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Open your Bibles, if you will, to Luke chapter 20.
This morning we're going to start reading at verse 27.
And we're going to read down through verse 44.
Follow with me as we read this portion from God's Word.
There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection.
And they ask him a question, saying,
Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children,
the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.
Now, there were seven brothers.
First took a wife and died without children.
And the second and the third took her.
And likewise, all seven left no children and died.
Afterward, the woman also died.
So in the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be?
I mean, for seven had her as wife.
And 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 to the resurrection from the dead,
neither marry nor are given in marriage.
For they cannot die anymore.
Because they are equal to angels and are sons of God,
being sons of the resurrection.
But that the dead are raised.
Even Moses showed in the passage about the bush where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.
Now, he is not God of the dead, but of the living.
For all live to him.
Then some of the scribes answered,
Teacher, you have spoken well.
For they no longer dared to ask him any question.
But he said to them,
How can they say that 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 your footstool.
David thus calls him Lord.
So how is he his son?
Let me lead us in prayer as we approach the study of God's word.
Father, Father, we need your spirit.
We cannot in ourselves understand what you would have to say to us today.
And Father, I cannot in myself and in my weakness communicate what you would have to say to us today.
So all of us, those who are listening and those who are speaking,
We need you to be here in our midst by your spirit.
To teach us.
To speak into our hearts.
To reveal yourself.
To reveal ourselves.
And lead us to where hope can truly be found.
So would you come pour out your spirit?
And teach us.
We pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
You know, as I read this challenge from the Sadducees and the Pharisees before them,
I can't help but think again of a movie.
And that is the opening scene of the movie Gladiator.
In this opening scene, you've got Maximus, who is one of the great Roman generals,
and one of his senior leaders, Quintus.
They and the Roman legions are facing this barbarian horde.
And Quintus simply looks at Maximus and says, people should know when they're conquered.
Of course, Maximus replies and says, would you know?
Would I?
Obviously, the Jewish leaders don't.
You see them coming again.
And you just want to say, please, no.
Enough is enough.
Haven't you suffered enough already?
Just let it go.
But they come with the expected outcome.
You know, I love movies like Gladiator because it's a big story.
I mean, it's a big story of this great Roman general who, through a change of power,
was thought to be murdered.
He ends up a slave, has his family murdered.
And then, as a slave, rises back to prominence to save the Republic of Rome itself.
I mean, what a story.
So we love stories like this.
We love them because they're big.
You know, when we think of the Lord of the Rings, you know, you have the hobbits living
in the shire as if there was no place else in the world.
And they were perfectly comfortable, perfectly satisfied in a life that was perfectly managed
and very small.
Until a couple of them ventured outside on a grand adventure.
Normal, small view stories, which unfortunately describes many of us, are small.
They are manageable.
They are predictable.
They are controllable.
They are very, very limited in risk, but also in vision.
Such stories, though they may be very familiar, are not the kind of stories that Jesus has called us to.
He's called us into a story that is so much beyond that.
He has come to release us, in a sense, from these small views, stories of life.
That we might enter into this epic of the gospel.
And of eternity.
For us to experience the riches in all that God has to offer,
we must replace our predictable, small view story with the eyes of faith
that we might see the glorious, unfathomable, boundless life
that Jesus alone in the gospel can give to us.
Otherwise, we will remain imprisoned in a small view of life that goes nowhere.
In this story with the Sadducees, we see these guys demonstrating, in a sense,
what small view of life is.
And they do it in three ways.
The first is that they have a very small view of Scripture.
They have a small view Bible.
Secondly, we're going to see that they also have a very small view of the future.
And thirdly, we're going to see a very small view of Redeemer.
So let's begin with the first.
A small view Bible.
You know, in this particular challenge that we have here,
the Sadducees are coming to do battle with Jesus.
This is really the only encounter that Luke gives us of the Sadducees and Jesus.
He'll mention them in the book of Acts, but here, this is the only time.
There are a whole different class of Jewish leader from the Pharisees.
In some ways, the Sadducees are the kind of the political left.
But the Sadducees, you know, their appeal was primarily to the wealthy, elite classes of Israel.
But they were also very accommodating to Rome.
They did not mind kind of working with Rome,
making the most and the best of their occupation.
And so,
they did not fight against,
in some ways encourage,
some of the Hellenistic influences that were coming.
They knew their Bibles.
They knew them well.
But the only part that they liked
was what was called the Torah,
the first five books of Moses.
So, for them,
Moses was the only authority
that they trusted.
And in addition,
one of the things that Luke tells us here
about their theology is
that they did not believe in
or they rejected
the idea that there was a resurrection.
For them,
there was no life after death.
Life just ended.
And so,
when they thought of eternity,
it was how their name would be carried on
through their children,
through their names,
and so forth.
Which might also tell us
why they thought of this particular example
from Deuteronomy 25.
So,
they come to Jesus
with this very fanciful dilemma
based on what is called
leverate marriage.
And in leverate marriage,
that meant that if,
you know,
a man and a woman,
they get married
and the husband dies
before a son in particular
is born,
then that man's brother
or next of kin
was to fulfill,
in fulfilling the law,
was to come
and then take the wife
and bear children through her
so that the name of the brother
who died
could carry on.
It was also very helpful
for the woman
because for her
to have anyone at all
to care for her
in her older age,
she needed children.
And so,
this was for both
the carrying on
of the family name
but also the caring
for this widow.
And so,
they developed this scenario
that in their mind,
I mean,
it was a crazy scenario
but in their minds,
in their logic,
they believe
that this will
absolutely prove
that there cannot be
a resurrection
because this kind of thing
can never happen.
So,
though they thought
they had
Moses
as their authority,
you know,
actually,
in this case,
Moses
was under
their authority
because what
they were doing
was going back
to Moses
and finding
a place
that would prove
what they believed
instead of going
to the scriptures
to find out
what they should believe.
And as they did that,
you know,
they missed
everything.
They missed
a very foundational
doctrine
and a place
of hope
for their faith.
They missed
the possibility
of eternal life.
And so,
to them,
the Bible
was simply
a rule code
that they could
pick and choose
what they wanted
and just
leave out
the rest.
But we don't
do that.
You know,
it's interesting
how
two opposing
groups
can read
the very same
scriptures
and come
to two
totally different
conclusions.
Or to say
it says
something very,
very different.
different.
Those who are
on the conservative
side
will look
at the scriptures
and read it
as if,
you know,
it supports,
you know,
public morality,
it supports
capitalism,
it supports
all of these things.
It's like it was
written by Republicans.
But then you have
the other side
who will read it
with eyes
that find
where it says
all about mercy
and justice
and help
for the oppressed.
And who's
right?
The problem
is,
you know,
one may not
be more right
than the other.
But how did
they get there?
And unfortunately,
too often,
when we read
the Bible,
we're coming
with our own
ideas
and we press
them in
to make them
fit,
which is what
the Sadducees
had done.
A better way
to read
the scriptures
instead of
just going
to the scriptures
to find places
where we can
defend our
positions
is to read
it with the eyes
of faith
and go ask
the Holy Spirit
and say,
Holy Spirit,
show me
what I need
to see here.
Show me
what you would
have to say
to me.
Show me
where I'm
missing the boat.
Show me
what I need.
Make yourself
known.
Make me
known.
Let me see.
See,
we need
a Bible
that's big
enough
that will
actually
challenge
our way
of life.
If we
read our
Bibles
and it
does not
challenge us,
if it
doesn't
challenge
your political
positions,
if it
doesn't
challenge
your whole
sense of
what life
is supposed
to be
or your
values
or your
cultural
ideas,
then you're
not
reading it
with the
eyes of
faith.
you're
managing
it.
It's a
very small
view Bible.
So we
need those
eyes of
faith
where we
come to
the Bible
in
submission
and we
let the
Spirit
tell us
what we
need to
believe,
how we
need to
see
life.
we
need
big
view
Bibles.
Well the
second point
that he
makes here
and it
follows,
it flows
from the
first,
is that the
Sadducees
not only
had this
very small
view of
Scripture
but they
also had
a very
small view
of the
future.
Because of
their limited
respect for
Scripture,
they had
developed
this view
of life
that was
very small
and contained.
The Sadducees,
their view
of life,
it ended
at death.
They could
live on
maybe through
just their
name carrying
on through
their children.
But with
that reference
point,
then that
shaped everything
else they did
in life.
So they
lived their
life in such
a way that
they got
everything out
of life
now that
they could.
They loved
living with
the upper
crust.
They loved
living with
the elite
of society.
They prized
high position.
They prized
control.
In fact,
even as you
read their
discussion and
talk about
the way they're
talking about
marriage,
they lifted
themselves up
highly and
degraded
women.
They were
getting
everything
now.
Because there
was nothing
later.
Again,
I have to,
if I'm going
to quote
gladiator,
I've got to
use this
quote.
From basically
the same
scene at the
beginning of
the movie,
Maximus gets
his cavalry
off to the
side and to
encourage them
to go into
battle and to
be faithful
and courageous,
he makes
this statement.
He says,
everything we
do in this
life echoes
through eternity.
And he was
right.
This is not
all there is.
So do we
live with
eternity in
mind?
Or do we
get so fixated
as our view
of the future
and life so
small?
that what
this life
offers is
all there
is?
Is this
it?
Three things
Jesus says
that should
have sobered
the Sadducees,
especially in
regard to the
future.
The first
one was that
the very
scripture they
claimed to
trust taught
very clearly
that there
was life
beyond the
grave.
That God
was the God
of the living.
He was the
God of
Abraham and
Isaac and
Jacob.
Then and now,
the time when
that was spoken,
they were
dead.
Or were
they?
Secondly,
life in the
coming age was
totally different.
They were
looking through
the lens of
just the way
everything is
now and
were imposing
that on the
future,
especially in
regard to
marriage.
And so
marriage in
this life,
though,
if we read
the scriptures,
is merely a
shadow of
something so
glorious and
wonderful to
come.
Are we going
to know our
spouses when we
get to heaven?
Well,
probably.
I hope so.
It's going to be
different,
though,
because the
real,
the true love
of my life
is going to
be right there
before my
face.
And we'll
stand there
together because
he'll be her
true love,
too.
And he'll be
glorious.
The third
thing that
Jesus says,
almost kind of
says it in
passing,
but he makes
sure he says
this.
He talks
about those
who are
considered
worthy
for the
age to
come.
And the
verb tense
is pointing
us here of
someone else
considering them
worthy.
It's not
they themselves
gaining worth,
but do they
measure up in
the eyes of
God himself?
God.
Our lives
will be
weighed in
that day,
will be
weighed in
the balance,
we will
give account
to the
true authority
and judge
to see if
we have
met up
the standards.
The Sadducees
had basically
wiped that
out of their
theology because
if death was
it and you
just kind of
ceased to
exist,
you lived,
you did not
live in this
life as if
judgment was
coming.
Convenient.
well, let me
ask this
question.
How does
life change
now?
If I
see clearly
that there is
another life
coming,
how does
a view of
eternity
change the
way I
approach
life now?
I mean,
how does
it,
you know,
if that
life is
far more
substantive,
far more
glorious,
if that
life is
something where
all that I
would achieve
in this
life mean
nothing,
how would
that change
the way I
live my
life now?
How does
life change
now?
you know,
when God
first,
when we
decided to
go to the
mission field
back in
1999 is
when I was
really challenged,
one of the
things that God
used to challenge
me was
simply this
idea that
my roots in
this life were
far too deep.
God's
because we
lived in a
really nice
little community
in South
Georgia.
We had a
nice little
church.
Our kids
were prospering.
They had a lot
of friends in
the community
and everything
was going
great.
We were,
in a sense,
living the
American dream
life where,
you know,
you got great
healthy kids,
they're happy,
and your church is good.
Then I found myself in Ukraine
wondering if God wanted more.
And I realized that my view of the future,
my view of life was way too small.
My view of ministry was way too small.
My view of ministry and what I felt like
was being accomplished,
I felt anybody could have come and accomplished that.
In fact, if I was really looking for evidence
that God was really at work in the midst of us,
I would have to question that.
And so I decided that we needed to go somewhere
where if the Spirit of God was not at work,
nothing would happen.
And we found it.
But sadly, as soon as we came back,
my bigger view of life contracted.
And now, unfortunately,
too much of my focus is just on my standard of living,
success in this life,
retirement,
and a new bike.
all the good things in life.
So what's the answer?
Well, I think we need to remember
that this life is momentary.
It's just a shadow.
It's not the substance.
It's the previews.
Nobody, if you like movies,
nobody wants to just live on previews.
We want the full feature.
And that's still to come.
And that story is so grand and glorious
that it will,
there's no comparison between it and the shadow.
So when eternity is clearly in view,
then I am freer to move my family to another part of the world
that may be a lot harder for life.
When eternity is fully in view,
I can experience hardship and persecution
because this life is only momentary.
And the real wealth,
anything that I would lose here
is worth nothing there.
If I saw eternity clearly in view,
how would life be different?
Well, the third point he makes is,
the Sadducees had this small view of Scripture.
They had a very small view of the future.
But now we're going to find out
that there's a very small view of a Redeemer.
And at this point,
after Jesus had given the answer,
to the Sadducees,
we find there's another group of Jewish leaders there
in the crowd,
and he mentions the scribes.
The scribes were friends of the Pharisees.
And the scribes and Pharisees
are a lot of times always mentioned together,
but they come from the conservative end
of the religious spectrum.
And so they also have,
you know, a high view of Scripture,
at least according to their mind.
But their idea of a Messiah
was released from Rome.
They were not like the Sadducees.
The Sadducees accommodated the occupiers,
not the scribes and Pharisees.
They resisted.
They fought against them.
They wanted nothing to do with them.
And their idea of what the Redeemer would accomplish,
what Messiah would bring,
is freedom from Roman occupation.
They wanted the Son of David
to throw off that yoke of Rome.
They wanted a political Savior
who would give them the freedom
to live and worship on their own terms
and not in slavery to some foreign power.
Rome was their problem.
And they needed a Savior from Rome.
And Jesus uses this psalm
and kind of puts all of that to the test
because the Son of David,
this political Messiah,
was supposed to be the Son of David,
the psalmist,
says,
wait a minute.
Jesus said, wait a minute.
This is what the psalmist says.
The Lord,
and if you read in the Hebrew,
it means Yahweh,
says to my Adonai,
which means God Almighty,
sit on your throne
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.
And Jesus said,
wait a minute here.
The Messiah is the Son of David.
But the psalmist says
he's a whole lot more than that.
He's not just going to be a political redeemer.
He's not coming to just throw off Rome.
We're talking about God himself.
How could David say this
about his son?
They read the scriptures
just like the Sadducees.
They brought their own ideas into play.
And they missed the Messiah himself.
They missed what he would come to do
and to give to them.
And it was a lot more
than a better political leader.
And this is where,
again,
I just,
I really have to ask my question,
what do I look for in a Messiah?
What do I want from Jesus?
What do I want him to do for me?
What kind of Savior
do I want?
Well,
one of the best ways to figure that out
is to ask,
okay,
well,
what do I pray for?
Well,
when my dream life is threatened,
I pray for Jesus
to come and protect it.
And when he doesn't,
I can get despondent,
I can get angry
and think,
he doesn't love me.
When my health is threatened,
I pray for him to restore it.
When I fear I don't have enough,
I call on him to provide.
When I'm traveling someplace,
I want him to make sure
I don't get a flat tire.
I think it's called traveling mercies.
So what my prayers say
are most important things in my life
are travels free of disruption,
freedom from disease,
even colds.
Heaven forbid,
I would get a runny nose.
Successful children,
a comfortable retirement,
well,
we'll leave out that new bike.
But this is what I expect Jesus to bring.
Because this is all I ever ask him for.
Maybe not all,
but this is so much of it.
Is this all we want him to do?
Are these our big problems?
Are these the big dangers in our lives?
When God the Father
puts all of Jesus' enemies
under his feet,
one of those probably
will not be flat tires.
His primary agenda
is not to deal with all these,
what I consider external threats,
but he's going to come
and deal with the internal ones.
the ones that threaten
not just my convenience,
but eternity itself.
Those enemies are,
we read in the scriptures,
there's three,
they put them in three categories.
First is the flesh.
And that's me,
my heart,
my propensity
to look at life
all through this lens
that says self.
Self-sufficient,
self-determining,
self-glorifying,
self-satisfying,
self-righteous.
Life is all about self.
That's the flesh.
The second one is the world.
And that's kind of
corporate flesh.
It's this world system
that functions like
this is all there is,
so get with the program.
And so you have every system
that we have out here,
all of life,
is pushing us
toward this small view of life.
And conformity.
And the third is
Satan himself.
Who walks around
with a gas can
and sees these temptations
of the world
and the flesh
and pours gas on them.
It makes them so much worse.
These are the enemies
that Jesus comes to bring down.
These are the enemies
that threaten my very soul.
And what Jesus has come to do
is to take them on.
Through his life,
through his death,
and through his resurrection,
he breaks the power
of sin and death.
He breaks the power
of the fear of death.
He breaks the power
of the fear of judgment.
He tells me
that there is so much
a bigger world
and paves the way
for me to get there.
He comes and takes me
by the hand,
puts my small little world
to death.
and says,
come with me.
I give you life.
I give you eternity.
I give you joy
everlasting.
Jesus has come
not to make this life better,
but to help me throw it off
so that I will look forward
to a much bigger story,
a much bigger eternity
where I get God himself.
Is that the kind of Savior
you want?
Is that what you're looking for
in a Savior?
This Savior says,
come to me.
Come to me.
Let's come.
Let me pray for us.
Lord Jesus,
would you show us
how our views of life
and eternity
are way too small?
And would you show us
what you have in store for us?
And then would you defeat
the real enemies?
Would you set us free
from our slavery to self?
Would you set us free
from our slavery
to this world
and the pressures it brings?
And would you set us free
from the condemnation
and the deceptions
of the enemy
that we might look forward
to this glorious hope
of eternity with you?
Come to us
and draw us to yourself,
we pray.
In Jesus' name,
amen.
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