead, but of the living"
"I Am" can only be interpreted as these men, Abraham, Isaac, And Jacob are still alive as is everyone that puts their faith in The Lord God, The Living God. There is no doubt that the physical lives of these men were over at this time but Jesus said they were alive.
This can be said of every saint of God that has gone on before us. They are alive and well and in the arms of Jesus.
There will still be a resurrection of their bodies to join that living soul just as the Bible states!
1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
God's Word will hold to be true just as Jesus states to these Sadducees on this day before He is taken to be crucified.
Christ Jesus not only established to these men that there would indeed be a resurrection but He also gives us a view of life after that resurrection.
Marriage was a means for the earth to be replenished:
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
These words tell us that God knew that mankind would die a physical death.
There will be no need of marriage nor of replenishing in Heaven as there will be No Death.
We know that the Bible teaches that the angels have no sex as we know it and in the Bible they all have male names. Jesus says every one that is in Heaven will be as the angels in this sense.
Jesus Christ does NOT say everyone in Heaven will be an angel.
God created the angels when He created Heaven. None have died. God created man on a separate day, knowing there would be physical death.
God had everything in place by the end of the sixth day.
Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
The Bible goes on to say that creation was finished on that day:
Gen 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
These Sadducees had been refuted!
Jesus says there will be spiritual beings in the future life. The angels will be there but these are not the saints of God. The Lord also did not mean that there would be no personal recognition in Heaven, or spiritual relationships as he has already proven at the transfiguration. (Moses was still Moses and Elijah was still Elijah).
In Heaven we will be known as we were after salvation but much happier:
Rev 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
What was the response to these words of Jesus:
1.) The crowd was astonished at this teaching. They had never heard it taught this way.
Joh 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
2.) There were some that saw the light in these words of Jesus.
Luk 20:39 Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said.
Luk 20:40 And after that they durst not ask him any question at all.
3.) These Sadducees were silenced with no response.
*****Our Text:
Mat 22:34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
Mat 22:35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
Mat 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Christ Jesus had used the scriptures that the Sadducees had held so dear to rebuke them, the Law of Moses itself.
We have already studied that a lawyer would probably be a scribe who had gained influence because of his knowledge of the scriptures. This one was probably a Pharisee as well:
Mar 12:28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
Jesus had answered well to these that had no regard to the teaching of the Sadducee.
The Pharisee had coded the law into 248 commandments and 365 prohibitions. They had 613 laws to be obeyed by the Jewish people. Not just the ten moral laws as we sometimes think. They had made it impossible to keep the law as they observed.
They had missed the point of God's Laws!
Rom 3:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Rom 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
When a Jew tried to be obedient to all 613 laws what he found was that one law would be in conflict with another one. There were then many arguments among the religious leaders as to which law then would supercede the other one.
James wrote:
Jas 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
This lawyer then gave Christ Jesus the ultimate test.
"Master, which is the great commandment in the law?"
Jesus again quotes from the Law of Moses:
Deu 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Deu 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
Deu 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Deu 6:8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
Deu 6:9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Jesus added:
"And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two
commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
It is obvious that our love for each other should be equal to the love God has for us!
Lev 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
The teaching to the church is the same:
1Jn 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, [neither he that loveth not his brother].
1Jn 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
1Jn 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
1Jn 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1Jn 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
1Jn 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1Jn 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
Love is our basis for obedience. All the law is summed up in love:
Rom 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Rom 13:9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Rom 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
If these men truly believed these words of Jesus then they would accept Him for His Word but we find instead they were plotting to kill Him.
Joh 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Joh 8:45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
At least this one Lawyer agreed publicly with Jesus:
Mar 12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
Mar 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Guess what? THE LAMB OF GOD WAS WITHOUT BLEMISH!
*****Our text:
Mat 22:41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
Mat 22:42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.
Mat 22:43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,
Mat 22:44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
Mat 22:45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?
Mat 22:46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
A question we all need to ask ourselves is was Jesus the Jewish Messiah?
You see God wants to know in whom and it what we believe. God wants us to know the truth!
Why?
Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Why is it important that God used the word "make" rather than the word "set" as some interpretations say?
"Make" means to: To form of materials; to fashion; to mold into shape; to cause to exist in a different form, or as a distinct thing.
"Set" means to: To put, place or fix in any situation.
In other words to "make" would be more like the term to be "Born Again". Born into the freedom of God.
Christ paid a great price to give us this freedom!
Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Notice when Christ ask this question there was an immediate answer. "The Son of David".
This means the Messiah had to be a descendant of King David!
We know that there was a written record kept of the descendants of King David.
2Sa 7:11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.
2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
2Sa 7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and [I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever].
2Sa 7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
2Sa 7:15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
2Sa 7:16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
Isa 11:1 And [there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse], and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Isa 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Isaiah even tells us this Messiah will not live in royalty at first but be poor, as was Jesse.
Jesus then quoted from scripture as He did always:
"The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool"
It was King David who was honored by these men who wrote these words.
The entire Jewish nation observed this passage as being prophecy of the coming Messiah!
The Almighty God "LORD" invited the Messiah "my Lord" to sit at the right hand at the throne.
We know that the Temple still stood at the time of Matthew and Luke who listed the family line of David through his sons Solomon and and Nathan. These men knew this to be true!
The fact that the Messiah was David's son testified to the Messiah's true humanity but the fact that David called Him Lord (my Lord) testified to His true deity. Lord means God.
The claim that David the psalmist foretold of the Messiah was claimed by Jesus this very day. If these men, (the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Lawyers, the Scribes) believed what they had claimed of the Messiah, then THEY COULD NOT OBJECT TO A LIVING BREATHING DESCENDANT OF KING DAVID WHO MET THESE QUALIFICATIONS.
Not a one could refute the words of Jesus and they would not respond to His question. They from that on did ask Him any more foolish questions.
We also should not ask any more foolish questions about Jesus and just trust in Him as our Lord and as our God. There is no other!
We will try to high light Chapter 23 as Jesus pronounced judgment on these men.
Matthew Chapter 23: 1-39
This was the last public appearance of our Lord until the day before Herod.
The Pharisee had assumed themselves to be in the position of Moses. Moses was not only the "Lawgiver" (given to Him by God Himself) but Moses was also the "Interpreter" of the laws given to the children of Israel.
We should also add that these laws were not given to any other nation or people but God does tell us that they are good laws to live by until we meet Jesus.
Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
The Ten Commandments were the basis of moral laws for all nations for many years but it seems that the world is intermingling or making more manmade nonsense they call laws each and every day and abandoning the laws of God. We can see how the world becomes more evil as these things happen. This is exactly what was happening in Israel at this time.
The Pharisee had claimed this role for themselves. They sat as teachers and demanded that their teaching be observed. They demanded that Israel follow them as the religious leaders of that time.
It can still be said that religion will send you to hell. Only by faith in Christ Jesus can we be saved.
Christ agreed that the laws of Moses be followed but the law as practiced by these evil men was not to be followed. Jesus said they did not even follow their own laws themselves.
We can see this everyday in America when our own politicians who make the laws will not follow the laws they make and think they are above those laws.
The only witness of these Pharisee was how they tried to impress the people in hypocritical fashion.
God intends for His law to be impressed on the heart:
Pro 6:20 My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Pro 6:21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
Pro 6:22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
The Pharisee were motivated by pride and self esteem and felt they deserved the place of honor. To call one of these men Rabbi was to place their authority above that of God and His Word.
Christ Jesus pronounced "woe" upon these people because they shut the door to Heaven for all people who would follow them.
They rejected Christ who is the only access to His Kingdom, therefore closing the door to all that listened to them.
Christ condemned the Pharisee because they circumvented the clear teaching of God's Word.
How often does this happen in our day?
Christ condemned the Pharisee because of the way they tithed. The law clearly demands the tithe. The same law demands justice, mercy, and faithfulness. The Pharisee ignored the laws of righteousness and showed the people that they satisfied the law by tithing only herbs from their own gardens.
Jesus said they were "blind guides" leading those they would make spiritually blind. Jesus said they had no concern for the greater demands of the law.
These Pharisee concerned themselves with washing the hands but not the heart. Christ Jesus teaches us that the only way the outside can be clean is to first clean the inside.
Jesus Christ said that these men were as whitewashed tombs. You know our places of burial are kept to a certain beauty but it is certain that those graves are filled with the bones of the dead. These Pharisee were also the same. They may have dressed royally but they were the walking dead with no chance for life.
Rom 6:23 [For the wages of sin is death]; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Christ condemned the Pharisee because He said they were just like their forefathers who killed the prophets of God rather than listen to what God had to say. They had rejected them as they also rejected God's last Prophet, Jesus Christ Our Lord.
They were plotting His death this very day as they stood with Christ Jesus and He knew that also!
Jesus Christ said they were just like the snake that deceived Eve. That snake was beautiful to look upon but it was still the means by which Eve was deceived.
Jesus now turned His attention to the City of Jerusalem, which of course meant the people then and the people now. "Jerusalem, Jerusalem".
This city had repeatedly rejected God's message. We can know that God has a special love for Jerusalem, after all the name of the city in the New Heaven will be New Jerusalem.
Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
On that day Jerusalem will be dressed just like a New Bride. She will show the righteousness of the Church, the bride of Christ.
Jesus had come to this city to gather them into His protection and His home:
Luk 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
Luk 13:35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
They would not come.
Do any of you have that problem today?
Are there any that just simply refuse to come to Jesus?
These Jews saw Jesus as God the day they died! We have the privilege through faith in Him to only see Him in Heaven.
There will never even be the hint of the smoke from Hell on my person. Can you say that?
Heaven is a real place.
Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord!
Let's pray!
Text: Matthew 22, 23
Focus on 22: 15-39
As we know Satan's followers will always try to discredit the Lord Jesus in His teaching. In our day the followers of Jesus Christ are treated the same way. The truth must be heard because everyone has the freedom to choose. If you have not ever heard the truth you will not choose. To not choose is still to be lost in a dyeing world.
Ever since the time of Daniel, God's clock had been ticking off the moments that would lead to the Cross on Calvary's mountain. Jesus still had to be dealt with until that time one way or another.
We all have to deal with Jesus in our lives because we all will face Him in our death!
When we study God's Word we know that after being saved we should become a walking living Bible ourselves. This does not mean we have to quote the entire Bible though we should know some of it by heart.
This does mean we need to be obedient to God's Word!
2Co 3:2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
2Co 3:3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
1.) The Bible is a book with a back, some call it a spine:
I should ask myself if I have some backbone about Jesus Christ and God's Word of truth?
2.) The Bible has many pages that are bound together. The Bible has a "binding".
I should ask myself, am I bound together with my brothers and sisters in Christ or is my life like a loose leaf notebook?
3.) The Bible has a purpose which is to teach us how to live a spiritual life.
I should ask myself, do I live a spiritual life?
4.) The Bible has in it many blessings.
I should ask myself am I a judge or am I a blessing to those I meet or do I always have a bad attitude?
5.) The Bible is a book of balance. Christ Jesus not only preached but He also fellowshipped.
I must ask myself do I have balance in my Christian life?
6.) The Bible is a book of biography. It is all about Jesus!
I must ask myself, do I promote the life of Christ in my life and not myself. Is God glorified in my life?
7.) The Bible is a book of benevolence. God cares about His people.
I must ask myself do I truly care about others enough to tell them how to avoid Hell? Do I have compassion on the lost of this world? Do I truly have concern for others?
As this Book takes us to the Cross we need to get our attitude straight and walk the talk of our Lord.
*****Our Text:
Mat 22:1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
Mat 22:2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
Mat 22:3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
Mat 22:4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
Mat 22:5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
Mat 22:6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
Mat 22:7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
Mat 22:8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
Mat 22:9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
Mat 22:10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
Mat 22:11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
Mat 22:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Mat 22:13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
First, just because those who divided the Bible into verses and chapters did so at this time does not mean some time had passed from the last parable. These evil men knew Jesus was speaking of them in these parables and he did not stop but continued. He continued in prophetic parables.
This first parable of chapter 22 will show us the contempt of Israel at God's feast. This parable can be broken down into three parts for they absolutely refused to come at the calling of God.
I.) The first "calling" to the marriage feast was given to the Jews by the prophets of the Old Testament. They foretold of the feast of of the exceeding great and precious promises, the peace, and the salvation of the Messiah.
2Pe 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
2Pe 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
The Jews refused to come!
God sent other servants in His chosen Apostles and even His own Son. These brought even a more urgent and explicit invitation. They "preached" a complete Gospel.
Act 4:1 And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,
Act 4:2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
Act 4:3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Act 13:45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
Act 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, [It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life], lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
The result of the preaching to the Jew is that they became more antagonistic to the point of violence.
The Apostles were bitterly persecuted unto death except for the Apostle John.
This parable tells us of a very graphic manner of punishment at the hands of an angry God.
Jerusalem was devastated in 70 AD.
II.) We now see the King "commanding" the slaves.
"The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy."
To the Jews that were present when Jesus told this parable it was apparent that Jesus would invite the Gentiles to His marriage feast.
This was a true prophecy of what would happen soon.
Act 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
Act 10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. Act 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
Act 10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
III.) Thirdly we see the "conditions" which must be met by the wedding guest.
All the wedding guest must be clothed in the wedding garment!
Rejection of the wedding garment showed a complete disregard and disloyalty toward the King who prepared this feast.
This wedding garment represents the Lord Jesus Christ!
Rom 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Rom 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Rom 13:14 [But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ], and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27 [For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ].
Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
The Kingdom of God demands not only a profession of faith but also a moral character.
Those that do not will be cast into the darkness away from the light of Jesus.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
1.) Jesus Christ showed in this parable that this nation had been prepared beforehand for the kingdom He was offering.
2.) They had been told this kingdom was near.
3.) They had refused to enter into His Kingdom.
4.) They were excluded from His Kingdom.
5.) Christ taught the requirements to enter in to His Kingdom.
All those that refused then could not be accepted because they had not prepared themselves.
Salvation takes an action on our part. Salvation is absolutely the free gift of God but to refuse the gift is to refuse the giver of the gift.
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
These parables taught all that listened that those that followed the teaching of the Pharisees were not sons of the Kingdom.
There is only one Gospel!
Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Gal 1:9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
"Many are called but few are chosen"
*****Our Text:
Our Theme for this chapter "The Adversaries of the King"
Mat 22:15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
Mat 22:16 And they 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.
Mat 22:17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
Mat 22:18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
Mat 22:19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
Mat 22:20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
Mat 22:21 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.
Mat 22:22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
After the parables the enemies of Christ Jesus joined forces to destroy Him. He had exposed their evil intentions using some parables and the written Word of God they had in their own possesion. They had not enjoyed being humiliated in front of those that came to the Temple. The only weapon these evil men had left was to convict Him of a crime against their religious teachings that required death or convict Him of being against the government of Rome or both.
There are three main groups involved here who at more normal times were enemies of each other.
1.) The Pharisees
2.) The Sadducees
3.) The Herodians
Before we get into this questioning we need to remember something about the Lamb of God. The enemies of Jesus did not realize they were fulfilling scripture because it was necessary for the Lamb to be examined for blemishes before He died.
Exo 12:3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
Exo 12:4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
Exo 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
Exo 12:6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
Jesus was to be examined publicly. We will see that He had no faults in Him!
When they should have believed they still rejected Him.
The "adversaries" of Christ approached courteously. They knew Christ did not speak to please people but Jesus taught the truth because He was the truth. They clearly ask, "Was it alright to pay taxes to a foreign government?"
The Pharisees opposed the Roman tax for many reasons:
1.) They would not submit to a Gentile power.
2.) The Romans looked at Caesar as a god.
3.) They would rather spend their money on anything than give it to Rome.
Many of us would have these same thoughts if we were in their shoes.
The Herodians on the other hand supported the tax. They knew that Herod's authority came from Caesar and they would not be in power without this relationship. We can also see that we have many that feel the same way that are running our governments.
Palestine was occupied and dominated by Rome at this time. Paying taxes to this cruel government just reminded them that were not free.
This is why this question was chosen to present to Christ Jesus.
It was believed by these two groups that Jesus could have no acceptable answer to this question and therefore it was a "trap".
a.) If Jesus opposed the tax, he would be an enemy of Rome
b.) If Jesus approved the tax He would be an enemy of the poor Jews.
Because of this deception these men were hypocrites.
There was a great multitude of people in Jerusalem at this time as we have already discussed in the last chapter and many here now at the Temple.
Christ Jesus did not miss opportunities like this to teach His doctrine very often.
Jesus asked for that coin.
Each ruler minted his own coins and put his own image on it. This coin a "denarius", [a
penny], had the image of Caesar on it.
Jesus said:
"Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's"
What do we learn from this answer?
1.) Christians must honor and obey rulers.
1Pe 2:13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
1Pe 2:14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
1Pe 2:15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
1Pe 2:16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
1Pe 2:17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
2.) As Christians we must honor and obey God!
Act 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
The Christian knows to worship God and Caesar was not God and no ruler should stop the Christian from the worship of Jehovah God.
3.) The Christian bears the image of God and owes all to God.
Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Though sin has distorted that image, it is restored through a righteous Lord Jesus Christ.
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Col 3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
We seem to forget that the writers of the Constitution of the United States of America had the time of Joseph and Daniel in mind when they wrote the the laws of religion in politics.
"It is right for the people of God to serve in government, but it is wrong for the government to try to control the Church of the living God."
The evil men of our country and some women too have twisted this around to change the intended meaning and we have allowed them to get away with it.
Needless to say:
"When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way"
*****Our Text:
Mat 22:23 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,
Mat 22:24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
Mat 22:25 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:
Mat 22:26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
Mat 22:27 And last of all the woman died also.
Mat 22:28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
Mat 22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
Mat 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
Mat 22:31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
Mat 22:32 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.
Mat 22:33 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.
The next attack came from the Sadducees.
History tells us that these super religious men relied only on the five books of Moses, The Pentateuch. They had no regard for the Prophets nor the oral laws designed by the Pharisees. They did not believe in angels, The Holy Spirit, nor in the resurrection of the body. They said these doctrine were without authority in the written law.
When these men presented their question to Jesus they referred to the writings of Moses:
Deu 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.
Deu 25:6 And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.
There was a purpose for this custom. The family inheritance was a major thing in Israel and it was important for each home to have an heir. The Book of Ruth is written proof of how important this was to them and there are many more places in the written Word of God.
These Sadducees also had a purpose. They wanted to discredit the doctrine of resurrection and therefore discredit the authority of Jesus as a teacher.
Christ had revealed the power. He had raised the dead more than one time. He had even promised men a resurrected life.
Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Jesus had even claimed to be the resurrection and the life!
Joh 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Joh 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
These men wanted to discredit all these teachings of Christ and they felt this was their opportunity before a large crowd. They intended to prove Jesus had no authority in their Temple.
Jesus had these words:
"Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God"
Jesus said to them that they were "ignorant".
Ignorant means: Destitute of knowledge; uninstructed or uninformed; untaught; unenlightened.
To err means: To miss the right way, in morals or religion; to deviate from the path or line of duty; to stray by design or mistake. To mistake; to commit error; [to do wrong from ignorance or inattention]. [Men err in judgment from ignorance], from want of attention to facts, or from previous bias of mind.
To all those that are reading this, there can be no clearer message from Jesus than this statement. We need to know the scriptures. Not just the laws of Moses as these. Not just the New Testament as some teach to the church but the entire Word of God that He has given us.
Again, I believe the King James Bible is that Word God has given to the English speaking people, rightly divided.
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2Ti 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
We can see here that though these men said they knew the Word Of God Jesus said that they were ignorant of it's truth.
Notice how Jesus quotes the Bible:
"I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob"
Notice how the Lord states the words "I Am". Jesus did not say "I Was".
"God is not the God of the dead, but of the living"
"I Am" can only be interpreted as these men, Abraham, Isaac, And Jacob are still alive as is everyone that puts their faith in The Lord God, The Living God. There is no doubt that the physical lives of these men were over at this time but Jesus said they were alive.
This can be said of every saint of God that has gone on before us. They are alive and well and in the arms of Jesus.
There will still be a resurrection of their bodies to join that living soul just as the Bible states!
1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
God's Word will hold to be true just as Jesus states to these Sadducees on this day before He is taken to be crucified.
Christ Jesus not only established to these men that there would indeed be a resurrection but He also gives us a view of life after that resurrection.
Marriage was a means for the earth to be replenished:
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
These words tell us that God knew that mankind would die a physical death.
There will be no need of marriage nor of replenishing in Heaven as there will be No Death.
We know that the Bible teaches that the angels have no sex as we know it and in the Bible they all have male names. Jesus says every one that is in Heaven will be as the angels in this sense.
Jesus Christ does NOT say everyone in Heaven will be an angel.
God created the angels when He created Heaven. None have died. God created man on a separate day, knowing there would be physical death.
God had everything in place by the end of the sixth day.
Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
The Bible goes on to say that creation was finished on that day:
Gen 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
These Sadducees had been refuted!
Jesus says there will be spiritual beings in the future life. The angels will be there but these are not the saints of God. The Lord also did not mean that there would be no personal recognition in Heaven, or spiritual relationships as he has already proven at the transfiguration. (Moses was still Moses and Elijah was still Elijah).
In Heaven we will be known as we were after salvation but much happier:
Rev 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
What was the response to these words of Jesus:
1.) The crowd was astonished at this teaching. They had never heard it taught this way.
Joh 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
2.) There were some that saw the light in these words of Jesus.
Luk 20:39 Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said.
Luk 20:40 And after that they durst not ask him any question at all.
3.) These Sadducees were silenced with no response.
*****Our Text:
Mat 22:34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
Mat 22:35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
Mat 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Christ Jesus had used the scriptures that the Sadducees had held so dear to rebuke them, the Law of Moses itself.
We have already studied that a lawyer would probably be a scribe who had gained influence because of his knowledge of the scriptures. This one was probably a Pharisee as well:
Mar 12:28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
Jesus had answered well to these that had no regard to the teaching of the Sadducee.
The Pharisee had coded the law into 248 commandments and 365 prohibitions. They had 613 laws to be obeyed by the Jewish people. Not just the ten moral laws as we sometimes think. They had made it impossible to keep the law as they observed.
They had missed the point of God's Laws!
Rom 3:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Rom 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
When a Jew tried to be obedient to all 613 laws what he found was that one law would be in conflict with another one. There were then many arguments among the religious leaders as to which law then would supercede the other one.
James wrote:
Jas 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
This lawyer then gave Christ Jesus the ultimate test.
"Master, which is the great commandment in the law?"
Jesus again quotes from the Law of Moses:
Deu 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Deu 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
Deu 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Deu 6:8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
Deu 6:9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Jesus added:
"And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two
commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
It is obvious that our love for each other should be equal to the love God has for us!
Lev 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
The teaching to the church is the same:
1Jn 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, [neither he that loveth not his brother].
1Jn 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
1Jn 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
1Jn 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1Jn 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
1Jn 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1Jn 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
Love is our basis for obedience. All the law is summed up in love:
Rom 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Rom 13:9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Rom 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
If these men truly believed these words of Jesus then they would accept Him for His Word but we find instead they were plotting to kill Him.
Joh 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Joh 8:45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
At least this one Lawyer agreed publicly with Jesus:
Mar 12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
Mar 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Guess what? THE LAMB OF GOD WAS WITHOUT BLEMISH!
*****Our text:
Mat 22:41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
Mat 22:42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.
Mat 22:43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,
Mat 22:44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
Mat 22:45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?
Mat 22:46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
A question we all need to ask ourselves is was Jesus the Jewish Messiah?
You see God wants to know in whom and it what we believe. God wants us to know the truth!
Why?
Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Why is it important that God used the word "make" rather than the word "set" as some interpretations say?
"Make" means to: To form of materials; to fashion; to mold into shape; to cause to exist in a different form, or as a distinct thing.
"Set" means to: To put, place or fix in any situation.
In other words to "make" would be more like the term to be "Born Again". Born into the freedom of God.
Christ paid a great price to give us this freedom!
Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Notice when Christ ask this question there was an immediate answer. "The Son of David".
This means the Messiah had to be a descendant of King David!
We know that there was a written record kept of the descendants of King David.
2Sa 7:11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.
2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
2Sa 7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and [I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever].
2Sa 7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
2Sa 7:15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
2Sa 7:16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
Isa 11:1 And [there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse], and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Isa 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Isaiah even tells us this Messiah will not live in royalty at first but be poor, as was Jesse.
Jesus then quoted from scripture as He did always:
"The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool"
It was King David who was honored by these men who wrote these words.
The entire Jewish nation observed this passage as being prophecy of the coming Messiah!
The Almighty God "LORD" invited the Messiah "my Lord" to sit at the right hand at the throne.
We know that the Temple still stood at the time of Matthew and Luke who listed the family line of David through his sons Solomon and and Nathan. These men knew this to be true!
The fact that the Messiah was David's son testified to the Messiah's true humanity but the fact that David called Him Lord (my Lord) testified to His true deity. Lord means God.
The claim that David the psalmist foretold of the Messiah was claimed by Jesus this very day. If these men, (the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Lawyers, the Scribes) believed what they had claimed of the Messiah, then THEY COULD NOT OBJECT TO A LIVING BREATHING DESCENDANT OF KING DAVID WHO MET THESE QUALIFICATIONS.
Not a one could refute the words of Jesus and they would not respond to His question. They from that on did ask Him any more foolish questions.
We also should not ask any more foolish questions about Jesus and just trust in Him as our Lord and as our God. There is no other!
We will try to high light Chapter 23 as Jesus pronounced judgment on these men.
Matthew Chapter 23: 1-39
This was the last public appearance of our Lord until the day before Herod.
The Pharisee had assumed themselves to be in the position of Moses. Moses was not only the "Lawgiver" (given to Him by God Himself) but Moses was also the "Interpreter" of the laws given to the children of Israel.
We should also add that these laws were not given to any other nation or people but God does tell us that they are good laws to live by until we meet Jesus.
Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
The Ten Commandments were the basis of moral laws for all nations for many years but it seems that the world is intermingling or making more manmade nonsense they call laws each and every day and abandoning the laws of God. We can see how the world becomes more evil as these things happen. This is exactly what was happening in Israel at this time.
The Pharisee had claimed this role for themselves. They sat as teachers and demanded that their teaching be observed. They demanded that Israel follow them as the religious leaders of that time.
It can still be said that religion will send you to hell. Only by faith in Christ Jesus can we be saved.
Christ agreed that the laws of Moses be followed but the law as practiced by these evil men was not to be followed. Jesus said they did not even follow their own laws themselves.
We can see this everyday in America when our own politicians who make the laws will not follow the laws they make and think they are above those laws.
The only witness of these Pharisee was how they tried to impress the people in hypocritical fashion.
God intends for His law to be impressed on the heart:
Pro 6:20 My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Pro 6:21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
Pro 6:22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
The Pharisee were motivated by pride and self esteem and felt they deserved the place of honor. To call one of these men Rabbi was to place their authority above that of God and His Word.
Christ Jesus pronounced "woe" upon these people because they shut the door to Heaven for all people who would follow them.
They rejected Christ who is the only access to His Kingdom, therefore closing the door to all that listened to them.
Christ condemned the Pharisee because they circumvented the clear teaching of God's Word.
How often does this happen in our day?
Christ condemned the Pharisee because of the way they tithed. The law clearly demands the tithe. The same law demands justice, mercy, and faithfulness. The Pharisee ignored the laws of righteousness and showed the people that they satisfied the law by tithing only herbs from their own gardens.
Jesus said they were "blind guides" leading those they would make spiritually blind. Jesus said they had no concern for the greater demands of the law.
These Pharisee concerned themselves with washing the hands but not the heart. Christ Jesus teaches us that the only way the outside can be clean is to first clean the inside.
Jesus Christ said that these men were as whitewashed tombs. You know our places of burial are kept to a certain beauty but it is certain that those graves are filled with the bones of the dead. These Pharisee were also the same. They may have dressed royally but they were the walking dead with no chance for life.
Rom 6:23 [For the wages of sin is death]; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Christ condemned the Pharisee because He said they were just like their forefathers who killed the prophets of God rather than listen to what God had to say. They had rejected them as they also rejected God's last Prophet, Jesus Christ Our Lord.
They were plotting His death this very day as they stood with Christ Jesus and He knew that also!
Jesus Christ said they were just like the snake that deceived Eve. That snake was beautiful to look upon but it was still the means by which Eve was deceived.
Jesus now turned His attention to the City of Jerusalem, which of course meant the people then and the people now. "Jerusalem, Jerusalem".
This city had repeatedly rejected God's message. We can know that God has a special love for Jerusalem, after all the name of the city in the New Heaven will be New Jerusalem.
Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
On that day Jerusalem will be dressed just like a New Bride. She will show the righteousness of the Church, the bride of Christ.
Jesus had come to this city to gather them into His protection and His home:
Luk 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
Luk 13:35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
They would not come.
Do any of you have that problem today?
Are there any that just simply refuse to come to Jesus?
These Jews saw Jesus as God the day they died! We have the privilege through faith in Him to only see Him in Heaven.
There will never even be the hint of the smoke from Hell on my person. Can you say that?
Heaven is a real place.
Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord!
Let's pray!
