Sermon Notes 6-12-2022

Matthew 104

(Chapter 22)

Jesus speaks

Jesus was questioned (more like they tried to entrap him)

John 7:18 (NIV)

¹⁸Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.

·      This was never about God's glory, but their own

v. 15-17 The Herodians asked a political question:

·      Should we pay taxes??

·      They thought it was a no-win situation

·      It was, and still is, a hot button issue 

·      And Jesus answered them

v. 23-28 The Sadducees asked a doctrinal question:

·      They decided to ask a question they didn’t have a good answer for so they figured Jesus wouldn't either

·      Who gets her? (married to all the brothers)

·      And Jesus answered, no need in heaven, we will all be too busy worshiping Jesus!

v. 34-36 The Pharisees asked an ethical question:

·      Which commandment is the most important?

·      And Jesus answered “LOVE”

·      if the Christian life were a door, you could walk thru, then the hinges of that door swings on our love for God and love for others.

·      Jesus is saying, it is our Job “to help people fall in love with God”!

 

Jesus answered them all, all the tough questions, and now he has one of his own to ask!

Matthew 22:41–46 (NIV)

⁴¹While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 

⁴²“What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied. 

⁴³He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,

⁴⁴“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’

⁴⁵If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 

⁴⁶No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask Him any more questions.

He just had one question

·      This is not about revenge 

·      This is not about getting even

·      He is not snipping them off one at a time

·      They are all still gathered together 

·      This was, I feel, one last attempt by Jesus to show them who He truly was in a way only they would understand!

 

He questions them about the promise!

·      This is the one thing they should be concentrating on

·      The one they should be looking out for

·      The promise of a Messiah

“What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”

 

They were so sure of their answer!

“The son of David”

·      They think they have so much knowledge 

o   They think they are so smart 

o   That their ignorance shines through!

·      Sounds like a lot of us today

o   We are so proud 

o   So arrogant that we think we have God and His word all figured out

Accidental Pharisee 

We have an amazing ability to compare things in a way that causes us to come out on top^[1]

Unfortunately, many of us fail to grasp how dangerous pride is. We know that we shouldn’t look down on others, but we tend to see it as a small sin^[2]

God would rather have us struggling with porn than with pride.^[3]

Spiritual arrogance is not a back-of-the-line sin; it’s a front-of-the-line sin. So much so that sometimes I think of it as an occupational hazard of zealous faith, serious discipleship, and biblical scholarship^[4]

·      When Pride, arrogance, and legalism creep in they shove grace and mercy out the door!

·      in the kingdom of God, mercy trumps rules. Always.^[5]

 

Jesus reply

⁴³He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? 

·      Jesus is quoting 

Psalm 110:title–1 (NIV)

Of David. A psalm. 

1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” 

·      Of the Old Testament this is the most quoted in the New Testament

·      Almost 20 times the authors of the NT use this psalm as a reference 

 

The stumper

·      The objection Christ raised was, If Christ is David’s son, then how does David, in the spirit, call him Lord? 

·      He is not trying to entrap them like they did Him, He is trying to educate them in a truth they were reluctant to believe—that the prophesied Messiah is God!

·      He was trying to get them to understand that He is the “I Am” that all are waiting for 

·      But just like us, they can’t see the forest for the trees 

o   The gospel is simple, we make it complicated

o   Just as in the day of Jesus our hearts are hard to the truth 

o   And Just like in Jesus' day we are more worried about the here and now than the eternal later!

 

The most important question!

“What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”

This is to this day the most important question any of us can be faced with is, do you believe Jesus is the Son of God or not?  

Jesus says: Revelation 22:16 (ESV)

¹⁶“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

Paul Says: Romans 1:3–4 (ESV)

³concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 

4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ is our Lord, 

And in: Acts 2:36 (NIV)

³⁶“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” 

·      Until any of us can truly answer this question, just like the Pharisees, we are all trapped in our sin.

·      We are blinded, unable to see past ourselves

·      Only when you acknowledge the truth about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus 

o   The truth about His Lordship

·      Will you truly be set free!! 

 

A glimpse into the Jesus who will return!

⁴⁶No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask Him any more questions.

·      Jesus will come back again someday and no one will dare to question Him!

Revelation 19:11 (NIV)

¹¹I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 

·      He was courageous as He faced the ones that would put Him to death

·      And He will return as the true ad faithful judge who will be the final judge of all!

 

 

So, I ask you again 

·      Whose son do you say He is??

·      The answer you give determines your eternal fate!

---

^[1] Osborne, L. (2012). Accidental pharisees: avoiding pride, exclusivity, and the other dangers of overzealous faith. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

^[2] Osborne, L. (2012). Accidental pharisees: avoiding pride, exclusivity, and the other dangers of overzealous faith. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

^[3] Osborne, L. (2012). Accidental pharisees: avoiding pride, exclusivity, and the other dangers of overzealous faith. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

^[4] Osborne, L. (2012). Accidental pharisees: avoiding pride, exclusivity, and the other dangers of overzealous faith. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

^[5] Osborne, L. (2012). Accidental pharisees: avoiding pride, exclusivity, and the other dangers of overzealous faith. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Sermon Notes 6-5-2022

Matthew 104

(Chapter 22)

Love

 

Matthew 22:34–40 (NIV)

³⁴Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 

³⁵One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 

³⁶“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 

³⁷Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 

³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. 

³⁹And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 

⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

 

Here we go again!

³⁴Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 

³⁵One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with this question: 

·      If they are nothing, they are persistent 

·      And He is about to knock their socks off!

·      As they continue to test Him 

·      He is consistently patient

·      He continues to show grace and mercy 

·      Even when He understands their motives!

 

Always remember Jesus is our example!

·      No matter what, Jesus is the example 

·      When you want to be right, instead show grace

·      When you start to get angry, show patience

·      When things around you are out of control, stay composed!

·      And when someone tests you, show mercy and restraint! 

 

A tricky question!

³⁶“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 

·      There are 10 commandments

1.    You shall have no other Gods before me.

2.    Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images. 

3.    Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

4.    Remember the Sabbath day and keep it Holy.

5.    Honor your father and mother.

6.    Thou shalt not kill. — God wants us to protect human life.

7.    Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

8.    Thou shalt not steal.

9.    Thou shall not bear false witness.

10. You shall not covet.

·      613 Old Testament laws 

1.    The Ten Commandments

2.    Moral laws – 

3.    Social laws – 

4.    Food laws –.

5.    Purity laws – 

6.    Feasts – 

7.    Sacrifices and offerings -

8.    Instructions for the priesthood and the high priest, including tithes.

9.    Instructions regarding the Tabernacle, which were later applied to the Temple in Jerusalem, including those concerning the Holy of Holies containing the Ark of the Covenant and Instructions, and for the construction of various altars.

·      And any other instructions in the Old Testament 

o   So not as straightforward as one might think

·      But Jesus' answer was quick 

o   Because if we love the Father 

o   And we love Jesus 

o   The answer is simple!

God first

³⁷Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 

³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. 

·      Love is the first thing God wants from us

·      As a matter of fact, He commands it “You shall have no other Gods before me”

·      God takes the first place, the first seat, the first fruits

·      It is not just a love of words

·      It’s not a lip service 

·      It is a deep, strong intense love 

·      We have to love Him more than anything else

 

The reason

·      All other love flows through our love of the Father 

·      We cannot truly love, we can’t truly be loved without God's love

·      Until our relationship with God is right!

 

 

Pay close attention 

³⁹And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 

·      If we truly love people, really love 

·      It is the evidence of our love of God first!

·      John says “you can’t say you love God and hate your brothers and sisters”

·      Jesus says “they will know your mine if you love one another”!

·      Paul says “Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.” 

 

 

Love is the foundation of all God’s law!!

·      love for God and our neighbor, is the foundation of all of God's laws.

·      Love is used in the bible roughly 898 times 

o   But love is implied on every page of the bible

o   “God is love”

o   “God so loved the world He sent His son to die for it”

·      John writes

1 John 4:16–19 (ESV)

¹⁶So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 

¹⁷By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 

¹⁸There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 

¹⁹We love because he first loved us. 

·      So you see Love should be the foundation of everything we do

 

 

All the law is fulfilled in one word, and that is, love. 

1 Timothy 1:5 (ESV)

⁵The aim of our charge is love, that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 

·      All of our obedience to God begins with love, and nothing in religion is done right, that is not done there first

Are you all ready for this? 

·      I am going to prove that Love is the foundation of God's law!

 

Love for God:

·      You shall have no other gods before me. 

·      You shall not make for yourself any idols

·      You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, 

·      Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 

Love for your fellow man:

·      Honor your father and your mother 

·      You shall not murder. 

·      You shall not commit adultery. 

·      You shall not steal. 

·      You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 

·      You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” 

 

What does love look like??

·      It's patient

·      It's kind 

·      It protects

·      It defends

·      It’s not proud

·      It’s not rude

·      It’s not resentful

·      It never gives up

·      It never gives in

 

Unconditional Love is a choice, not a feeling. Love is caring about another the way you would care for yourself. Love seeks to protect someone’s heart and sees the good even when they can’t. 

 

Sometimes we will have that “in love feeling” in a relationship, but other times we have to make a conscious effort, we have to decide that the person we love is worth standing beside – through thick and thin. Love is a decision to give the person you love good and not repay them with evil – no revenge, pettiness, passive-aggressive remarks. JUST UNCONDITIONAL LOVE!

 

And if you are not looking in the mirror right now after that statement and you are thinking about someone else and the way you love, CHECK YOUR HEART!

 

Love is truly the answer

⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

·      You see all the law and all the prophets rely on your love for God, and you love for your fellow humans (your neighbor)!

Romans 5:8 (ESV)

⁸but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

·      I, you, we, have broken every one of the 10 commandments and God still loves us

·      So God, or neighbors deserve the same from us!

·       

 

The bible is not a weapon, so let’s stop using it like one!