Sermon for Sunday February 18th, 2007

Questioning Christ and Christianity by Steve Shepherd

Matthew 22:23-22:40

INTRO.- ILL.- It is said that when Herbert Hoover ran for election as President of the United States at the height of the prosperity boom in 1928, one of his campaign promises, expressed as a campaign slogan of the Republican party, was “A chicken in every pot, a car in every garage.”

The following year, in 1929, came the Wall Street crash and the Great Depression, and one of the popular comments of the day was to wonder what had happened to “A chicken in every pot.”

It’s no wonder why the people of the depression era were critical and skeptical. Some skepticism is good.

ILL.- There was an email being sent around a few years ago that said something to the effect that if you would forward the email you would get so much money. In fact, here is how one of them (yes, there was more than one) read: Hello everybody, my name is Bill Gates. I have just written up an e-mail tracing program that traces everyone to whom this message is forwarded. I am experimenting with this and I need your help. Forward this to everyone you know and if it reaches 1000 people everyone on the list will receive $1000 at my expense. Enjoy. Your friend, Bill Gates

That email was not true. Nor are all the other give-away hoaxes. In some cases, it pays to be somewhat skeptical. Free money is not free.

Matthew 10:16 Jesus said to His disciples, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” (or be wise as snakes)

When it comes to the world and it’s schemes, etc. we need to be wise. There is always something going on in this world to deceive people. We need wisdom to be smart and selective.

Some skepticism may be good but some may not be so good.

ILL.- Once an atheist asked a Christian lady if she believed the Bible was true. “Yes,” said the lady. “Then.” Said the atheist, “tell me how a whale swallowed Jonah, since a whale’s stomach is no bigger than a man’s head.”

“I don’t know,” said the lady: “but when I get to Heaven I will ask him.” “What if Jonah is not there?” said the atheist. “Then you can ask him,” said the lady.

ILL.- During the French Revolution, men were determined to abolish Christianity. One clear night an atheist was loudly proclaiming his wicked doctrine to a poor countryman. “Everything,” he said, “will be abolished—churches, Bibles, clergymen; yes, even the word ‘God’ itself. We shall remove everything which speaks of religion!”

The countryman gave a quiet chuckle. “Why do you laugh?” said the atheist. The peasant pointed to the stars and replied, “I was just wondering how you and your crew would manage to get those down!”

PROP.- In our text, we see three different questions: one from the Sadducees, one from the Pharisees and one from Jesus. One is strange, one is straight and one is pure truth.
1- the marriage question
2- the resurrection question
3- the law question

I. THE MARRIAGE QUESTION

Matt. 22:23-29 “That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. "Teacher," they said, "Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. Finally, the woman died. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?" Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.”

This is the strange question about marriage. A woman had been married 7 times. They asked, “In the next life, whose wife would she should be?” Strange question.

People of every age have marriage questions. Who doesn’t? Marriage is something of a puzzle, yet to be figured out.

ILL.- Preacher: “Do you take this man for better or worse?”
Mandy: “He can’t be no worse, and they is no hopes of his gettin’ any better, so I takes him ‘as is.’ ”

We must remember the Sadducees were asking this question about marriage and they did not even believe in the resurrection or a future life beyond the grave. It was a dumb question. And today people ask similar questions.

- “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?”
- “Where did God come from?”
- “If Jesus is God’s son why did He bother to come to earth?”
- “Since angels are messengers of God, is it possible that Jesus was just an angel with an ego problem?”
- “Why can’t a person do anything they want to do in this life and still expect to go to heaven?”
- “Can a true Christian be demon possessed?”
- “If Matthew, Mark, Luke and John got into a bar fight, who would win?”

I know. This last one is really a DUMB question and so was the question posed by the Sadducees. And Jesus answered their question plainly by saying to them, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” I am not so concerned about the Sadducees not knowing the scriptures but I am greatly concerned that we may not know the scriptures!

ILL.- This incident actually happened to Joseph Parker, minister of the City Temple in London around 1870. An elderly lady waited on Parker after a service to thank him for the help she received from his sermons. "You do throw such wonderful light on the Bible, doctor," she said. "Do you know that until this morning, I had always thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were man and wife?"

ILL.- Pollster George Gallup Jr. has long referred to America as a "nation of biblical illiterates." Only four in 10 Americans know that Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. A majority of citizens cannot name the four Gospels of the New Testament. Only three in 10 teenagers know why Easter is celebrated.

Brothers and sisters, in the past our churches were known as a “people of the Book.” Today, it’s not that way. We all need to study the Book. Of course, the purpose of our study is not to put down people but rather to know God better and be better equipped to point people to the Lord.

II Tim. 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

II Tim. 3:13-17 “While evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

The Word of God can save you and equip you for life but only if you know it and it’s author.

II. THE RESURRECTION QUESTION

Matt. 22:30-32 “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ’I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living." This question was given by Jesus and was pure truth. Have you not read what God said?

ILL.- A priest was giving his flock a sermon on the Gospel, and he mentioned how with five loaves of bread our Savior fed five thousand people (Matthew 14:21); but instead of saying five thousand, he said five hundred.

The altar boy told him that he had made a mistake, because the Gospel says five thousand. Whereupon, the priest said to him; “Be quiet, you fool! They already have a hard time believing five hundred.”

HAD HE NOT READ THE SCRIPTURE? Yes, but apparently, he didn’t believe what he read.

Jesus said to the Sadducees, “Have you not read what God said? …I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

In other words, God is alive and well and so are these men. There is another life after this one.

If they had read what God said they certainly didn’t believe it. And some people who read the Bible don’t believe it. The truth can be as plain as day but they don’t believe it.

Gen. 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Do you understand these words? How hard is it to understand from this verse that God created everything?

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…” How hard it is to understand that God is a god of love and that He gave His son as a sacrifice for our sins so that we could have eternal life?

ILL.- Larry King of the Larry King Live Show is an agnostic. He is one of multitudes. Agnostics are not exactly atheists. They just claim that they don’t know if God exists. AND I WANT TO SAY, “Open your eyes, Larry King, and look around you!” Can you not see? Have you not read?

ILL.- It’s been said that Mark Twain once commented that what bothered him most about the Bible was not the things he did not understand, but the things he did understand. And I happen to believe that most of the Bible can be understood with a little time and thought.

ILL.- Someone said, “Doubt your doubts before you doubt your beliefs.”

II Pet. 3:3-10 “3First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4They will say, "Where is this ’coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 5But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.”

Brothers and sisters, scoffers and skeptics will come, but we need to keep on reading the Bible and accepting it as the Word of God as it is, and believing it.

III. THE LAW QUESTION

Matt. 22:34-40 “Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " ’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

This question was given by the Pharisees. They asked, “Which is the greatest commandment the Law?” From what I understand, this was an age old question. There were some 613 commandments in the O. T. Law with 248 being positive and 365 negative commands. There was no way any person could know and fully obey all of those commandments.

ILL.- Which do you prefer?
- A long drawn out movie where it’s hard to figure out the plot or one that keeps your attention and gives you clues so you can get the drift of what’s going on?
- A sermon that lasts an hour and uses some words that the average could never understand or a sermon that is 20 minutes long, clear, understandable and full of interesting illustrations?
- 613 commandments or two that basically simplifies what God requires of mankind?

Jesus boiled all of God’s commandments down to two: Love the Lord with all your being and love your neighbor as you would love yourself. Pretty simple, but also very strong.

And we’ve had trouble with both of these commandments all our lives. We don’t always love God with our whole being. In fact, I’m not so sure we ever have. We love Him more at certain times than at others…that is, when things are going well for us. It seems like it’s always easier to praise God when things are going well, we’re being provided for, etc.

But when things are not so hot in life, it’s not easy to praise Him and love Him. Actually, this is when we should praise Him most!

Frankly, I don’t know of anybody that loves God too much. If anybody ever came close it might have been Mother Teresa and/or a Billy Graham type person. I do know, however, that we all need to grow in our love for God and this will only happen when we begin to think more about Him, read His word, talk to Him and consider all the good He has given us.

And this business of loving our neighbors (who can be anyone) as we love ourselves is very rarely seen.

ILL.- This article appeared in the Jonesboro Sun on Feb. 6, 2007. Buffalo Island Central High School Principal Homer Craig is back on the job after a successfully transplanted KIDNEY, donated by school staff member Deb Dunigan. After 12 years of doctors’ care for his polycystic KIDNEY disease, Craig’s condition worsened last year to requiring dialysis four times a day. He walked across the BIC campus parking lot to his nearby home for the treatments, then returned to his office afterward.

"My friends at BIC had watched my KIDNEY condition worsen, to the point it was becoming life-threatening," Craig said. "Several staff members willingly consented to be tested as KIDNEY donors. Most could not qualify, due to their own health conditions. BIC migrant aide Deb Dunigan was approved as a donor and didn’t flinch with her commitment to follow through."

I would say that would most certainly qualify as loving your neighbor as yourself. Her kidney donation was an extreme demonstration of love. And while we may not do that kind of thing or even qualify for such, we must love others in the same manner that we would love ourselves.

Would we help someone in a time of need? Food, clothing, shelter, transportation, medical emergency, illness, sympathy, prayer, etc. All these and more would indicate our love for others.

CONCLUSION---------------------

ILL.- A preacher told this story. “Once a team of skeptics confronted me. It was during a weekly Bible study for first year college men in a dorm room. The host, in whose room we met, had been telling us for weeks of his roommate’s antagonistic questions. This week, the roommate showed up—along with a handful of likeminded friends. The question of the gospel’s exclusivity arose, more as an attack than a sincere question.”

"So, I suppose you think all those sincere followers of other religions are going to hell!" I responded, "Do you believe in hell?"

“He appeared as if he’d never seriously considered the possibility. He looked so puzzled, perhaps because he was being challenged when he though that he was doing the challenging. After a long silence, he said, "No. I don’t believe in hell. I think it is ridiculous."

“Echoing his word choice, I said, "Well, then why are you asking such a ridiculous question?" I wasn’t trying to be a wise guy. I simply wanted him to honestly examine the assumptions behind his own question.”

Brothers and sisters, there will be always skeptics and critics in our world, where we work, where we live and play. No matter what we’re faced with, we must take our stand for Christ, the church, the Word of God, for what we believe to be the truth.

Jesus said, “If you confess me before men I will confess you before my Father who is in heaven.” I want Jesus to confess me. Don’t you want the same for you?