1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:03,120 I want to invite your attention to a passage that I have on the 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:07,880 screen as I've entitled our remarks today challenging the 3 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:11,880 Master in Mark chapter 12 and verse 13. 4 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:16,079 It says then they sent Him to some of the fair. 5 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:20,480 Then they sent to him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians 6 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:24,200 to catch Him in His words. You remember last Sunday I 7 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:27,880 talked about the triumphal entry in the Jerusalem that happened 8 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:30,880 on a Sunday. We find that after this happened 9 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:34,000 on Monday, Jesus cursed the fig tree. 10 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:37,880 He cleanses the temple. And there was more things that 11 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:41,200 happened on Tuesday than any other day except for Friday. 12 00:00:41,480 --> 00:00:45,320 In the last week in the Lord's life, they came to him with 13 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:48,800 challenging questions. They came to challenge his 14 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:51,440 authority. And what we want to talk about 15 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:55,160 this this morning for a little while is when the Pharisees and 16 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:58,640 the Herodians come to Jesus along with the Sadducees, and 17 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:00,640 they're going to question Jesus once more. 18 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:04,640 But they've met their match. They're going against the 19 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:09,120 Master, and he's going to answer them in ways that they cannot 20 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:11,800 respond to. The Lord was brilliant. 21 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:15,280 The Lord was perfect. He was the greatest preacher of 22 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:19,640 the world ever knew. He was indeed and in fact the 23 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:24,600 Master when they came to Jesus, though they want to get Jesus in 24 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:27,720 a conflict. And that is between Mosaic 25 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:30,680 legislation and Roman authorities. 26 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:32,560 And they're going to ask two questions here. 27 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:36,400 They are #1 is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar? 28 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,640 Now, we're going to talk about today what exactly they meant 29 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:42,600 about taxes. This is not general taxation. 30 00:01:42,960 --> 00:01:46,120 It was something very specific. So they came and they want to 31 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:48,200 ask. The Pharisees want to ask, is it 32 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:52,920 lawful to pay taxes to Caesar? And #2 the Sadducees want to 33 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,200 know what about the resurrection? 34 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:58,640 Because the Sadducees didn't believe in a resurrection. 35 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:04,560 So in Mark chapter 12 and verse 13, it says then they sent to 36 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:09,320 him. OK, Mark doesn't tell us who 37 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:14,120 were part of the delegation, who was part of this committee, and 38 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:17,920 who were the ones that sent these people to come to Jesus to 39 00:02:17,920 --> 00:02:21,400 try to catch him in his words. If you go to Matthew's account 40 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:26,000 in Matthew chapter 22, we find it was in fact the Pharisees. 41 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:28,440 They took counsel to ensnare Jesus. 42 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:34,680 Now, interesting about this, the veteran leaders didn't come to 43 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:36,880 question Jesus. I think this is very important. 44 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:41,960 The Pharisees and the Herodians sent their own disciples. 45 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:45,560 They sent younger people, younger men to question Jesus. 46 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:47,440 And I think there's a reason that they did that. 47 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:50,880 I think the reason that they did that is they wanted to do it 48 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:53,720 under the guise of being look, after all, we're just young 49 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:57,240 people asking questions. In other words, it's the 50 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:00,520 innocence of young people just coming to innocently ask 51 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:02,480 questions. But they had ulterior motives. 52 00:03:02,640 --> 00:03:04,520 They wanted to try to ensnare Jesus. 53 00:03:04,640 --> 00:03:06,240 They wanted to try to trick Jesus. 54 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:10,360 You know, I thought about this this morning as I always get up 55 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:13,360 early on Sunday morning when I preach and I get in my office 56 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:16,120 and I think about what I'm going to say and so forth. 57 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:18,280 And I thought about this and I thought about lawyers. 58 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:23,040 And you know, it's said about lawyers in court, especially 59 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:26,800 when they cross examine a witness, they never ask a 60 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:30,240 question that they don't already know the answer. 61 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:34,120 So when they ask a question, it might seem like they're asking a 62 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:38,920 really nice way or saying a very complimentary thing, and then 63 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:41,520 they lower the boom and they try to get the person that they're 64 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:44,840 cross examining to catch themselves or be tricked. 65 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:47,440 That's exactly what they do to Jesus. 66 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:50,520 And they do it under the guise of having these younger 67 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:53,200 disciples of the Herodians. We'll talk about who they were 68 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:56,800 in a minute. And the Pharisees who came to 69 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:01,720 question Jesus for the purpose, one purpose, and that is to 70 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:04,960 stump Jesus. OK, interesting. 71 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:09,360 Pharisees and Herodians, do you know that this is the only time 72 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:13,840 that I have read where the Herodians and the Pharisees make 73 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:16,680 an alliance? And we're going to add something 74 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:17,680 to this too. We're going to add the 75 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:19,560 Sadducees. Now you got to picture this. 76 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:22,640 You got the Pharisees and they oppose the Sadducees. 77 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:25,040 You got the Sadducees, they oppose the Pharisees. 78 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:28,120 You got the Pharisees who oppose the Herodians and all this 79 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:30,440 stuff, and now all of a sudden they're making an alliance 80 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:35,360 together to question Jesus. Or who were the Herodians? 81 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:38,880 The Herodians supported the House of Herod. 82 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:41,880 In other words, the Herodians were a political party. 83 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:45,440 The Pharisees were a religious party. 84 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:49,520 So now you've got a political party that was opposed to the 85 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:52,360 religious party and the religious party opposed to the 86 00:04:52,360 --> 00:04:55,280 political party, and now they're joining forces against Jesus. 87 00:04:55,280 --> 00:05:00,080 Amazing. In other words, amazingly so, as 88 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:04,440 one man put it this way, the Pharisees oppose the Herodians 89 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:08,840 on political grounds, and the Pharisees oppose the Sadducees 90 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:13,680 on religious grounds. But on this occasion, they're 91 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:18,280 together because they want to catch Jesus in his words. 92 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:21,400 You know, the word catch actually means a word comes from 93 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:25,640 a word in its origins to mean to catch wild animals or fish or 94 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:28,920 two in snare. And here they come with these 95 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:32,520 questions. And here's the first one in Mark 96 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:35,920 chapter 12 and verse 14. It comes from the Pharisees. 97 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:42,760 When they had come, they said to him, Teacher, we know that you 98 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:47,720 are true and care about no one, for you do not regard the person 99 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:49,760 of men, but teach the way of God in truth. 100 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:52,560 Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 101 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:55,280 Let's back up. First of all, the word teacher, 102 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:57,360 and I have to put this on the screen, even though you've heard 103 00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:00,600 me say it many times. Got to do it because I want to 104 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:03,960 make a point about it. In the New Testament, in the 105 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:09,520 gospels, when they call Jesus Teacher, Master, Lord, it comes 106 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:13,640 from the word DD scalos that can be translated in one of those 3 107 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:15,480 English words. We know that OK. 108 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:19,320 In fact the new King James says in this passage, Teacher, the 109 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:23,640 old King James says Master. I'm saying this to say this. 110 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:29,920 It's a term of respect. But these Pharisees have no 111 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:33,440 respect at all for Jesus. They have tremendous disdain for 112 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:35,480 Jesus. They want to stump him. 113 00:06:35,640 --> 00:06:38,240 They want to challenge him. They're messing with the wrong 114 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:40,920 guy. And it all begins with this, oh, 115 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:44,920 teacher, a term of respect. Then they go further and say 116 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:47,680 this. We know that you're true. 117 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:51,720 We know that you are true. They didn't believe that either. 118 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:55,840 But isn't it kind of brilliant on their part to kind of do it 119 00:06:55,840 --> 00:06:58,320 in that way? Kind of like I was talking about 120 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:00,480 a lawyer that's cross examining a witness. 121 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:01,960 You're kind of setting them up for the kill. 122 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:04,760 They said, you know that you are true. 123 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:07,840 Now we know that you are true. Now they didn't believe that, 124 00:07:07,840 --> 00:07:10,280 but they knew Jesus asserted that. 125 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:13,600 But then they say and care about no one. 126 00:07:13,600 --> 00:07:17,160 And on the surface it appears that they're saying, Jesus, 127 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:21,240 teacher, we know that you're true, but you don't care about 128 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:23,880 anybody. It seems like that's what you're 129 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:28,040 saying on the surface, but not so fast. 130 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:31,280 You know, if I would use this, I might say this. 131 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:33,360 Now, Chris, I can use Chris because this doesn't apply to 132 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:35,400 Chris. Chris cares about everybody. 133 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:38,320 But if I were to say to Chris, Chris, you don't care about 134 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:42,520 anybody, that would mean that he is selfish. 135 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:45,880 That would mean that he only cares about himself. 136 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:49,280 We use that in our common vernacular today. 137 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:52,040 He only cares about himself. He doesn't care about anybody. 138 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:57,040 So it appears when you read this in our English translations that 139 00:07:57,040 --> 00:07:58,720 that's exactly what they're saying. 140 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:01,480 But remember this, and how many times have you heard me say 141 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:03,920 this? We got to go to context of the 142 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:07,040 passage. What is the context of the 143 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:09,520 passage? The context of this passage 144 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:11,800 actually answers what this phrase means. 145 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:15,640 What he's talking about is when he says and care about no one, 146 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:20,400 he's meaning this. You care about no one, meaning 147 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:24,640 you are not biased toward anyone. 148 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:29,360 You have no personal bias for anyone. 149 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:33,240 How do I know that? The very next phrase for you do 150 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:37,360 not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in 151 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:40,240 truth, in other words, and that's a true statement, by the 152 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:44,400 way, about Jesus. That's true as a very true 153 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:47,280 statement. Jesus taught the way of God in 154 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:53,280 truth, and he wasn't swayed by the popularity or by a person or 155 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:57,800 a man of great influence. You know, I'm going to tell you 156 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:03,000 something that is a remarkable and incredible thing to say 157 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:09,120 about anybody where they would be so much so divinely or they 158 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:15,440 would be concerned about what is right, concerned about being 159 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:19,080 consistent in the truth that they would speak the truth of 160 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:23,720 God and not be swayed just because somebody of influence 161 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:25,320 tried to sway them a different way. 162 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:29,240 That is a brilliant thing to say about anybody. 163 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:31,640 And that's what they said about Jesus and that is true. 164 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:33,000 So they're kind of setting him up. 165 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:36,000 Teacher term of respect. We know that you're true. 166 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:37,840 We know you have no personal bias. 167 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:41,120 We know that you don't regard the person by way of pulling you 168 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:43,880 away from teaching God in truth. And then here it comes. 169 00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:48,000 Here's the question, is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or 170 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:52,320 not? Now what this is talking about 171 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:53,680 too. In the new King James, it says 172 00:09:53,680 --> 00:09:56,040 taxes. In the old King James, it says 173 00:09:56,040 --> 00:10:00,480 tribute, and the word actually means census or poll tax. 174 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:04,240 Like I said in my introduction, this is not talking about 175 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:07,480 general taxation. This is talking about a specific 176 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:11,560 kind of tax, OK? What is a poll tax? 177 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:15,000 And the reason they do this is because there was a lot of 178 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:18,520 controversy about poll tax. What is a poll tax? 179 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:23,400 A poll tax was a tax that is levied on individuals rather 180 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:26,840 than property. OK, big controversy about it. 181 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:29,400 I'm going to give you another New Testament example of this in 182 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:31,080 just a moment. What else? 183 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:37,320 A poll tax consisted of one denarius or a penny? 184 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:45,440 A denarius, a coin that represented one day's wages for 185 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:50,720 one working man. A poll tax consisted of one 186 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:55,560 denarius per head and was assessed on every adult male in 187 00:10:55,680 --> 00:10:57,080 Judea. OK, OK. 188 00:10:57,200 --> 00:10:59,320 This is not the only time that this is brought up. 189 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:01,640 It actually is brought up in another passage in the New 190 00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:06,200 Testament by Judas of Galilee. Not Judas Iscariot, but Judas of 191 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:09,320 Galilee in Acts chapter 5 and verse 37. 192 00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:13,160 After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the 193 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:16,600 census and drew away many people after him. 194 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:21,200 He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed. 195 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:27,240 OK, Josephus was a Jewish historian, and Josephus said 196 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:33,800 this about Judas of Galilee. He said Judas of Galilee LED a 197 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:39,200 rebellion against such attacks in about AD 7, when he angrily 198 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:43,240 denounced it as being no less than high treason against God. 199 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:46,560 That's what they're asking Jesus, because sometimes we do 200 00:11:46,560 --> 00:11:50,880 this, sometimes we refer to this passage as proof that Jesus says 201 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:53,560 we got to pay our taxes. And yeah, it's true, we got to 202 00:11:53,560 --> 00:11:55,360 pay our taxes, and he's going to prove that too. 203 00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:59,280 But in context, what he's talking about is he's talking 204 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:02,600 about a controversial subject that had a lot of emotion 205 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:05,160 attached to it. He's talking about a specific 206 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:07,880 thing, a poll tax. And what do you want to know is 207 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:11,120 this? Is it lawful to pay this poll 208 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:13,520 tax to Caesar or not? You know why? 209 00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:17,640 Because the religious people opposed it, and the people that 210 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:21,640 were for Caesar were for it. So now they want to try to catch 211 00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:24,200 Jesus. And you know what they want him 212 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:27,160 to do? They want him to answer with one 213 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:35,000 word, either yes or no. If he says yes, it's lawful to 214 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:39,600 pay this kind of poll tax to Caesar, then all of a sudden 215 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:44,040 he's alienated from his religious cohorts and the 216 00:12:44,040 --> 00:12:47,320 Pharisees would hate him and say that he's basically against God. 217 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:51,400 And if he says no, it's not lawful to pay this tax to 218 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:56,320 Caesar, then he's branded a traitor to his nation and 219 00:12:56,320 --> 00:12:59,760 country. And that's why they want to ask 220 00:12:59,760 --> 00:13:06,280 him this question. So very clear, very cleverly and 221 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:08,440 carefully, the question is constructed. 222 00:13:08,680 --> 00:13:15,400 So after that they say this shall we pay or shall we not 223 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:17,160 pay? In other words, verse 14 says, 224 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:20,760 is it lawful? Verse 15 says, shall we do it? 225 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:25,440 And that completes the question. The answer though is absolutely 226 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:29,720 brilliant. Jesus knowing their hypocrisy 227 00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:32,240 said to them, why do you test me? 228 00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:36,800 And then he said, bring me a denarius that I may see it, you 229 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:39,560 know, interesting. Why did Jesus ask that question? 230 00:13:39,560 --> 00:13:42,120 Or why did Jesus say bring me a denarius? 231 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:47,160 Well, first of all, Jesus didn't need more time to answer the 232 00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:50,800 question. And by the way, he didn't need 233 00:13:50,880 --> 00:13:56,320 to see a denarius to make his decision to answer the question 234 00:13:56,360 --> 00:14:00,040 either. Jesus knew the answer. 235 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:02,960 He was going to prove the answer with what? 236 00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:09,360 What was on the coin. So he says bring me a denarius 237 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:13,280 that I may see it now. Interesting, the phrase bring me 238 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:18,440 actually is for the purpose. The reason it says bring me is 239 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:21,720 because they didn't happen to have one close by. 240 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:25,720 Why was that? These were Roman coins. 241 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:31,880 OK, in the Jewish temple only Jewish money was allowed. 242 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:35,920 Jesus had already driven out the money changers. 243 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:39,800 So guess what, There was no denarius. 244 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:43,400 Ordinary eye around at that time. 245 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:48,120 So in order to get one, somebody had to leave that temple area 246 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:52,640 and perhaps go out to the court of the Gentiles or go outside 247 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:55,920 the temple area and find a denarius. 248 00:14:56,960 --> 00:15:02,080 And that's what Jesus says go get me one, bring it to me. 249 00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:06,960 In fact, in verse 16, when it says so they brought it, that 250 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:10,200 indicates or it's inferred that they had to go and get it. 251 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:15,640 Now interesting, what was on the coin at the time of this 252 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:19,680 particular narrative, Tiberius was the reigning Caesar. 253 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:24,440 OK, so on one side of the coin, it would have been Tiberius 254 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:28,600 head, his face. That's on one side. 255 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:33,080 There also would have been an inscription on the other side. 256 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:36,240 I heard actually it would be, it would have been a, I don't know, 257 00:15:36,240 --> 00:15:40,800 a picture of or a description of him sitting on a throne with a 258 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:43,520 diadem and a crown, all that stuff. 259 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:48,040 But on one side it was a picture of his face and there was an 260 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:50,240 inscription. And this was, by the way, the 261 00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:54,000 inscription. Jesus asked the question, whose 262 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:56,720 inscription is this? And that's what it would have 263 00:15:56,720 --> 00:15:58,240 said. And what's that mean? 264 00:15:58,240 --> 00:15:59,920 I don't know about you, but I can't read that. 265 00:15:59,920 --> 00:16:05,480 I don't know what that says. What it means is this. 266 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:08,840 So this is brilliant. The Lord goes like this, they 267 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:11,720 bring him a Daenerys. He said whose inscription is 268 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:14,400 this? And that's what was on the 269 00:16:14,400 --> 00:16:17,560 inscription. Then it means this Tiberius 270 00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:21,360 Caesar Augustus, son of the divine Augustus. 271 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:24,960 That's on one side of the coin. All right, flip the coin over. 272 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:30,200 On the other side of the coin. It would have said Pontiff Maxim 273 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:40,480 and that means highest priest. So when the Lord said whose 274 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:45,080 image and inscription is this in response to them saying is it 275 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:48,320 lawful for us to pay this tax? We're talking about this poll 276 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:53,000 tax and should we do it or not? Jesus tried to stump him. 277 00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:57,880 He says go get me a denarius. I don't know how much time by 278 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:01,720 the way, past. Can you imagine the delay? 279 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,200 And the Lord is patiently waiting for one to be brought 280 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:08,000 back to him. And now He has it and he holds 281 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:11,880 it up and He says, whose description, inscription is 282 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:14,800 this? And that's what was on the 283 00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:18,480 denarius. So when Jesus asked that 284 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:21,280 question, there was only one answer and that was it is 285 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:24,920 Caesar's. It is Caesar's. 286 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:28,280 In other words, the coin answered the question. 287 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:32,760 Therefore, in Mark chapter 12 and verse 17 we have these words 288 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:36,600 and Jesus answered and said to them very familiar words. 289 00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:40,840 Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the 290 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:45,400 things that are God. OK, the word render is a very 291 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:48,640 important word here. The word render means to pay 292 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:53,800 something as a debt. Don't let this slip by us 293 00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:57,920 please. This is not a gift. 294 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:05,880 It is not a gift when you rendered a Caesar that which is 295 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:11,760 Caesar's, it's a debt. But if you also stop to consider 296 00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:17,480 it's also not a gift when we give our life to God. 297 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:22,880 It's a debt. That's what the word render is. 298 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:26,880 And render applies to both things, Caesar and God. 299 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:30,920 I make this point because sometimes this is what people 300 00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:33,960 do. Well meaning people, wonderful 301 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:37,320 people sometimes, but they misunderstand what's actually 302 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:41,640 required of them. The Bible says we are bought 303 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:45,160 with a price. We have been purchased from the 304 00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:49,000 slave market of sin by the inestimable price of the blood 305 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:52,960 of Jesus. Romans chapter 6 says therefore 306 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:57,000 we are slaves for Jesus Christ, slaves to righteousness. 307 00:18:57,000 --> 00:19:00,760 That's what we are. We're either a slave of sin or 308 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:04,880 the slave of righteousness. When Jesus purchases us out of a 309 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:08,320 slave market of sin and we contact the blood of Jesus at 310 00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:14,640 baptism and we become a child of God, we now have a debt to pay, 311 00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:18,560 not a gift, and that debt is to God. 312 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:23,920 As Paul says, we are debtors and do you know something else? 313 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:27,080 We are, We're not only a debtor to God, but part of being a 314 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:29,680 debtor to God is being a debtor to each other. 315 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:34,840 In fact, the Bible says, Oh no, man, anything. 316 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:36,440 And we get what that means. We get what that means. 317 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:39,440 We get that means, look, in the New Testament, it teaches us 318 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:41,880 that Christians need to pay our bills. 319 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:45,440 And just because you pay things on time does not mean you're not 320 00:19:45,440 --> 00:19:48,520 paying your bills. If you have an agreement to pay 321 00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:50,960 somebody something, whether it's a creditor, whether it's 322 00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:53,920 personal, whatever it is, you must pay that. 323 00:19:53,920 --> 00:19:56,480 We all get that. And that's what the Bible says 324 00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:59,560 when it says, oh, no man anything. 325 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:05,080 But then Paul says, but to love one another, in other words, 326 00:20:05,240 --> 00:20:08,480 that is a love of debt that we need to pay or a debt of love 327 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:11,120 that we need to pay all of our life and we'll never pay it off. 328 00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:15,040 We pay our debts until they're paid off, but we have a debt of 329 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:17,400 love that will never be paid off Why? 330 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:22,160 Because of what Jesus did. Don't you see we're debtors too, 331 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:29,720 and render suggest something that is a debt and not a gift. 332 00:20:31,120 --> 00:20:33,640 What the Lord is pointing out here though, is this. 333 00:20:34,120 --> 00:20:39,440 When you pay to Caesar or render to Caesar your debt to Caesar, 334 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:44,480 it doesn't remove #1 your responsibility, or it doesn't 335 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:47,480 remove the possibility of serving God too. 336 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:53,840 You can serve God and still take care of your debt that you have 337 00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:57,400 by way of taxation with this poll tax. 338 00:20:58,920 --> 00:21:01,200 It doesn't hinder us in any way. By the way. 339 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:06,640 I love this though, because when he talks about what is the 340 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:08,640 inscription, what do you see on that? 341 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:11,920 What are you saying is this? You paid a Caesar that which 342 00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:16,160 bears his image, which is a denarius or a Roman coin. 343 00:21:17,360 --> 00:21:21,320 OK, but guess what? We are all made in the image of 344 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:26,600 God, so we have a responsibility to him and that's our greatest 345 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:29,280 allegiance and our greatest alliance. 346 00:21:29,360 --> 00:21:31,200 So yeah, we've got to take care of that. 347 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:33,240 We've got to fulfill that law. Yes, we do. 348 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:37,920 But if there comes time in our life when you have to choose 349 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:41,520 one, Peter says you got to obey God rather than men. 350 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:45,440 In other words, we obey the laws of the land, we pay exactly what 351 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:47,880 is owed to us, and we obey the law. 352 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:50,120 And we're the best citizens in the world. 353 00:21:50,120 --> 00:21:56,720 We're supposed to be Christian until whatever law like our 354 00:21:56,720 --> 00:21:59,520 brother prayed. We pray that there'll be no laws 355 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:04,360 that would keep us from worship. And we're thankful that we live 356 00:22:04,360 --> 00:22:09,640 in a country that is free, that we are free to worship as we 357 00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:12,240 choose. That's wonderful. 358 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:16,520 But if there ever was a law that says you can't do it, guess what 359 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:18,560 we do? We obey God. 360 00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:24,160 We obey God and not men instead. OK, Luke's account says this, 361 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:25,520 though. Well, first of all, it says they 362 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:27,080 marveled at him. What does that mean? 363 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:30,880 Luke actually adds why they marveled and what is meant by 364 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:34,120 that passage. Luke says they could not catch 365 00:22:34,120 --> 00:22:36,440 him in his words, in the presence of the people. 366 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:38,720 And that's why they marveled. They thought they really had 367 00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:40,520 him. They thought they had him dead 368 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:43,520 to rights. OK, that's the Pharisees 369 00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:46,720 question. Now come to Sadducees. 370 00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:49,560 Mark chapter 12 beginning in verse 18. 371 00:22:50,840 --> 00:22:54,200 Then the Sadducees who say there's no resurrection, came to 372 00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:59,440 him and they asked him, saying, Teacher Moses wrote to us that 373 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:03,440 if a man's brother dies and leaves his wife behind and 374 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:07,400 leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise 375 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:10,360 up offspring for his brother. All right, first of all, let's 376 00:23:10,360 --> 00:23:12,480 back up. Who are the Sadducees? 377 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:16,520 The Sadducees were usually among the wealthy priests. 378 00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:19,960 They were the religious aristocrats, and they tended to 379 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:22,720 look down upon everybody else. And really, they were 380 00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:26,080 characterized by materialism, That's number one. 381 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:29,640 And #2 they opposed the resurrection. 382 00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:33,440 Can you imagine being someone that's religious? 383 00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:36,840 Like they were living under the Law of Moses at the time, but 384 00:23:36,840 --> 00:23:40,880 being very religious and not believing in a life after this. 385 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:49,200 Can you imagine if this is it, If this is all there was? 386 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:55,240 You know the Bible talks about if there is no resurrection, we 387 00:23:55,240 --> 00:24:00,080 are all men, most the King James says most measurable or 388 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:05,320 pitiable. If that's all there was, the 389 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:07,720 Sadducees didn't believe in a resurrection. 390 00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:11,800 The Pharisees came and questioned Jesus about taxes. 391 00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:13,600 Now they're out of the picture for just a moment. 392 00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:16,400 Now you got the Sadducees. They didn't believe in a 393 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:18,520 resurrection. So they think they got a real 394 00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:21,720 big thing here. They got a real proof here that 395 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:26,200 they can prove that there is no resurrection by coming to Jesus. 396 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:28,120 Now, why didn't they believe in a resurrection? 397 00:24:28,120 --> 00:24:29,240 Well, there was a couple of reasons. 398 00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:32,080 Reasons. First of all, they absolutely 399 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:36,840 disdained oral tradition, and the Pharisees, by the way, were 400 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:39,720 all about oral tradition. What that means is this, the 401 00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:43,160 tradition of the elders that were passed down generation 402 00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:47,240 after generation under Judaism or rabbinic tradition. 403 00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:50,160 In other words, based upon the codification of rabbinic 404 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:53,920 tradition, where rabbis would add and elders would add various 405 00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:59,520 things by tradition to what God had given them in the law, the 406 00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:02,600 law of Moses, they would add that and they would say that's 407 00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:05,280 binding too. And we know examples of that, 408 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:06,840 like when you can't carry your bed. 409 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:09,240 That's why Jesus took a shot at that when he says take up your 410 00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:10,640 bed and walk on the Sabbath, right? 411 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:14,000 That was one of the things, one of the 39 things they added. 412 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:17,480 The Sadducees opposed oral tradition. 413 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:19,720 Pharisees were all about oral tradition. 414 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:25,560 So the Sadducees said this, if you can't read it in the books 415 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:30,760 of Moses, which are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and 416 00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:34,640 Deuteronomy, the first five books of the Bible, the books of 417 00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:39,480 the law, the Pentateuch, the Torah, if you can't read it in 418 00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:43,920 those books, they didn't believe you should accept it. 419 00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:49,440 So they come to Jesus with something that Moses said, and 420 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:56,080 this was true. They came with this idea and 421 00:25:56,080 --> 00:26:01,760 they said teacher Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies 422 00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:07,000 and leaves his wife behind and leaves no children, his brother 423 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:10,400 should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 424 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:15,840 What they're referring to is Deuteronomy chapter 25 is from 425 00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:17,280 the Old Testament. Let me just notice a couple 426 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:20,560 passages with you and Deuteronomy 25 beginning in 427 00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:25,040 verse 5. If brothers dwell together and 428 00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:29,480 one of them dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall 429 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:31,840 not be married to a stranger outside the family. 430 00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:37,440 Her husband's brother shall go into her, take her as his wife, 431 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:40,360 and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. 432 00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:45,200 And it shall be that the first born son which she bears will 433 00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:50,240 succeed to the name of the dead brother, that his name may not 434 00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:53,680 be blotted out of Israel. This is called by the way. 435 00:26:53,800 --> 00:26:55,960 And I looked up, I looked up that, you know, you can get 436 00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:57,720 those. You can Google the apps about 437 00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:02,280 how to pronounce ancient words. So, you know, it's hard 438 00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:04,760 sometimes to know how to pronounce all the words. 439 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:09,600 So this is actually pronounced lever it or lever it law. 440 00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:14,440 And it comes from a Hebrew word lever. 441 00:27:14,680 --> 00:27:18,560 And it means a husband's brother or brother-in-law. 442 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:22,360 It was lever it law or lever it law. 443 00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:27,400 Disobedience to this law or half hearted obedience to this law. 444 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:30,600 Like for example, marrying the woman or the widow. 445 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:37,080 But refusing offspring was a very, very serious matter. 2 446 00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:40,520 passages Deuteronomy 25 beginning in verse 7. 447 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:45,720 But if a man dies, but if a man does not want to take his 448 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:50,080 brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate 449 00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:53,760 to the elders and say, my husband's brother refuses to 450 00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:57,160 raise up a name to my brother in Israel. 451 00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:00,240 He will not perform the duty of my husband's brother. 452 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:03,640 Then the elders of the city shall call him and speak to him. 453 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:08,040 But if he stands firm and says, I do not want to take her, then 454 00:28:08,040 --> 00:28:11,200 his brother's wife shall come to him in presence of the elders, 455 00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:15,960 remove his sandal from his foot, spit in his face, and answer and 456 00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:19,960 say, so shall it be to the man who will not build up his 457 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:24,000 brother's house, and his name shall be called in Israel the 458 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:27,480 House of him who had his sandal removed. 459 00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:32,840 OK, give you an example by the way, of when that happened, when 460 00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:39,080 a man went in to take the widow as his bride, but did not 461 00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:44,920 fulfill the obligation of conception to produce a child, 462 00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:47,080 to produce a son. You know what happened to that 463 00:28:47,080 --> 00:28:48,880 man? You know, the passage goes back 464 00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:53,280 to Genesis 38 beginning verse 8, and Judas said to Onan, go into 465 00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:56,760 your brother's wife and marry her and raise up an heir to your 466 00:28:56,760 --> 00:28:59,240 brother. But Onan knew that the heir 467 00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:02,360 would not be his. And it came to pass when he went 468 00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:05,680 into his brother's wife that he emitted on the ground lest he 469 00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:07,640 should give an heir to his brother. 470 00:29:07,840 --> 00:29:11,560 And the thing which he did displease the Lord, therefore he 471 00:29:11,560 --> 00:29:15,720 killed him. Also, serious matter. 472 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:20,720 I'm so glad we don't live under the law of Moses, but it was a 473 00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:24,040 serious matter. That's the scenario. 474 00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:27,240 They presented Jesus to try to disprove the resurrection. 475 00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:32,480 OK, now they come up with this scenario. 476 00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:35,320 In other words, they talk about Leverett Law. 477 00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:39,240 You've heard what Moses said. Now we've got a scenario for 478 00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:41,880 you, Jesus, and this is to disprove you about the 479 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:43,280 resurrection. Here it is. 480 00:29:44,200 --> 00:29:49,800 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and dying 481 00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:53,520 he left no offspring. And the second took her and he 482 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:57,720 died, Nor did he leave any offspring, and the third 483 00:29:57,720 --> 00:30:01,120 likewise. So the seven had her and left no 484 00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:03,840 offspring. Last of all, the woman died 485 00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:06,600 also. Therefore in the resurrection 486 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:10,880 will they rise. Whose wife will she be? 487 00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:17,640 For all seven had her as a wife. All right in this hip, this 488 00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:22,920 hypothetical question to make the resurrection sound 489 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:24,200 ridiculous. Here it is. 490 00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:29,280 If the premise of marriage continues after the resurrection 491 00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:32,800 and there is such a resurrection and there will be a 492 00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:34,680 resurrection, that's what they're putting together. 493 00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:39,600 If she had 7 husbands that means she's going to be with seven men 494 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:44,920 in eternity trying to make Jesus look terrible about the 495 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:51,240 resurrection. It shows their logic is based on 496 00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:55,360 faulty assumptions and that's based upon ignorance. 497 00:30:56,400 --> 00:31:01,520 Jesus said to them are you not mistaken because you do not know 498 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:04,240 the scriptures nor the power of God. 499 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:06,120 They thought they knew the scriptures. 500 00:31:06,120 --> 00:31:09,680 Now get this, what Jesus is saying is, and notice how he 501 00:31:09,680 --> 00:31:14,080 answered the Pharisees question by asking them a question. 502 00:31:14,960 --> 00:31:17,960 He answers this by also asking a question. 503 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:21,840 He says, are you not therefore mistaken because you do not know 504 00:31:21,840 --> 00:31:23,520 the scriptures nor the power of God? 505 00:31:25,240 --> 00:31:28,160 You don't know the scriptures, you don't know the power of God. 506 00:31:28,760 --> 00:31:30,920 They should have understood the Scriptures, They should have 507 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:34,080 understood God, and they should have understood, and we're going 508 00:31:34,080 --> 00:31:37,080 to get to the Scriptures in just a moment, but they didn't 509 00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:40,480 understand the power of God because God is so powerful. 510 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:45,160 He can resurrect a body in such that does not need to be married 511 00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:48,360 or a spiritual body that's going to be fit for heaven. 512 00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:51,720 You don't even know the power of God, He's saying, and you don't 513 00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:55,400 know the Scriptures. I can't imagine how that went 514 00:31:55,400 --> 00:32:00,320 all over them when he said that marriage is necessary to 515 00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:04,400 preserve the human race. But what about in a place, by 516 00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:06,520 the way, that everybody is immortal? 517 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:12,080 There's no need for reproduction, none at all. 518 00:32:13,840 --> 00:32:19,480 The Bible says we are going to be as the angels of God in 519 00:32:19,480 --> 00:32:21,280 heaven. I'm going to get more to get to 520 00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:22,480 that in just a minute, some more. 521 00:32:24,120 --> 00:32:27,480 When we're in heaven, we're not going to be married. 522 00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:32,120 I don't know all that it's going to be, but I do know this. 523 00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:36,000 Whatever body we're going to get at the resurrection, we're going 524 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:39,920 to be raised incorruptible in an incorruptible body. 525 00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:42,840 Isn't that great? Because you know what happens? 526 00:32:43,120 --> 00:32:45,520 This body gets a little corruptible. 527 00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:49,200 This body gets sick, this body gets stuffed. 528 00:32:49,320 --> 00:32:51,480 This body dies. This body gets old. 529 00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:53,720 This body wears out. And when you're buried, guess 530 00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:55,880 what? It goes in corruption. 531 00:32:56,000 --> 00:32:59,360 It is sown in corruption. Paul said it is raised in 532 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:02,960 incorruption. That means in the resurrection 533 00:33:02,960 --> 00:33:08,320 we're going to get a body that is incorruptible, that is fit 534 00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:10,400 for eternity. And the Bible describes it like 535 00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:14,680 this. It'll be like Jesus and it'll be 536 00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:20,240 as the angels of God in heaven, whatever that means, fit for 537 00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:22,440 eternity. You know what the Lord's saying? 538 00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:24,560 You don't understand anything because there is no marriage in 539 00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:27,680 heaven. There's no need for it. 540 00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:33,920 But if we talk about angels, you know, I said the Sadducees did 541 00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:36,520 not believe in a resurrection. Did you know the Sadducees also 542 00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:40,080 didn't believe in angels? And they didn't believe in 543 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:44,280 angels because they said if it's only oral tradition and not 544 00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:46,760 found in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and 545 00:33:46,760 --> 00:33:50,720 Deuteronomy, we're not going to believe it, so it can't happen. 546 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:52,000 So we don't believe in angels either. 547 00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:54,440 How do I know they didn't believe in angels? 548 00:33:54,840 --> 00:33:59,800 Acts 23 and eight for Sadducees say there is no resurrection and 549 00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:04,000 no Angel or spirit, but the Pharisees confess both. 550 00:34:05,080 --> 00:34:10,360 OK, remember when I said they only believe that if it's in 551 00:34:10,400 --> 00:34:12,239 Genesis, Exodus, the visions number to run? 552 00:34:12,560 --> 00:34:16,960 OK, you know it's amazing in the book of Genesis, the very first 553 00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:18,840 book in the Bible, it talks about angels. 554 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:23,679 Remember in Genesis chapter 19 with Sodom and Gomorrah, very 555 00:34:23,679 --> 00:34:25,600 familiar story. Don't have time to go into it. 556 00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:28,280 Very first book. That's why Jesus said you don't 557 00:34:28,280 --> 00:34:32,840 know the scriptures. Now the two angels to what 558 00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:36,120 angels, Angels. There they are, right there, 559 00:34:36,760 --> 00:34:41,080 angels. Now the two angels came to 560 00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:42,440 Sodom. Where'd they come from? 561 00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:48,639 Messengers of God in the evening, and Lot was sitting in 562 00:34:48,639 --> 00:34:51,159 the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose up to 563 00:34:51,159 --> 00:34:53,880 meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. 564 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:58,360 So in the very first book of the Bible, Genesis 19, and one 565 00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:02,160 speaks about angels that they said they understood, but they 566 00:35:02,320 --> 00:35:07,720 certainly did not, and they're ignorant of the Scriptures. 567 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:11,000 Jesus goes on to say this beginning in verse 25. 568 00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:16,400 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are 569 00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:19,920 given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven. 570 00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:23,040 But concerning the dead that they rise. 571 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:25,560 Have you not read in the book of Moses? 572 00:35:25,600 --> 00:35:27,920 Again, we're going back to the Old Testament, by the way. 573 00:35:28,160 --> 00:35:32,120 Now we're talking about Exodus. We already blew him out of the 574 00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:34,040 water on Genesis 19 about angels. 575 00:35:34,040 --> 00:35:36,280 Now we're going to get him on Exodus very next book, going to 576 00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:41,160 get him by the resurrection. Exodus chapter 3. 577 00:35:41,760 --> 00:35:45,280 Have you not read in the book of Moses, Exodus 3 in the burning 578 00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:49,240 Bush passage how God spoke to them saying I am the God of 579 00:35:49,280 --> 00:35:52,480 Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 580 00:35:53,480 --> 00:35:57,760 This is absolutely brilliant. Jesus was saying this. 581 00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:03,920 Have you not read in the book you say you believe in and 582 00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:10,680 understand that at the burning Bush passage, Abraham, Isaac and 583 00:36:10,680 --> 00:36:17,640 Jacob had been dead for many years and God saying to Moses, I 584 00:36:17,640 --> 00:36:28,240 am their God, not I was their God, I am their God. 585 00:36:30,680 --> 00:36:33,240 You know what that means? You've heard me say this at 586 00:36:33,240 --> 00:36:37,280 funerals. That means Abraham, Isaac and 587 00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:43,880 Jacob existed somewhere. And that's exactly what happens 588 00:36:43,880 --> 00:36:45,440 when a person dies too, by the way. 589 00:36:46,600 --> 00:36:48,480 They're as alive as they've ever been. 590 00:36:48,480 --> 00:36:52,280 They're just not here. Question is, where are they? 591 00:36:52,640 --> 00:36:54,200 Because we're all going to exist somewhere. 592 00:36:55,120 --> 00:36:58,600 There's only two places. It's going to be one of two 593 00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:03,120 places, but you're going to exist somewhere for eternity. 594 00:37:03,120 --> 00:37:05,760 We all will, right? That's why we got to make sure 595 00:37:05,760 --> 00:37:08,480 we're ready to go and do what the Lord wants us to do in our 596 00:37:08,480 --> 00:37:15,480 life, right? I am their God in the present 597 00:37:15,480 --> 00:37:21,200 tense. So even Moses taught in the book 598 00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:24,920 they said they believed in and the book they said that was 599 00:37:24,920 --> 00:37:29,000 authoritative for them to draw conclusions about and answer 600 00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:32,000 questions about said there's life after this one. 601 00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:38,840 So Jesus says this in Mark 12 and 27. 602 00:37:40,520 --> 00:37:42,840 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. 603 00:37:43,800 --> 00:37:47,680 You are therefore greatly mistaken. 604 00:37:58,200 --> 00:38:10,920 It is a huge mistake to question Jesus, and it's a huge mistake 605 00:38:12,640 --> 00:38:17,800 to question him then, and it's a huge mistake to question him 606 00:38:17,800 --> 00:38:23,760 now. When the Lord says something, 607 00:38:24,640 --> 00:38:29,160 believe it, apply it to your life, accept it. 608 00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:37,840 If I say something, who am I? Check me, I mean check me. 609 00:38:38,680 --> 00:38:41,520 The Apostle Paul even said that he praised those that Berea for 610 00:38:41,520 --> 00:38:43,840 searching the scriptures daily to see if those things were so. 611 00:38:44,040 --> 00:38:49,840 Don't ever take what a man says, whether it's, well, I'm just 612 00:38:49,840 --> 00:38:52,040 going to say, what about anything that you can't prove? 613 00:38:52,040 --> 00:38:54,200 But I'm going to say about religiously speaking, don't ever 614 00:38:54,200 --> 00:38:58,040 take what a man says religiously at face value and believe it if 615 00:38:58,040 --> 00:38:59,240 you can't prove it with the Bible. 616 00:39:01,640 --> 00:39:04,920 But if the Lord says it, man, you got to accept it. 617 00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:09,600 They came to Jesus to try to test him, to try to tempt him. 618 00:39:09,600 --> 00:39:10,840 They were messing with the wrong guy. 619 00:39:10,840 --> 00:39:13,640 He blew him out of the water. I don't know if using our 620 00:39:13,640 --> 00:39:15,960 vernacular, they, the Lord knocked it out of the park. 621 00:39:16,920 --> 00:39:20,880 They had nothing to say, but I want to ask you this as we wrap 622 00:39:20,880 --> 00:39:26,000 up our remarks this morning. When it comes to our eternity, 623 00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:29,440 there's no greater question in the world. 624 00:39:29,720 --> 00:39:33,760 There isn't, because nothing else matters than the answer to 625 00:39:33,760 --> 00:39:36,720 this question. Here it is going to ask it. 626 00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:48,200 Are you saved? That's the only question that 627 00:39:48,200 --> 00:39:54,480 matters. Someone said one time, if there 628 00:39:54,480 --> 00:40:01,920 is no God then nothing matters, but if there is a God then 629 00:40:01,920 --> 00:40:08,560 nothing else matters. Well, there is a God as the song 630 00:40:08,560 --> 00:40:13,880 says, and he is alive. He is alive and he's real. 631 00:40:16,600 --> 00:40:19,600 Question is. If we're going to spend eternity 632 00:40:19,600 --> 00:40:23,720 somewhere and all this life is, it is a transition to another 633 00:40:23,720 --> 00:40:27,360 time, another place. The question is where are you 634 00:40:27,360 --> 00:40:30,800 going to spend eternity? Are you saved? 635 00:40:32,120 --> 00:40:33,880 Here's what you have to do to be saved. 636 00:40:34,440 --> 00:40:36,440 Not because it came from me, I'm going to give it to you from the 637 00:40:36,440 --> 00:40:37,560 Bible. Here it is. 638 00:40:38,640 --> 00:40:41,160 We always extended invitation. This is from the Word of God. 639 00:40:42,720 --> 00:40:46,960 You got to hear the word of God. Romans 10/17, the apostle Paul 640 00:40:46,960 --> 00:40:50,000 says so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word 641 00:40:50,000 --> 00:40:53,000 of God. After you hear the word of God, 642 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:54,400 you have a choice. You got to believe with all your 643 00:40:54,400 --> 00:40:56,640 heart. Hebrews 11 and six says without 644 00:40:56,640 --> 00:40:59,600 faith it's impossible to please him, for he who comes to God 645 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:02,760 must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who 646 00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:06,160 diligently seek Him. Then what? 647 00:41:06,800 --> 00:41:09,920 I got to change my life. I can't continue the life I've 648 00:41:10,120 --> 00:41:13,640 been living when I've been in sin in the world without Jesus. 649 00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:16,720 I got to change some stuff. Acts 17 and 30. 650 00:41:16,720 --> 00:41:19,040 I got to repent in my sins. Truly these times of ignorance 651 00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:22,440 God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent. 652 00:41:22,600 --> 00:41:24,680 Then what? I got to be willing to say 653 00:41:24,680 --> 00:41:26,840 something. The greatest thing I will ever 654 00:41:26,840 --> 00:41:29,560 say. I got to confess Jesus Christ as 655 00:41:29,560 --> 00:41:32,520 the Son of God. Acts 837 Then Philip said, if 656 00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:33,840 you believe with all your heart you may. 657 00:41:34,360 --> 00:41:37,800 And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the 658 00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:39,680 Son of God. All right. 659 00:41:40,360 --> 00:41:44,760 All of these steps point towards salvation, but the point of 660 00:41:44,760 --> 00:41:49,360 salvation is in contacting the blood of Jesus, and that is at 661 00:41:49,360 --> 00:41:51,720 baptism for the remission of sins. 662 00:41:51,920 --> 00:41:55,440 Mark 1616. He who believes and is baptized 663 00:41:55,440 --> 00:41:59,000 will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. 664 00:41:59,240 --> 00:42:02,320 This word belief means this. It means having the force to 665 00:42:02,360 --> 00:42:04,960 obey. I believe so much, I believe so 666 00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:07,680 heartedly, so strongly. I'm going to obey what the Lord 667 00:42:07,680 --> 00:42:08,680 said. What did He say? 668 00:42:08,840 --> 00:42:10,400 I need to be baptized. How? 669 00:42:10,600 --> 00:42:14,560 For the remission of my sins. One final passage. 670 00:42:16,440 --> 00:42:19,640 Baptism saves us. It's the act of baptism that 671 00:42:19,640 --> 00:42:21,840 saves us first. Peter 321. 672 00:42:21,840 --> 00:42:25,040 The like figure where to even baptism doth also now save us. 673 00:42:25,440 --> 00:42:27,960 Not the putting away the filth of the flesh, but the answer of 674 00:42:27,960 --> 00:42:31,800 a good conscience toward God by the resurrection of Jesus 675 00:42:31,800 --> 00:42:33,480 Christ. If you've never taken those 676 00:42:33,480 --> 00:42:36,520 steps of obedience to become a child of God, we would love to 677 00:42:36,520 --> 00:42:39,280 assist you in that today. Maybe you have taken those 678 00:42:39,280 --> 00:42:40,920 steps. Maybe you've drifted away. 679 00:42:41,160 --> 00:42:43,000 Maybe there's just something in your life that you need to 680 00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:44,880 correct. Then do that today. 681 00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:47,680 Be want to be your class. Come forward while we stand and 682 00:42:47,680 --> 00:42:48,120 while we see.