No Time For Hypotheticals
Luke 20:27-40
August 2, 2020
I know it’s been now 3 weeks since we were in Luke’s gospel together. I trust that Bro. Mike was a blessing to you the last 2 Sundays, I know he is always a blessing to me.
I hope you appreciate his willingness to always step in
And lead in worship when I am away.
This morning we jump back into Luke’s gospel
And I trust you remember where we are in the journey of Jesus’ life.
We have said we are in a segment of Jesus’ life where He is: SECURING A CRUCIFIXION.
Jesus had again reiterated this truth to the disciples:
Luke 18:31-34 “Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. “For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again.” But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said.”
Jesus came to save sinners through His own sacrificial death.
• Isaiah said it had to happen.
• David said how it had to happen.
• Daniel said when it had to happen.
That time is here and Jesus has entered Jerusalem to see that it happens.
We saw Him purposely fulfill that Messianic prophesy
• By getting on that donkey’s colt and entering Jerusalem
• Amid shouts of Hosanna and the singing of Psalms 118.
That certainly put the Pharisees on edge.
Luke 19:39 “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”
We then saw Him turn and rebuke the entire crowd
• That was following Him and proclaiming peace.
Luke 19:42 “saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.”
He then entered the temple and wrecked that place
• Setting off the chief priests and the scribes..
Luke 19:45-47 “Jesus entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling, saying to them, “It is written, ‘AND MY HOUSE SHALL BE A HOUSE OF PRAYER,’ but you have made it a ROBBERS’DEN.” And He was teaching daily in the temple; but the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to destroy Him,”
And now it is Wednesday and He has returned to the temple
• And really sort of laid claim to it as His own.
He has set up shop and Luke says, He was preaching the gospel.
Luke 20:1 “On one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him,”
AND WE’VE SEEN HIM DOING IT.
When the chief priests and the scribes confronted Him to ask what authority He had; “Who do You think You are?”
• We remember that He brought back to their mind the baptism of John.
• That baptism which was for repentance.
• That baptism which they had rejected.
They questioned Jesus and He immediately brought up their refusal to repent.
Then He gave a parable about ruthless vine-growers who produced no fruit and ultimately killed the vineyard owner’s son.
He warned them saying:
Luke 20:17-18 “But Jesus looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone’? “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”
• He warned them of the certain judgment for rejecting the Savior.
• And you’ll remember that the scribes and the chief priests knew He was talking
about them.
They then tried to trick Him by flattering Him and asking Him whether they should pay taxes, and He answered, but if you’ll remember He hit them again with the gospel.
Luke 20:25 “And He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
• He still slid in there that reminder that they have a balance due before God.
SO IT HASN’T MATTERED WHAT THEY ASKED.
Every time they confront Him He manages to remind them of
Their debt before God, their refusal to repent,
Or their rejection of the Savior.
And you should know that Jesus never stops doing this.
• Even after His arrest
• Even after all of His bogus trials
• Even after Pilate sentences Him to be crucified
• Even on the way to die
Luke 23:27-31 “And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him. But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. “For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘ Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ “Then they will begin TO SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS, ‘FALL ON US,’ AND TO THE HILLS, ‘COVER US.’ “For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
JESUS NEVER STOPS PREACHING.
And to this hardened crowd the message is always the judgment of God.
That is the first leg of the true gospel message.
• Certainly the full gospel message includes the person and work of Jesus,
• But people aren’t ready to hear that message until they first realize how badly they need Him.
Jesus is pulling no punches here,
And this next confrontation is no different.
Here we get yet again another attempt by a different foe.
• This time the Sadducees show up to hit Jesus with what I think was their number 1 argument.
And not only will Jesus answer it in His amazing wisdom,
But yet again He will manage to proclaim to them their need for salvation.
We’ll just divide this text into 2 main points this morning.
#1 A HYPOTHETICAL MYSTERY
Luke 20:27-33
Here we find a new group coming to challenge Jesus.
(27) “Now there came to Him some of the Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection),”
Whereas the Pharisees were the sort of “blue collar” patriots and legalists of the day who loved to add to the Scriptures all their requirements.
The Sadducees were just the opposite.
• They were few in number because they were the wealthy elite who held the positions of power. This was Annas and Caiaphas.
• They didn’t hate Rome, they loved Rome because Rome kept them in power and kept them rich.
• Now on one hand we could call the Sadducees theological liberals since they rejected nearly all of the Old Testament.
But what they did accept, they were sticklers for.
They only believed the first 5 books of the Bible
(The Law of Moses; the Pentateuch)
But they held to a strict adherence of those books.
And because Moses mentioned nothing about angels or the resurrection,
THE SADDUCEES DIDN’T BELIEVE IN IT.
Acts 23:8 “For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.”
Well here this group has now approached Jesus to silence Him
Where their other Jewish leaders have failed.
And they bring out what I think was their “Golden” argument.
I think this was likely the scenario they had used time and time again to frustrate and silence the Pharisees or anyone else who believed in the resurrection.
Now, just to make sure you understand, the Old Testament
DOES speak clearly about the resurrection.
Job 19:25-27 “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth. “Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God; Whom I myself shall behold, And whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me!”
Psalms 16:9-11 “Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”
Psalms 49:15 “But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah.”
Psalms 73:24 “With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory.”
And that’s not all, but as we said
The Sadducees conveniently omitted that portion of the Bible.
Furthermore, Jesus spoke a lot about a resurrection and eternal life.
Luke 14:13-14 “But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Luke 18:29-30 “And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.”
John 5:25-29 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”
And the Sadducees knew all of this.
• They knew the Pharisees held to a resurrection based on the rest of the Old Testament.
• They knew Jesus clearly preached a resurrection.
They are now, in front of everyone,
Going to swoop in with their golden argument
And deny and silence both of them
And walk out of the temple as the clear winners.
They gave a hypothetical.
(Perhaps it was hypothetical, it may have actually occurred)
(28-33) “and they questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that IF A MAN’S BROTHER DIES, having a wife, AND HE IS CHILDLESS, HIS BROTHER SHOULD MARRY THE WIFE AND RAISE UP CHILDREN TO HIS BROTHER. “Now there were seven brothers; and the first took a wife and died childless; and the second and the third married her; and in the same way all seven died, leaving no children. “Finally the woman died also. “In the resurrection therefore, which one’s wife will she be? For all seven had married her.”
They quote to Jesus from Deuteronomy 25:5 regarding the Law of the Levirate Marriage.
• You will remember that the inheritance was very important to the children of Israel and could not be stolen or passed from tribe to tribe, but was each man’s inheritance from God.
• And one potential problem would be that if a man died with no children to pass his land on to.
• The solution to the dilemma was this Law of the Levirate Marriage where a brother was specifically commanded to go to the widow and conceive a son to be an heir on his brother’s behalf.
The Sadducees saw here a riddle that was useful
In crushing any logical argument regarding the resurrection.
“If those who say there is a resurrection are correct
then we are going to have a train wreck in heaven.”
“We’re going to have women walking around with multiple husbands (adultery) who are all fighting over her.”
The argument was that God
Would certainly not have allowed for such an incident
And therefore the resurrection could not possibly be true.
It was an argument against the resurrection based on logic.
If you’ll remember there were some at Corinth who did the same thing.
1 Corinthians 15:35 “But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?”
That was also a logical denial.
“If the dead are raised, what will they look like? Heaven will be a place of zombies…”
So based on logic, resurrection could not possible be true.
And it is apparent that so far
No one had been able to satisfactorily answer the question.
And so they spring it on Jesus.
But you have to love Jesus here.
• He’s got no time for hypotheticals.
• He’s got no time for what-if questions.
He does however have plenty of time for straightforward facts.
A Hypothetical Mystery
#2 AN ACTUAL DECLARATION
Luke 20:34-40
First he answers their little dilemma.
That’s not really the question, but He’s going to put a stop to this foolish logic once and for all.
(34-35) “Jesus said to them, “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;”
Well there’s the simple answer.
In the resurrection no one is married. PROBLEM SOLVED
Now, before you go getting all depressed.
(I don’t want Carrie to stop wanting to go to Heaven just because she can’t be married to me there)
Before you get all emotional, why would you think that any relationship in heaven would be worse than it is on earth?
You won’t lose one ounce of closeness or fellowship or joy or intimacy with your wife when you get to heaven.
In fact it will be better because your wife won’t be such a sinner there!
In reality every relationship will be better.
So don’t flip out about not having marriage in heaven.
BUT THAT’S THE SIMPLE ANSWER.
There will be no woman with 7 husbands in heaven
Because no one is getting married.
And as the eternal Son of God
That authoritative answer would have been enough,
But Jesus explains why, and He does so on purpose.
Here’s why there is no marriage in heaven.
(36) “for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.”
First of all, you hear the GOSPEL PROMISE in that don’t you?
Namely that sons of the resurrection can’t die anymore.
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?”
You say, “Yes, I’m aware that life in heaven is eternal,
But what does that have to do with marriage?”
Do you remember why God instituted marriage?
Genesis 1:27-28 “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
God put natural man and natural woman in a natural world and told them “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth”
We are talking about procreation and the propagation of the earth.
God’s means of creating humanity and populating the earth was marriage.
But heaven is not populated in that way.
Heaven is populated by a simple one-time resurrection.
• And because no one can die there, there is never a need to procreate.
• All of the angels were created at one time.
• Angels cannot die.
• And Jesus said that is what every resurrected person will be like.
So simply put, there is NO NEED for marriage in heaven.
• Not for procreation.
• Not for evangelism (marriage is a picture on earth)
• Not even for fulfillment since God is our fulfillment.
Asaph said:
Psalms 73:25 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.”
The only marriage of heaven will be between you and Christ.
None other is needed.
None other will be wanted.
And that reminds us again of a very important reality regarding heaven.
HEAVEN IS NOT A SENSUAL PLACE,
HEAVEN IS A SPIRITUAL PLACE.
Heaven is not the place where
All your earthly lusts can finally be perfectly enjoyed.
I’m sorry to have to tell Mormons
• That there will be no celestial planet of their own where they have celestial sex
and produce supernatural children.
I’m sorry to have to tell Muslims
• That there will be no green pillows with 72 virgins for them in the after-life.
But I would also remind even the church
• That heaven is not about green golf-courses or steak buffets or perfect ski
slopes or beautiful women or affectionate men.
Heaven is a place where you enjoy one main attraction
To a degree that you were never able to enjoy on earth
Because your sin kept you too far away.
In heaven, when sin is gone, you will enjoy intimate fellowship with Christ
Like you never knew it on earth and nothing else will matter or pull at you.
The Sadducees were confused
Because they didn’t have a clue about heaven.
Jesus set them straight.
But as He did, did you notice His first gospel dig?
(35) “but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead…”
Did you catch that?
What was His point?
• Not everyone gets it.
• Not everyone enjoys it.
• Not everyone is worthy.
• Not everyone goes to heaven.
That’s a strong warning isn’t it?
They just can’t escape Him can they?
It doesn’t matter what question they ask,
Jesus has a way of turning it right back to their need for salvation.
Incidentally, how about you ponder that question.
WHO IS WORTHY FOR HEAVEN?
David asked that:
Psalms 15 “O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart. He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend; In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors those who fear the LORD; He swears to his own hurt and does not change; He does not put out his money at interest, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.”
He asked it again:
Psalms 24:3-6 “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the LORD And righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face — even Jacob. Selah.”
Who is worthy to attain to heaven?
Only those who are perfectly righteous.
Now the Sadducees didn’t believe those verses,
But even they should have been able to ponder this reality.
They believed the first 5 books.
TURN TO: EXODUS 19:10-25
That scene alone should have had them asking
What it took to draw near to God.
The writer of Hebrews capitalized on that scene when he wrote:
Hebrews 12:18-25 “For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. For they could not bear the command, “IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED.” And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I AM FULL OF FEAR and trembling.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.”
His point was that if you can’t approach an earthly mountain
When God comes down on it,
How do you expect to approach a heavenly mountain
Where God actually dwells?
You’d better not ignore this Jesus.
The only people who go to heaven are those
Who have been redeemed by His blood and clothed in His righteousness.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Romans 3:21-24 “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”
Jesus answered their question, but HE DID SO BECAUSE
It afforded Him an opportunity to once again introduce the gospel.
BUT THAT QUESTION REALLY WASN’T THE ISSUE.
They weren’t worried about how to assign husbands in heaven.
Their real point was to deny the resurrection altogether.
And Jesus knew that.
So…
(37-38) “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. “Now He is not the God of the dead but of the living; for all live to Him.”
• Here Jesus actually quotes from their beloved Moses.
• He quotes from Exodus 3 when Moses stood before the burning bush.
And Moses wanted to know who he was supposed to say sent him into Egypt.
Exodus 3:13-15 “Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘ The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.”
What is the point?
• When God identified Himself He didn’t say, “I was the God of Abraham”,
• He said, “I AM the God of Abraham”,
• As in CURRENTLY, as in RIGHT NOW.
What does that mean?
Abraham isn’t a WAS; Abraham is a IS.
Abraham, though he died back in Genesis 25,
According to God in Exodus 3 was still alive.
RESURRECTION!!!
And that is what Jesus means when He says, “Now He is not the God of the dead but of the living;”
Even a reading of their very own Scriptures
Should have made it clear to them that those who died now live.
JESUS SILENCED THEM.
But His goal wasn’t just to win,
He was in that temple to preach the gospel
And so here comes His SECOND JAB.
“for all live to Him.”
What does that mean?
In the resurrection, when all men are raised, who do you think it is they are going to answer to?
Jesus said (we already read it)
John 5:25-29 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”
Some day you will die, but the writer of Hebrews was clear.
Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”
The Sadducees taught that when a person died, both their body and soul just ceased to exist.
That is a sad thought, but it is also a convenient one.
• A man can live however he wants if there is no judgment.
• A man can drink up this world if there is no judgment.
• And they did.
Jesus corrected their faulty thinking.
Not only will all men live,
But all men will stand before God and give an account.
And yet again Jesus has introduced the gospel.
That is now the 5th time.
• First, their refusal to repent under John the Baptist.
• Second, their rejection of God’s Son and the only Savior.
• Third, their outstanding debt before God since they had not rendered Him what He deserved.
• Fourth, that they were not worthy to attain to heaven.
• Fifth, that they would rise and stand before God in the end.
Jesus has been laying out the gospel all day in this temple.
It’s no wonder then what we read next.
(39-40) “Some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” For they did not have courage to question Him any longer about anything.”
I’m sure they didn’t have courage.
I’m sure they were afraid.
Every time they challenged Him, He ended up condemning them.
Every time they questioned Him, He laid their hearts bare before God.
Can you see how heavy the conviction must have been that day in the temple?
Jesus had repeatedly preached to these sinful men
Who refuse to trust in Him
That all they can expect is a terrifying judgment.
This has always been the first point of the gospel message.
The youth will tell you that we went to camp last week.
Our theme was “Essential”
Our world has all sorts of definitions about what all of a sudden became essential,
But we wanted to look a little deeper.
Our first message was Revelation 20
• And the great white thrown judgment
• And how every man will one day stand before God,
• Will be judged,
• And unredeemed sinners will be cast into the lake of fire.
A few people asked me why I started youth camp off with judgment day?
When we talk about essential,
• Jesus is the obvious answer isn’t He?
• Can we honestly say that anyone or anything is more essential than Jesus?
But pull on that thread a second.
Why is Jesus essential?
Because He is the only Savior.
Why do we need to be saved?
Because we are sinners.
What do we need to be saved from?
The wrath of God and eternal hell.
There’s no escaping it.
The message of eternal judgment
Is not the last line of the gospel message it is the first line.
We don’t take sinners and warm them up to the idea judgment,
We start there because that’s what shows men they need a Savior.
And when Jesus preached the gospel in the temple,
It didn’t matter the topic, it didn’t matter the question,
He always managed to take it right back
To this notion of a sinner’s debt before God.
And that is what He does here.
Now, let me tell you, the RESURRECTION IS GOOD NEWS!
• We are so grateful that death is not final.
• We love the fact that God will raise us from the dead.
• We can loudly sing, “O death where is your victory?”
BUT LISTEN CAREFULLY.
The resurrection is only good news
To those who have repented of their sin and trusted in Christ.
Because the Bible says after the resurrection,
If you have not trusted in Christ,
Then you get a second death which is the lake of fire.
This is the truth of the gospel.
But also the truth is that
• If you will repent of your sin, and trust only in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
• His earned righteousness through His sinless life.
• His appeasing sacrifice through His death on the cross.
Then God will impute Christ’s righteousness to you
And you will be counted worthy
To attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead.
If you will deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus,
You too will have forgiveness of all your sins
And will receive eternal life with Christ.
That is the good news of the gospel.
And there’s nothing hypothetical about it.
