Rebuke against mindless religion, Luke 20:41- 21:4

Recently, my brother in law, who had been a missionary for 37 years passed away from an illness.  And of course, he left my sister as a widow who is going to have to figure out a way to support herself now without a husband.  His death made my wife and I think about the fact that I should get some life insurance in case something should happen to me.  And so last week I contacted a man in this church who sells insurance and he helped show me some of my options. 

From what I gathered I could lock in a rate over 10 or 20 years by paying a certain amount of money each month. But the more I thought about it, I couldn’t help but think how ironic it is that the insurance company is betting that I would not die before the end of my term, and I am betting that I will die. If I had the faith of my insurance company in my long term health, then I wouldn’t buy insurance.

But the insurance company isn’t stupid.  They are going to go over my health with a fine tooth comb.  They are going to narrow the odds down as much as possible.  And for my part, I am seriously considering all the options as well.  This is a big financial commitment for me.  There are a lot of things that are going to factor into my decision, and of course, it has potentially significant long term effects and benefits.

All of that prompted me to think, as I was preparing for this message, that a lot of people are more likely to spend more time, more money and more consideration on something like buying life insurance than on their eternal security.  Blood tests, Doctor visits, urine samples, you name it, it all comes under scrutiny before I get the insurance, and then I commit to paying month by month for 10 to 20 years.  And the really funny thing is, if I die, I win the bet, but I don’t get the money.  My wife does.  It makes you wonder who she is betting on.

But I’m afraid the average Joe is not nearly as concerned about his eternal security.  From my experience, I think the average guy treats religion  a little bit like buying life insurance, but with a whole lot less diligence.  Someone suggested to me that I should look at some of those life insurance companies you see advertised on late night television and see if I could find something cheaper.  And my response was, “No way.  The last thing I want to do is spend all that money for 10 or 20 years and then find out that the insurance company was some flim flam outfit and have it not pay off.”  And yet that is exactly the way a lot of people treat religion.  They don’t really examine their doctrine.  They blindly think that sincerity or good intentions is some measure of security. They are really just hoping that in the end it will all pay off somehow, but they really don’t know for sure.

Well, today’s passage addresses that very issue.  The issue of mindlessly following a religion and hoping that somehow your sincerity will be of some merit in the hereafter.  Hoping that God doesn’t care all that much about the details.  Thinking He won’t look that closely. The average person doesn’t really know what he believes, and he certainly can’t say why he believes what he claims.  He is just hoping for the best.  He has no authority to back up what he is hoping for.  

Well Jesus taught about the kingdom of God as one having authority. He spoke with authority because He was the Word of God made flesh, speaking the word of God to flesh.  His message was the gospel of the kingdom of God.  He was the way to the kingdom; no one can come to the Father except through Him, only by His sacrifice can we be saved.  Jesus was teaching  the gospel in the temple every day in the last hours before His crucifixion. 

And as you will recall, a delegation made up of the religious leaders had been asking Him a series of trick questions, hoping to entrap Him in something they could use to arrest Him. So when the religious leaders had exhausted their trick questions and weren’t able to trap Him, Jesus turns the tables upon them and asks them a question. “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?”  It isn’t a trick question, it is a theological question.  It is a doctrinal question.  Listen, doctrine is not a dirty word, ladies and gentlemen.  On the contrary, you need to know doctrine.  You need to rightly divide the word of truth so that you will not be ashamed at His coming.  There are many false doctrines out there.  There are many deviant theologies out there. There are many false prophets and false teachers in the world.  They cannot all be true.  The Bible says, “Let God be true, and every man a liar.”  You better know sound Biblical doctrine. You need to know what you believe and why.

I saw a bumper sticker on a car the other day in Rehoboth, and it said, “God is too big for just one religion.”  Wow.  What theology.  What utter nonsense.  First of all, you admit that there is a God.  Then by that very reason, is it not reasonable to assume that if there is a God then He should have a say in how we are to approach Him?  If God is really as big as you say, then does it not behoove us to find out how He desires to be worshipped?  Jesus said, “God is Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”  You better know the truth, because only the truth will set you free.

So Jesus asks a question focused on that very point.  You see, these religious leaders had a religion.  They had a belief system.  And what is really significant is that their religion believed in the one, true Jehovah God, and furthermore, they accepted the teaching that there would come one who was the Messiah who would be the deliverer of Israel.  And yet, it’s obvious from our study of Luke, that these religious leaders were not saved, they were lost.  In fact, they were so blinded by their religion that they were plotting to kill the Messiah who was Jesus Christ because they did not think that He fit into their religious doctrine of the Messiah.  So they were very religious and yet very lost.

I would imagine that in a crowd this size that there must be someone  here today that are lost.  If you died today you would end up in Hell.  You are lost even though you believe in the existence of God.  You believe that we should worship God.  That is presumably why you are here today.  And yet you are lost and on your way to Hell.  You may even believe in Jesus.  You believe that He lived on this earth 2000 years ago.  You might even believe that somehow or another He was divine.  And yet you can still be lost. 

These scribes and Pharisees that Jesus is addressing are proof that it is possible to have a sort of mindless, thoughtless religion that has a modicum of truth in it and yet be lost.  You can go through the motions without knowing why you are doing it.  Many people  are worshipping somewhere today, today being Sunday, and they don’t know why they are worshipping on Sunday rather than Saturday.  And they really don’t care.  They are just going through the motions.  Some of them are mumbling catechisms and Latin phrases and opening their mouths to receive a tiny wafer and they don’t know why they are doing it.  And yet they hope that it will somehow suffice on judgment day.  Someone told them that they can achieve righteousness by going through certain rituals. 

And on the other end of the spectrum it’s just as bad if not worse.  People in some evangelical churches are being told that if they hold their palms up a certain way they are receiving something spiritual.  And if they clap their hands together they are worshipping.  And if they speak in some unintelligible gibberish they are praying to God.  These poor folks are being taught that they don’t need to focus on doctrine, they need to focus on feeling.  They just need to feel the love.  That is all that matters.  They have forgotten the exhortation of Jesus that if you love Me, you will keep My commandments.   No, they want to experience something, even if it is mindless. 

These poor people are being exploited in the name of religion.  They are being told that feeling spiritual is equal to being spiritual.  So anything that makes you feel a certain way, or act a certain way must be of the Holy Spirit.  And so in some churches today people are falling down on the ground and going into convulsions and they are told that is being slain in the Spirit.  Others are falling down drunk, laughing and reeling around unable to act or speak coherently and they are being told that they are drunk in the Spirit.  Others are laughing, howling at the moon, shrieking in laughter to the point that it drowns out everything else, and they are told that is holy laughter.  Listen, don’t be deceived; Christianity is not a mindless religion.  God is not the author of confusion but of order and discipline and truth.  The Holy Spirit is not a feeling, He’s not a force, He is the Spirit of Jesus Christ living among us.  If Jesus didn’t do it, then the Holy Spirit will not do it.  They are not different entities, they are One God.  As God is, so was  Jesus in the flesh, (if you have seen Me you have seen the Father) and as Jesus is, so is the Holy Spirit. (John 16:13, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me…”) God is One.  You need to know your theology and doctrine.  Because many deceivers have gone out into the world and are leading many people astray.  And these false prophets that are blaspheming the name of the Holy Spirit by teaching people to go after strange spirits have forgotten what Jesus said in Matt. 12:31 "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.”

It is not possible to have a sort of mindless, thoughtless form of Christianity that is void of sound doctrine and Biblical theology.  But it isn’t possible to have an experiential type of Christianity that is divorced from sound doctrine.  You are either worshipping God in Spirit and in truth or you will be found outside of the door of the kingdom of God, saying, “Lord, Lord, did we not do great things in your name?  Lord, Lord, did we not even do miracles in your name?”  And they will hear Jesus say as He promised in Matthew 7:23, “I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.” 

Listen, you want to guard against a superficial, mindless religion?  Then you need to go to the Word of God and get serious about studying it.  Not reading books loosely based on the word of God, not watching movies with a mildly religious, positive theme.  “But studying to show yourselves approved unto God a workman that doesn’t need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2:15)  You need to understand the primacy, the authority, and the sufficiency of scripture.  You need to understand that Jesus is described in John 1 as the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  And that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  And then you need to understand that the Holy Spirit breathed upon certain appointed men, inspiring them to write down His words, bringing to their minds remembrance of the things which He had told them so that we may have confidence in the scriptures. 2Tim. 3:16-17 says,  “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect(complete), thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”  You want to be a complete Christian?  It’s not found in some mystical spiritual experience.  Immerse yourself in the Word of God and obey it. 

So the religious leaders confronting Jesus that day are mindless. They are thoughtlessly, blindly following a phony religion, in spite of having everything that they needed for salvation right in front of them.  They have seen the truth and yet rejected it.  They have stopped short of becoming a disciple.  Folks, I am afraid that is exactly our problem here today.  There are some people that come out here on the beach to hear what that crazy surfer preacher might say this week.  There are some that might come because it’s a beautiful day, and maybe they might see a dolphin while I’m preaching and they can work on their tan at the same time. They have heard all they need to know in order to be saved and yet they are not saved.  One of the saddest verses of scripture that comes to mind about this time of year is Jeremiah 8:20  "Harvest is past, summer is ended, And we are not saved." And so we wonder why we don’t grow.  We wonder why every year when we go back indoors we no longer see some people anymore.  The fact is that we don’t grow by getting more and more people to come out on the beach for a service on a sunny day.  The church grows by making disciples. We grow by making disciples, not by adding spectators to the church.  Making disciples is being obedient to the word.

So true to form, when Jesus teaches He relies upon the scriptures.  He confronts their mindless religion by asking them to consider the scriptures and make a rational decision on the basis of what it says.  He asks the question, ““How is it that they say the Christ is David’s son? For David himself says in the book of Psalms, THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, ‘SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.’ Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord,’ and how is He his son?”

Now the answer to His question is one that they either cannot or will not allow themselves to see. And there is an element to this question that may be hard for us to see, because we aren’t reading it in the Hebrew.  Luke is writing in Greek obviously.  But Jesus is quoting from Psalm 110 which was written in Hebrew.   And in the Hebrew there is a distinction in the word Lord.  The Jews considered the proper name of God as sacred to the point that they did not say it aloud.  And so they had a tradition of writing the name of God, the name Jehovah, with just the consonants.  And then when reading the name of Jehovah, they would insert the word Lord in it’s place.  This was an ultra conservative approach to avoiding using the name of the Lord in vain.  Now in your Old Testament, you will sometimes notice that the word Lord is in all capital letters.  That is done to show you that the word LORD is substituted for the name Jehovah.  So when the Psalmist David says, “The LORD said to my Lord,” he is saying, Jehovah said to my Lord. 

The word Lord with a capital L and small letters is from the Hebrew word, Adonai.  Adonai means Lord, either used of God or sometimes used in reference to men.  It means  the supreme ruler. He to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master. The possessor and disposer of a thing or person. The owner; one who has control of the person, the master.  In matters of state: the sovereign, prince, chief, the emperor.  It is a title of honor expressive of respect and reverence, with which servants greet their master. This title is given to: God, the Messiah.

So the question is how can the Messiah be David’s son, when David writes in Ps. 110 that Jehovah says to my Lord?  The scribes and Pharisees can’t answer that.  They haven’t thought about it.  They have a template for the Messiah that He will be a descendent of David and sit on his throne, and so therefore they are looking for a human descendent of David who will literally sit on the throne of Israel, and defeat their enemies.  And so they refuse to consider any scriptures that don’t align with that doctrine. 

What Jesus is trying to teach them, is that the Messiah is God in human flesh.  Revelation 22:16 says that He is the root and the offspring of David.  In other words, by his human nature he was the offspring of David, a branch of his family; by his divine nature he was the root of David, from whom David had his being and life, salvation by grace.  What Jesus is teaching is that Christ, as God, was David's Lord, but Christ, as man, was David's Son.

Listen, the reason that the scribes and Pharisees were not saved, was that they would not recognize Jesus as Lord, as God.  I think that we have almost the opposite problem today in the church.  We recognize Jesus as God, but not as Lord.  The doctrine of the lordship of Jesus Christ is not a popular doctrine today.  At the very best modern theologians and preachers want to regulate it to some sort of advanced stage of sanctification that really isn’t necessary for salvation.  But for the most part it is not taught at all.  The whole emphasis today is upon justification by grace. But Hebrews 12:14 says that without sanctification, no one will see the Lord. 

Rom 10:9 says, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  To understand what it means to confess Jesus as Lord you just need to turn back a few verses to Luke 19 where Jesus gives a parable about the land owner who planted a vineyard and sent his servants to receive his yearly allowance.  And the vinegrowers kept beating up his servants and sending them back empty handed.  And it says in vs. 14, “But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’”  See, lordship is recognizing that Jesus Christ is the Master of the vineyard.  He is the supreme ruler of the earth.  Everything that we have is given to us  by God.  Our very lives are upheld by His power.  Our heart keeps beating by the power of God.  Our next breath is taken because God gives it to us.  And so lordship is recognizing, confessing, that Jesus is Lord of your life.  Confessing that we belong to Him.  He  is our Master, He decides our purpose.  We live according to His will, not manipulate Him to serve our will. 

These Pharisees were indicative of the citizens that said, “We do not want this man to rule over us.”  They rejected Jesus as Lord.  And Jesus said in the parable that when the Master returns to take His vineyard, He said “But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence.”

Jesus then gives a scathing indictment of these scribes and Pharisees, while at the same time warning His disciples.  See, even disciples can fall prey to this kind of self righteous posturing, this religious fervor, that is actually a damning phony religion.  He is highlighting hypocritical religion.  He says in vs. 46, ““Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

What Jesus is warning about is religion for show.  About seeking publicity, seeking honor, seeking earthly prominence in the religious realm. Matthews gospel records some more of what Jesus said in this regard.  He says in Matt. 23:13,   "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”  See, that is the danger of phony religion.  They not only are not saved themselves, they make sure that no one else is saved either.  And then in vs. 15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”  That is another scathing indictment.  Their false doctrine spreads like gangrene and corrupts everyone who hears it. And that is why Jesus says that these false teachers will receive a greater condemnation. 

Jesus is not only describing the scribes and Pharisees, but He is painting a picture that should serve as a warning for us today as well.  Beware of religious leaders who put on a show, who parade around in long, flowing robes, Christian costumes, hoping that they will look pious by the clothes and funny hats they are wearing.  They love to be called “the right Reverend Dr. so and so, and they have all these degrees that are attached to their titles that are designed to convince you they know what they are talking about.  They love the places of honor, and they love to make long public prayers so that people can be sure to see how holy they are.  And yet the fact is it is all a hypocritical mask.  Jesus says they do it to devour widow’s houses.  What He means is they take from vulnerable widows, defrauding old ladies who are maybe easily deceived by their fake piety and they take their money by promising them some eternal benefit due to their holiness.  One of the very people that the temple was to be concerned about and seek to help were widows.  It is still a priority for the church though we do not have the same social structure that they had which left these women without much recourse.  But the fact is that they take advantage of the most vulnerable among us for monetary gain.

I must tell you that a lot of the modern Christian television preachers capitalize on the sympathies of vulnerable, elderly women.  They are flying around the country in multimillion dollar jets living in $10,000 a night hotel suites while making money off of old ladies who are hoping that their gift will be multiplied by God according to the false teaching of these shysters. Beware of these false prophets.

Finally, Luke presents an illustration to ram this principle home.  I will not belabor it, since you are all familiar with it, I’m sure.  But as Jesus was teaching He was sitting in the Court of the Women in the Temple where the people would come and present their offerings.  The temple priests had made these trumpet type of horns that were mounted on the walls so that people could drop in their offerings.  And Luke says that as Jesus is teaching He looks up and sees the rich putting their offerings in the treasury.  And He sees an opportunity for an illustration.  The illustration has a two fold application as we will see in a moment.  But let’s look at it first.

Luke 21:2-4 “And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins.  And He said, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.’"

So here is the picture; Jesus has just finished condemning the religious leaders for their rejection of His Lordship, and He has characterized them as showboating self righteous hypocrites who take advantage of old ladies.  Now He looks up and all these rich people come in to the treasury and make their offerings.  They had engineered it in such a way that it was a very public thing.  People could watch the worshippers come in and present their offerings.  They could hear the sound of the coins clinking in the horns and tell how much or how little a person was giving.  The Pharisees were known for actually blowing a horn before they gave in order to make sure that everyone knew that they were giving.  But then Jesus juxtaposes this grandiose religious expression with a little old widow who comes in and probably would have escaped all notice in the activity of the temple.  She wasn’t dressed in finery, she didn’t blow a trumpet, and the sound of her two cents I’m sure didn’t make a dint in the din of the temple court.  No one noticed her.  No one nodded approvingly or applauded.  But God saw her.  God knew that she gave all that she had to live on.  She gave everything she had to the Lord.

Listen, I go out of my way to not talk about giving here at the Beach Fellowship.  I may occasionally talk about money, as the word talks about it, then I talk  about it.  But I don’t talk about giving if I don’t have to.  I believe that God loves a cheerful giver.  So I am not going to try to compel people to give.  All that I will say about this illustration is that it shows that God sees the gift, but more importantly God sees the sacrifice involved in the gift.  David said in 2 Samuel 24:24 that he would not give God that which cost him nothing.  God sees not the monetary size of the gift, but the sacrificial proportion of the gift.  Jesus noted this widow because while others gave out of their surplus, she gave out of her poverty.

But the greater illustration that I think is here is that of the lordship principle.  This widow had a proper view of the lordship of God.  She rightly recognized that everything she had was the Lord’s.  She didn’t have a ten percent view, but a 100% view.  You know, that’s why I don’t preach about tithing.  Tithing is an OT law that required Israelites to give a tenth of all they had to the Lord.  And in the new covenant, we are no longer under the law.  We are under grace.  But listen, grace does not do away with the law, grace fulfills the law and then more.  If the law was 10%, then grace is 100%.  It’s recognizing that Jesus deserves everything I have because of the gratitude I have for His immeasurable gift to me.  Salvation is about giving all that I have to the Lord to be used for His glory.  I give Him all of me, everything I renounce, everything I turn over to Him.  And so the lordship of Christ requires that I surrender all.

And there is, as I said another application of this incident.  And that is that this sincere, God loving woman gave her offering to the treasury of the very men that were devouring widow’s houses.  Though this woman was a great illustration of surrendering everything to God, there is no indication that she was saved.  If she did not recognize Jesus as God then she could not be saved. Luke just records that she went in, gave her offering, and presumably left.  God saw her gift.  But unfortunately she was still victimized by  a false system of religion that promised her some sort of righteousness as a result of her offering.  And so she probably didn’t leave feeling all that great about her offering.  The rabbis taught that the giving alms was a means of pardoning sin.  It  was a false doctrine.  It was designed to fill their coffers, but it could not atone for sin.  It serves as a classic example of how these false religious leaders were devouring widow’s houses. 

And as we look at the next section in this chapter next week, we will see Jesus pronouncement of judgment upon this temple, and this system which victimized the very ones that they were supposed to be helping by teaching them a false religion and ignoring the truth of God’s word.  Within 35 years from that day, the temple would be destroyed and all the priests killed or scattered.  God’s judgment would be poured out on them for their false religion.

Folks, I wonder how many of you here this morning would rather continue in your comfortable, established false religion than find freedom in the truth of God’ word?  I wonder how many prefer a form of religion, without the power of it, the power of the truth which brings about conversion and produces sanctification?  I wonder how many will reject the lordship of Jesus Christ, and say “we will not let Christ rule over us, He will not decide for us, He will not tell us what to do.”  I wonder how many will continue to think that they can be saved and not sanctified.  I hope no one.    Jesus said in Luke 6:46 "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?”

I hope no one leaves here today without submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Giving of themselves first and foremost, 100% to the Lord, realizing that He is Lord, and all their life and being belong to Him.

The hope of the resurrection, Luke 20: 27-40

Today we are looking at the third in a trilogy of trick questions asked of Jesus by the religious elite in the last days before His crucifixion.  The first one was a question of where Jesus got His authority to do the things like clean out the vendors from the temple.   That act had really got the religious leaders upset because He was messing with their income.  Fraudulent income, but nevertheless, they got away with it.  And this was the second time in His ministry that Jesus had come into the temple and cleaned it out.  So they were steamed.  They already were plotting how to kill Jesus.  This just pushes them over the edge. 

Then there was the second trick question that was designed to get Jesus to say something concerning Caesar or taxes which they could use to have Him arrested.  And Jesus artfully answered it in such a way as to not only avoid their trap, but set a timeless standard for Christian conduct that extends even to today in our society. 

Now behind all these questions, is a delegation of religious leaders that have in many respects been opponents of one another for the religious control of the Jews, but they have been united for now in their common hatred for Jesus. So these disparate factions within Judaism are working together to try to get Jesus to say something that they can use against Him.  To discredit Him in front of the Jews and ultimately  to be able to execute Him for by the hands of the Romans.

So the last question of the trilogy is asked by a particular religious faction known as the Sadducees.  The text tells us that the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection.  The Sadducees are the aristocrats, the wealthy, the influential.  They were the party of the chief priests, the high priests and the Sanhedrin.  These were positions which were bought by influence.  And so they were the ones who had profited the most from the vendors and money changing operations in the temple that Jesus had closed down. They were the ones who felt most threatened by the power of Jesus.

Now Luke says they did not believe in the resurrection.  And the way they came about that doctrine was they were extreme legalists.  They only accepted the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Pentateuch, or the Law, as inspired scripture.  They did not accept the rest of the OT scriptures as inspired.  I guess they would look at those writings  as sort of informed commentary on the Law, but not inspired by God.  So when David writes about life after death, they did not accept that.  When Daniel spoke of a resurrection, they didn’t accept it.  They only believed the Pentateuch, all authored by Moses, and for the most part there is almost nothing in the first five books that say much about a resurrection or an afterlife.

So basically, the Sadducees saw the only benefit to living a godly life, by keeping the law, was to reap earthly benefits from blessings that God gives you here as a reward for being godly or law abiding.   They attempted to live their life in such a way that they hoped to receive divine blessings here, such as long life, happiness, many children, many possessions, and of course, a lot of money. 

Now this type of philosophy is not all that far removed from our present day prosperity doctrine, is it?  However, modern day prosperity advocates do accept the resurrection, some notion of heaven, but they don’t really focus on it much.  Rather than merit coming from keeping the law though, these folks like to think that grace is a NT doctrine that promises  health, wealth and happiness here on earth.  And they are so content with earth and the prospects of prosperity and long life and being healed of every disease and delivered from every misfortune that they take scarce thought of the resurrection.  They are well content to leave that as some obscure hope that they are going to be in heaven some day, even though they really don’t like to think very much about it.  Because, like the Sadducees, their hope is on earth, not in the hereafter.

So the Sadducees question for Jesus is really an attack on His doctrine, because if they can show His teaching to be faulty, then they can undermine His entire ministry.  See, Jesus came preaching and teaching what?  The kingdom of heaven.  Jesus’ teaching is all about how to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Well, if they can show that there is no resurrection, then they can basically destroy His ministry. Act 23:8 says,  “For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.”

Now that verse proves that the Sadducees didn’t even believe what they claimed to believe.  They claimed to only believe the Law, or the Pentateuch, but the Pentateuch clearly speaks of angels.  Abraham was visited by angels.  Lot was visited by angels and delivered from Sodom and Gomorrah.  And of course the Garden of Eden was guarded by angels with flaming swords after Adam and Eve were kicked out.  So there was ample evidence of angels, even if there wasn’t ample evidence of the resurrection.  The point is, the Sadducees were not unlike many people today, they claim to believe the Bible, but in reality they really don’t believe all of it.  They pick and choose what is expedient, what fits according to science, what makes sense to them intellectually. 

In fact, to jump ahead for a moment, Jesus accuses them of that very thing.  In the parallel version found in Matthew 22: 29 “Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God.” What a powerful statement that is still so very true today.  What this statement shows is that it is possible to know scripture, and yet not understand the scripture.  That is what 2Tim.  2:15 is talking about when Paul says,  “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”  How will you not be ashamed?  What does that mean?  It means not being ashamed at His coming.  When God calls you to give an account for your stewardship one day, I believe the foremost thing that we will have to give an account for is our stewardship of the Word of God.  Did we handle it accurately, or did we handle it carelessly, or perhaps we treated it with contempt by twisting it and using it for our own advantage like the Sadducees did, ignoring some parts and claiming others that we like more.

Listen, I can prove anything I want to prove by the Scripture if I am willing to take it out of context and apply it here and there, wherever I want.  There is only one way to rightly understand the Scriptures; that is coming to it without an agenda.  Coming to it without a template, without a doctrine that you are trying to validate.  But taking it as God reveals it, and then being obedient to what He reveals, and then, and only then, will the Holy Spirit lead you and guide you into all truth as Jesus promised in John 16:13.   We must come to the Word of God reverently, in complete subjection to whatever God would show us and never subjugate God’s word to a vision, or a thought that popped in my head that I attribute to God, or a prophet, or a pope, or even an angel of light.  God’s word is the ultimate authority for truth.  Everything else must be subjected to the light of the truth; the full counsel of the Word of God.

So the Sadducees ask this tricky question, which is really kind of a kooky question.  In order to get the answer that they want, they have to fabricate this elaborate story that is in it self ridiculous, in order to try to make Jesus’ look ridiculous.  We already read the question, so I won’t repeat it, but basically they are working off of the law in Duet. 25, which has a provision for two brothers who live together and one of them has a wife which is childless.  If he should die without an heir, the brother is to go in to his wife and raise up for her a child.  Now this was God’s way of protecting the family and the widow particularly in the division of property in Israel.  I’m not going to take the time to go into that in any more detail right now, but it should be noted that it was not a practice limited to the Jews.  It was a common practice among a number of ancient civilizations at that time and God used this practice to provide for the widow and keep the property within the family.

But the Sadducees use this law to raise an impossible situation to try to make Jesus look ridiculous.  They say that if there were seven brothers, and all seven had her, and all of them died without raising up a son, and eventually,  thank goodness,  the black widow dies as well, which one will be her husband in the afterlife?  For they all had her. 

And so Jesus answers; “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God.” Vs. 34, ““The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.” Let’s stop there for a moment. 

The sons of this age is a reference to the men of this earth.  These are men who are living in the “in-betweens”,  in between the first coming and the second coming of Christ, this present age.  Now the characteristic given of the sons of this age are that they  marry and are given in marriage.  But there are other characteristics of the sons of the next age; the age after the resurrection.  First off, He says those who attain to the resurrection from the dead do not marry, for they cannot die anymore.  In other words, there is no need for procreation anymore after the resurrection. 

So procreation is not needed anymore because we cannot die so there is no reason to raise up children.  But there is another reason implied here in the fact that we will no longer marry.  And to understand that you need to look at Ephesians 5.  This is the famous passage of scripture often read at weddings.  It tells how the wife is to love her husband, and the husband is to love his wife.  But if you can get past the romantic aspects of it, there is some important doctrinal implications there for us. 

The husband’s relationship to his wife is repeatedly correlated to the relationship of Christ to the church.  Note vs. 25 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”  Now what becomes clear here is that marriage is a foreshadow of our relationship to Christ.  Individually, having become born again, we become part of a body, called the church.  And the church is designed- the church’s purpose - is to be the bride of Christ. 

Listen to vs.31 “FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.”  Do you see that?  Marriage is a type of our relationship to Christ as the bride of Christ.  It is a foretaste of the glory that will one day be consummated when we are one with Christ.  When we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 

The book of Hebrews is basically a book showing that there are all these types and symbols in the OT which are fulfilled in Christ.  I don’t have time to show all of them to you this morning, but if we can agree that marriage as it is laid out for us in Ephesians 5 is a foreshadowing of our future relationship with Christ as His bride, then as Hebrews explains these things that are only a shadow and a copy of heavenly things will be done away with when the fullness comes with Christ.  When we are glorified with Christ and we shall be like Him, and be one with Him, then the fullness of that relationship is going to make even the best relationship on earth obsolete.  It doesn’t mean we won’t recognize our wife or husband or loved ones.  On the contrary, it will enable us to love one another in a way that we have never known.  There is something in store for us that is so much better than even the best things in marriage.  We will be one with Christ, and one with one another.  We will know, even as we are known.  For now we look in a mirror darkly, we see our future life with Christ through a veil which is marriage between a man and a woman.  But in the next age the veil will be removed, and we shall see Him, and we shall be like Him.  And we will know the fullness of joy of being the spotless bride of Christ and being consummated in the fullness of His love for us, living with Him and reigning with Him forever.

Secondly, Jesus says the resurrected are like the angels.  Note that Jesus doesn’t say that we become angels.  I’ve heard people say at the death of a loved one that God needed another angel.  That simply is not taught in the Bible.  Jesus doesn’t say that we  become angels.  In fact, the Hebrews 2 makes it clear that for now we are a little lower than the angels, but Paul says the day will come in the next age when we will judge angels.  Angels are ministering spirits of God. But we are the children of God. In the next age, we will actually be like God for we shall see Him as He is.  We will be co-inheritors with Christ.  We will rule and reign with Christ.

Thirdly, Jesus says that they are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.  He says those that are considered worthy to attain to the resurrection. Listen, no one is worthy of the resurrection by their own merit. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  So before you can be found worthy of resurrection, you  must first confess that you are a sinner,  trusting in the blood of Jesus Christ which cleanses us from all sin, and by faith in Him you are then born again by the Spirit of God to become a child of God. Rom. 8:16-17 says “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”  

Now what exactly is meant by sons of the resurrection?  I spoke on this subject a month or two ago, and so I don’t want to cover all of that again.  But let me try to give you a synopsis of the resurrection.  Actually, let me give you the Apostle Paul’s synopsis.  And that synopsis is found in 1Cor. 15:35-58  “But someone will say, "How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?"  You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies;  and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else”  Now first notice that this present body must die.  And the body we die with is not the body which we are raised with, just like a seed that is planted doesn’t look like the plant that it produces.

Vs. 38 “But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own.  All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish.  There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body;  it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”  So Paul is saying that our earthly body has certain characteristics such as temporal, weak, corruptible.  And then there are heavenly bodies, or spiritual bodies which have heavenly characteristics. They will be powerful, glorified, eternal.  

Vs. 45 “So also it is written, "The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” That second Adam is speaking metaphorically of Jesus Christ.  He became a life giving spirit by shedding His sinless blood for the remission of our sins, so that we might be born again by His Spirit and receive eternal life. 

Vs. 46 “However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.  The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven.  As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.”  That which is of the flesh cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven.  We must be born again by the Holy Spirit.  You are born dead in your sins, but by faith in Christ you are made alive in the Spirit. 

VS. 49 “Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  Vs.  51, here is the resurrection: ”Behold, I tell you a mystery;(the resurrection had been a mystery to the OT saints.  They did not see it a fully as we do.  And yet it is still a mystery to us, though we know much more  through the revelation of the NT)  “We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.  But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O  DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?"  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Often when Jesus and the apostles refer to death they say that someone fell asleep.  Jesus said about Lazarus that he fell asleep and the disciples said then why do we need to go there if he is sleeping?  And Jesus answered plainly, “Lazarus is dead.”  Paul here says that we will not all sleep.  What is he talking about?  Why is there this need to couch death in this euphemism of sleeping?  Well, I believe the answer is that for a believer, death is not death of the soul and spirit, but death of the body.  The body lies in the dirt, but the spirit lives.  Similar to when we sleep our body is out, but our mind is still going.  So death for a believer indicates the body is asleep, but the spirit is alive.  I believe that the Bible teaches that this resting place is not “heaven” as is commonly thought of in terms like the streets of gold and pearly gates. But as Jesus explained in the story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16, in death the rich man lifted up his eyes in torment, but Lazarus was being comforted in Abraham’s bosom.  

Every Jew listening that day would have known what Jesus was talking about.  Death in the OT was known in the Hebrew as sheol, and in the Greek it is Hades.  So Jesus is saying that the rich man is in Hades.  And the listening Jews would have also known that Abraham’s bosom was a way of speaking of Paradise.  That is where the believers are comforted and rest until the resurrection, when the dead in Christ shall rise first.  Jesus Himself told the thief on the cross that today you will be with Me in Paradise.  Yet after He rose again, He told Mary not to hold onto Him because He had not yet ascended unto His Father.  So where was Jesus during those three days?  He was in the abode of the dead, particularly in the section for believers, the righteous, known as Paradise. 

Peter confirms this in 1Pet. 3:18-19 “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison.”   He was dead in the flesh, His body was in the tomb, but He was alive in the Spirit and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison.  That was the spirits held in Hades, particularly those it says in vs. 20 who lived during the time of Noah when God destroyed the Earth. 

Now I am not trying to spark an eschatological debate.  But what I am trying to impress upon you this morning in a limited amount of time is that the resurrection is the lynchpin of our salvation.  It is the hope for which we have been saved.  Paul said in 1Cor. 15:19 “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”  If we are like the Sadducees, and our hope is only in this life, then we are of all men most miserable. Death is going to be the end of all that you have worked for, all that you have known.   Listen, I can assure you that God hasn’t promised you unfailing health, unending wealth, and endless prosperity in this life.  But God has promised those who believe in Him eternal life, and when this mortal shall put on immortality then all the inheritance of the saints will be realized.  There will be in that day unfailing health, unending wealth, and endless life for ever and ever because we will be united with the source of all life.

The Bible says that it is appointed unto man once to die, and after that the judgment.  Those however that are in Paradise, who have entered their rest, who are “asleep in Jesus” will be raised first. 1Thess. 4:15-17 “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”  This is the hope of our salvation; the resurrection where we will be united with Christ and live with Him for eternity.

Now let’s look back at the response of Jesus.  He gives the Sadducees an answer from the Law, the Pentateuch, in order to satisfy their question.  I love how Jesus knows the OT and uses it.  After all, He wrote it.  John identifies Jesus as the Word of God who existed in the beginning with God.  He was God, and He was the Word of God.  So these Sadducees test Jesus with the law, and Jesus uses the Law to refute them.  He says in vs. 37 "But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB. 38 "Now He is not the God of the dead but of the living; for all live to Him."

Remember, these Sadducees only accept Moses as a prophet of God, and think only the writings of Moses as inspired Scripture.  And so Jesus masterfully uses Moses to refute their flawed theology.  He says Moses called God the “God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”  He said  “Now God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”    In this quote from Exodus 3, Jesus proves that God is the God of the living.  He doesn’t say God was the God of Abraham, but God is the God of Abraham. They are living.  Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were living because though their bodies were dead, their spirits were alive, even as we saw in the story of Lazarus being comforted by Abraham in Paradise. 

Listen folks, this is our hope.  This is the blessed hope of the resurrection.  This is the promise of God for those that belong to Him, who have been born again as children of God.  We have the hope of eternal life.  Jesus said it most clearly to Martha at the resurrection of Lazarus, the other Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha.  He said in John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?’" 

I would just like to echo that question to you this morning; Do you believe this?  Do you believe that if you have been born again you will never die?  You will never die?  Has that fully sunk in ladies and gentlemen?  Because if it has, it should change the way you live.  If you believe that you will never die you will stop living for the moment.  You will stop living for today.  If you believe that you will never die you will stop wasting your life on things that are only temporary.  You will start living life like it was said of Abraham in Hebrews 11; that he was living as a sojourner in tents, as an alien, a citizen of another country.  For he was looking for a city with foundations, whose builder and architect is God. 

Rev. 21 describes that city whose architect is God.  It says in vs. 1-5 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new."

I would just close today by asking you to examine yourself first of all.  Do you have the hope of resurrection?  Do you have that assurance of faith that God will resurrect you on that last day?  Do you know that your sins have been forgiven, that you have been born again as a child of God?  You can know that.  If you believe what God promises in His word, you can be saved and be assured of your salvation.   I would be happy to show you from the Bible how you can know that you are a child of God if you will just see me after the service. 

And then for those of you that have confessed Jesus as Lord, I trust that you will examine your life today in light of God’s word.  Are you living in the hope of the resurrection? Are you looking for the city whose architect and builder is God? Is that your hope, the focus of your life?  Or are you living like the Sadducees, focusing on the riches and pleasures of this world, citizens of this world and unmoved by the prospect of eternity?  I trust that today you will reconsider your commitment to Christ and the glory that will be revealed to His bride the church at His coming.  I hope that you will be found faithful, rightly dividing the truth of God’s word, so that you will not be ashamed at His coming.  

Render unto Caesar, render unto God, Luke 20: 19-26

Today’s passage is one that is probably familiar to many of you here today.  It’s been used in a variety of contexts, not the least of which is to augment the idea of the separation of church and state.  However, it does not teach that.  Neither Jesus or the apostles ever taught separation of church and state.  That is not a Christian doctrine, but it is decidedly an anti-Christian doctrine that has been foisted upon us by an anti-Christian government, and fortified by a misinterpretation of this passage.  God is sovereign over all the world, and as such is sovereign over all governments of the world.  Man only thinks that he can separate government from God.

But we will look at the correct interpretation of this passage in just a moment.  First of all though let’s look at the context of this event.  This event comes as part of a trilogy of trick questions, concocted by a delegation made up of representatives of every religious faction in Israel; notably the chief priests, the scribes, the Pharisees, the Herodians and the Sadducees.  I will not bore you with the differences between these various factions.  Just know that  this was the equivalent of  getting the Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians and the Tea Party to all come together and agree on something.  All of these parties were traditionally political enemies or at least adversaries for religious control in Israel.  So getting them together and in agreement meant only one thing, Jesus was a considered a greater enemy, a greater threat to all of them than they were to each other. So these former enemies were united by a common enemy.

The only problem was that Jesus was anything but common.  And so they constantly were undone by Jesus’ wisdom which surpassed all their combined cunning and scheming.  But that doesn’t seem to stop them from trying.  These guys kind of remind me of Wile E. Fox on the old Roadrunner cartoons.  They keep coming up with these elaborate, clever schemes, and Jesus turns them right around on them time after time.  We saw that last week with the question they had concerning from where He got His authority.  Jesus answered their question with a question of His own which they could not answer without revealing their duplicitous nature, so they had to plead the fifth.  His wisdom is beyond their capacity to refute. 

But like Wile E. Coyote, these guys don’t know when to quit.  They become even more angry, more spiteful and even more cunning in their attempt to catch Him in something they can use to destroy Him.  Look at vs. 19-20;  “The scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and they feared the people; for they understood that He spoke this parable against them.  So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor.”

It’s interesting that Luke characterizes these spies as having to pretend that they were righteous.  Even though they were the religious elite, they had to pretend to be righteous.  So these spies who are pretending to be righteous come to Jesus, try to blend in with the crowd and then try to trick Jesus by asking Him a predetermined question that had been concocted by their superiors, the highest ranking officials in the religious orders of Israel.  It was a question designed to trap Jesus no matter which way He answered it.  As far as they were concerned, it had no right answer.  They thought that there were only two ways of answering it, and one way would seriously hurt Jesus’ standing with the people, and answering it the other way would put Him in trouble with the Roman government.  And they really thought He would answer it in such a way as to enable them to charge Him with sedition against the Roman government.  That was really their plan.  That way He would be executed by the Romans and they would seem to be innocent of the whole affair.  But of course they would reap the benefits by regaining and maintaining the status quo of their religious standing.

So here is their question, vs. 21,22; They questioned Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth.  "Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"

Now we have already noted their craftiness, but notice also their flattery.  Be wary of people that come to you with flattering speech, ladies and gentlemen. Righteous pretenders love to use flattery to get an advantage. Some of the greatest injury to our church has come through people who were adept at flattery.  They love to butter you up by lavishing compliments on you before they stick the butter knife in your back.  Beware of flattery.  Note also that their own speech condemns them.  They say we know you speak the truth.  I love that one.  Those same flatterers that I have had the pleasure of encountering can’t help but say something to the effect like “Roy is a great teacher, no one is preaching the word of God like Roy is.”  And yet in the next breath they condemn you for preaching too much of it.  They criticize your doctrine.  One day they will be judged by their own words. 

So herein lies the craftiness of their question.  They really think that Jesus is just a rabble rouser.  He has a rough band of disciples traveling with Him that are made up of fishermen and tax collectors and at least one or two of them are considered Zealots.  The Zealots were radical insurrectionists who wanted to overthrow the rule of the Romans.  So that is more than likely the association that they made with Jesus.  They supposed that He would oppose paying taxes to Caesar.  Now if they could get Him to say that, then they would have a hangable offense with which to charge Jesus and bring Him before a Roman court. 

In fact, even though Jesus does not say that you should not pay taxes, actually quite the opposite, it does not stop them from lying and claiming that He said that when they brought Him before Pilate a few days later. Luke 23:2 says, “And they began to accuse Him, saying, ‘We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.’"

But the other possible answer that they supposed Jesus would say was just as condemning.  Because Caesar claimed to be divine and was considered a god in the pantheon of Roman Gods.  So if Jesus supported taxation they could not only use that to hurt His standing among the common people who were handicapped by the severe Roman tax on just about everything, but they could also claim He was guilty of breaking  Jewish law.  Furthermore, in the law it says that you shall make no graven image and the currency of the Roman government, particularly the denarius, was engraved with the image of the Emperor. So they figured they would get Him either way He answered, and they really expected Him to side with the insurrectionists.

Look at how Jesus answers them though.  His wisdom exceeds their trickery.  Vs. 23-25 “But He detected their trickery and said to them, ‘Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?’ They said, ‘Caesar's.’ And He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

Now this is a brilliant answer, not only because He eludes their trap, but because He establishes truth in such a way that it becomes an enduring principle for the ages.  He doesn’t just answer their question in such a way as to escape immediate judgment, or get out of the question, but He fully answers them in a way in which they cannot refute, and at the same time establishes an enduring principle for how we are to live our lives today no matter what the culture or the time period we find ourselves in.  Such is the nature of the truth of the Word of God.  It is timeless.  It is enduring.  Even 2000 years later it is still relevant, still pertinent and still true.  That is why we preach the word of God, ladies and gentlemen.  It is truth, it is eternal truth, and only the truth will set you free.  Man’s attempts at rationalization cannot even begin to address life’s great questions, but God’s truth is able to discern between truth and error and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Jesus gives a two part answer and so I want to examine each part in turn.  Each part is a principle that we can employ as we make decisions on a day to day basis as to how we are to live in a godless world.  The first part of Jesus’ answer is, “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.”  Now this is brilliant.  First of all, Jesus asks them for a denarius.  Matthew adds some additional information in his gospel which helps us to understand the significance of this a little better. In Matt. 22:19 Jesus says "Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax." And they brought Him a denarius.”  A poll tax was the tax levied at the census, when everyone had to register.  If you remember, that was the reason Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem to register for the census and pay a poll tax.  So this was the particular tax that the religious leaders were addressing.  And that poll tax was paid with Roman currency, which was a denarius. So Jesus asks to see the coin that was required by the Romans. 

And He asks them to tell Him what image and inscription is on the coin.  The answer is that it was Caesar, probably Tiberius Caesar, and the inscription even alluded to his divinity.  The point Jesus is making is that this is Caesar’s money, his image is engraved on it and his inscription is engraved on it.  So Jesus says, “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” 

Now it’s helpful I think to understand the word translated “render.”  It is “ä-po-dē'-dō-mē” in the original Greek.  It means to pay back a debt, to give back something that belongs to someone else, to repay.  Now that helps us to understand what Jesus is saying.  Not only does the money belong to Caesar’s government, but the idea is that Caesar has provided certain things as the head of the government, and that has incurred a debt on their part.  They must repay that debt to the government. 

Now that is a godly principle, is it not?  We are to pay our debts.  If we owe something to someone, Jesus said in Matt. 5, then before you go to the temple to present yourself to worship God, go make amends with the one whom you owe.  In other words, you cannot worship God when you owe a debt to someone that you haven’t paid.  We saw that principle when we looked at Zaccheus a few weeks ago.  When he got right with God he immediately wanted to get right with those he had defrauded.  

So in effect what Jesus is saying is that since you owe the government for it’s services, it’s protection, it’s roads, it’s enforcement of laws, give them what is due them.  Pay your taxes because it’s a debt that you owe to the government for providing certain services to it’s citizens.  See, rather than teaching the separation of church and state, the Biblical principle is that God has established government to be His ministers of justice and order and the rule of law.  Paul says in Romans 13:1-2 “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.”  He goes on to say in Rom. 13:5-8 “Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.  For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.  Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.”  And then Paul states the overriding principle in vs. 8 “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.”  That’s the royal law of God.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  Even to the point of loving your enemy.

Let me tell you something to help put this in perspective.  When Paul wrote these words he was most likely in prison awaiting trial by none other than the Caesar of that period, who was the evil Emperor Nero.  This man would one day have Paul’s head cut off.  This was an emperor who castrated a young man and then married him in a public, royal, homosexual marriage ceremony.  This was the same guy that used to light up his palace gardens for parties at night  with Christians burning on stakes.  And yet Paul says give honor to whom honor is due.  As citizens we have a debt to our government that must be honored, even when it is not a God honoring government.

Now you may say well maybe Paul didn’t realize how bad Nero was.  Well, Jesus certainly knew how bad Tiberius Caesar was.  When Jesus looked at that denarius and said render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, He knew full well that in just 3 days by Caesar’s government He himself would be led like a sheep to the slaughter to hang from a cross by Roman soldiers.  And yet Jesus said, “render to Caesar the things that are Caesars.”  Listen, it’s not for you to rebel against those whom God has given a measure of authority to.  God established government for the benefit of His kingdom.  And God will hold Caesar accountable for things that belong to Caesar.  But He will also hold you accountable for your subjection to authority.

Peter says in 1 Peter 2:13-14, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.” By such faithful acts, Christians “may silence the ignorance of foolish men” and be found as good citizens.  We give no cause for offense to the government by disobeying the government.  We owe them good citizenship.  And when we do so we can silence the critics. 

And that is exactly what happened here in the passage in Luke.  The religious leaders were silenced by the answer of Jesus.  They were unable to find fault with the wisdom of God. Luke 20:26  “And they were unable to catch Him in a saying in the presence of the people; and being amazed at His answer, they became silent.” Listen, if you want to silence your critics then rely upon the wisdom of God’s word and be obedient to God’s principles. Are you having wife problems? “Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.”  Fulfill the royal law, love one another.  Even love your enemy.  Are you having husband problems? “Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.”  Fulfill the royal law, love one another.  Even love your enemy.  Are you having business problems? “Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.”  Fulfill the royal law, love one another.  Even love your enemy.  No matter what the problem in this world of relationships, the answer is the same.  Owe no one nothing, instead love them. Give them what is due them. Honor them.  Respect them.  And you will silence your critics.

Now let’s look at the other side of the equation.  “Render unto God the things that are God’s.”  Now how are we to understand this principle?  Well, first of all, use the same formula that Jesus used in the first principle.  What did God make in His image?  Man.  Man was made in the image of God. Gen. 1:27 says,  “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”  Folks, I don’t know if you have  contemplated the full implications of that verse or not.  But I have as far as my limited intellectual capacity allows.  We looked at it extensively in our study of Genesis that we have been doing on Wednesday night. 

To be made in the image of God indicates a number of things. But one thing is fundamental.  We were not made to be autonomous. We were not made to be independent, free agents. We were made for God’s purposes. We were made to be the bride of Christ.  We were made to be the objects of God’s love, to be like God, conformed to the image of Christ.  To be one Spirit with God. To be one in fellowship and communion with God.  That is why God made man.  Ephesians 5 makes it clear that marriage between a man and a woman is a picture of the church’s relationship with Christ. Just as a husband and his wife are to be one flesh, so Christ and His church are to be one spirit.  That is why Christ gave His life for the church, because He loved her with an even greater love than a man loves his bride.  God made man for His glory, for His pleasure, to satisfy His purposes.  We are not some cosmic accident.  We belong to God because He made us specifically for Himself. 

Now once you start to comprehend that concept, then the principle, “render unto God the things that are Gods” starts to become a little more clear, doesn’t it?  At the very least, we must respond in love to God’s love towards us.  We must give our lives to God, commit our lives to God.  We must give back our lives for His glory.  We must give ourselves totally and completely to Him, forsaking all others, being faithful only to your Him so long as you shall live... so help you God.  That’s where you start.  That’s what it means to render to God the things that are God’s. 

That’s what it means to be a Christian, by the way.  It’s not a religion, it’s a relationship.  But don’t you dare take that word relationship lightly or flippantly.  It’s not a flirtatious relationship, it’s not a relationship marked by infidelity.  It’s not a relationship based on a casual friendship.  It’s not a modern day kind of relationship where you take all you can get without commitment, without sacrifice.   But “Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.”  Fulfill the royal law, “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength and all your might.” 

Listen, this passage isn’t so much a treatise on the importance of paying your taxes.  It’s the message of the gospel.  You were made and stamped in the image of God.  You were made for communion and a relationship with God. You were made to be one with God.  But sin broke that communion and relationship.  Man rebelled against his Maker, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator.  Man obeyed Satan’s word, and rebelled against God’s word and as such rightly brought upon himself the sentence of death.  But God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes on Him, should not perish but have eternal life.   The eternal Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us.  But the world did not know Him.  They rejected Him.  These religious leaders, Peter said later in Acts 2, “delivered [Jesus] over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, and nailed Him to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.  But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”

This same Jesus is now seated in heaven at the right hand of the Father, having paid the penalty for sin to those that will believe in Him.  Peter said, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself."  This is the plan of God to reconcile man, to make him holy by the blood of Jesus, and to put His Spirit within them so that they might be one with Him.

Ladies and gentlemen, the question of the hour is simply this.  Have you rendered unto God the things that are God’s?  Have you given Him your life?  Are you withholding from God what you rightfully owe Him?  One day every knee will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  Caesars will bow, kings will bow, presidents will bow, all the governments will bow before the throne of Christ.  But those who gave their lives in faith to Christ in this life will be seated on the throne beside Him in the next life.  And those who refused to bow to Him in this life, those who refused to give Him honor in this life, those who rebelled against Him in this life, even though they may bow then, will not be part of His kingdom.  But they will be cast out of the marriage feast into a place prepared for the devil and his angels, the Lake of Fire. 

I trust that if you  have committed your life to a marriage relationship with Christ you will be found to be a good steward today.  Not only of your obligations to the government, to your marriage, to your employer, to every governing authority established by God, but also I hope you are found to be a good steward of your obligation to God. 1Cor. 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”  Render to God the things that are God’s.  God requires nothing less than your very life, your will, your purpose.  God rightly demands it all.  Give back  unto God the things that are God’s.