LIFE OF
CHRIST
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AND
Matthew 22:23-33
ILLOGICAL LOGIC
Life of Christ #49
Think of logic as
a system of reasoning.
Think of illogical
as senseless.
Illogical logic is
senseless reasoning.
That’s what the
story about the carrots was – senseless reasoning.
That’s what the
lack of common sense is – senseless reasoning.
That’s what some
of Jesus’ enemies practiced – senseless reasoning or
illogical logic.
The Sadducees were
the smallest sect trying to have control in
· They did not believe in the eternal state of the soul or the
resurrection. They thought that once you were dead, that was it.
· They did not believe in angels.
· They did not believe in the many interpretations of the law that were
written like the Pharisees did.
· They used the Pentateuch as their basis for religion, and took little
stock in the rest of the Old Testament.
· They saw Jesus as a threat to their authority and wanted to eliminate
Him.
The Sadducees came
to Jesus with a piece of logic designed to prove their point. It was a way of thinking that justified their
belief that there was no resurrection.
It turned out to be illogical logic or senseless reasoning.
There are times
when Christians and non-Christians alike use illogical logic, senseless
reasoning to justify their thinking. We
must be careful that we do not fall into that trap.
I’d like us to
consider three things about illogical logic.
HOW WE FOOL –
Vss. 23-28
First of all, let
us establish an important fact. The Old
Testament does teach the resurrection from the dead. Daniel 12:2, Isaiah 26:19,
Job 19:25-27
The Sadducees did
not choose to believe in the resurrection, so they fooled themselves into
thinking they were right by making up arguments against it.
Vss. 24-28 – The Sadducees tell of what was probably a hypothetical situation
involving an Old Testament Law.
When a man was
married and died without any children, a brother was to go into the man’s widow
and father a child in the name of the brother.
This is called a levirate marriage. Deuteronomy 25:5-6
In this
illustration the Sadducees are trying to point out the folly of
resurrection. Because there were seven
who had been married to her, whose wife would she be in the resurrection?
The Sadducees
didn’t like something, so they tried to make it look stupid. And if you tried to answer them with the
Scriptures about the resurrection that I quoted a few moments ago they would
claim that they weren’t authoritative because they were not in the Pentateuch.
There are times
when we are no different than the Sadducees.
God will clearly teach something in the Scriptures but we will discredit
what is said, or reason it away, or claim it does not apply to us.
HOW WE FOOL
HOW WE FAIL –
Vs. 29
Matthew 22:29 - Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do
err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
As the great
diagnostician Jesus analyzed why the Sadducees were in error.
First of all, they
were in error because they did not “know” the Scriptures.
There are two ways
to know the Scriptures. First, you can
know what Scripture says. You can know
the teaching of the Scriptures.
The second way you
can know the Scriptures is by knowing what it says and believing it enough to
accept what it says and obey it.
Some of the
Sadducees may have known the Scriptures in that they knew what it said in
theory. But they did not know the
Scriptures by believing them experientially.
Secondly they did
not know the power of God.
Again, in theory
they may have known that God was all-powerful, but in practice they did not
believe that God was powerful enough to raise the dead.
We fall into error
for the same reasons.
We fail for the
same reasons.
If you know this
verse, say it with me,
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.
Many people know
this verse in that they can quote or familiar with it when it is quoted.
And yet they don’t
know this verse because they have not actually done what the verse says.
They have not
acknowledged their total sinfulness before God.
They have not
believed that Jesus gave His life on the cross for them to pay for their sins.
They have not put
their full trust in Christ for salvation.
Hence, they really
don’t know this Scripture, or the power of God to save them and to change them!
2 Corinthians
5:17 - Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new.
And we Christians
run into failure as well.
We know in theory
that the Scriptures promise victory over sin.
Romans 6:14 - For sin shall not have dominion over you:
for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
We know in theory
that the Scriptures teach us to abide in Christ.
John 15:4 - Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit
of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
And we know in
theory that we are to pray continually.
1 Thessalonians
5:17 - Pray without ceasing.
And we know in
theory that we should be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 5:18 - And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess;
but be filled with the Spirit;
But we fail
because we don’t know these verses experientially that is, in practice or
reality.
In other words, we
do not know these truths by faith, actually trusting God to enable us to do
these things!
We know the
Scriptures when we believe them enough to obey them.
We know the power
of God when we trust God to empower us to obey His Word.
Like the Sadducees
we fail because we do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
HOW WE FOOL
WHY FAIL
WHERE’S YOUR
FAITH?– Vss. 30-32
Jesus points the
Sadducees back to the Word of God.
Our faith is
always to be based on what God has said.
We need to know
the Scripture in theory – what it says.
We need to know
the Scripture experientially – believing it and practicing it.
Romans 10:17 - So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing
by the word of God.
Could Jesus have
quoted the verses the Old Testament Scriptures that I quoted earlier proving
the resurrection?
Of course he could
have.
He didn’t, because
the Sadducees would not have accepted them.
So Jesus goes to
the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible to prove his point.
Vs. 30 – Jesus first clears up some misconceptions about the resurrection.
The Jews that did
believe in the resurrection thought that they would have bodies identical to
the ones they had in this life.
Instead Jesus
points out that their will be no husband and wife relationships. There won’t be marriage, sexual intercourse,
and having more children.
We will be like
the angels in that we will remain single.
But we will also
be above the angels, because, we as part of the church will be the Bride of
Christ.
Will we know our
loved ones in Heaven and be reunited with them?
I firmly believe that we will be. We will just not have the exact same
relationship.
Vss. 31-32 – Jesus is quoting the Pentateuch here.
He is quoting God
who made the statement quoted there many times. The first time He said it was
in Exodus 3:6.
God said, “I AM
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
He does not say,
“I was”, even though they were dead.
God is not the God
of the dead, but of the living Jesus said.
If God said “I am”
their God he meant that they were still alive.
Their spirits are
very much alive along with the spirits of all believers. 2 Corinthians 5:8
The God of the
living souls of all believers will also give these living believers new bodies,
as promised in other Scriptures outside the Pentateuch. 1 Corinthians 15:51-53
So, where’s your
faith?
Is it in the
promises of the Word of God?
Are you trusting in God for your own
resurrection?
Are you trusting in God for forgiveness and
eternal life?
Will you believe
God for the ability to be obedient in this life?
Have you been
practicing illogical logic, senseless reasoning?
Turn from it
today!
HOW WE FOOL
WHY WE FAIL
WHERE’S YOUR
FAITH?
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