The Danger of Sound Bite Christiantiy

If you’re new to our church, it would be good for you to know we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”. What that means is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking a book of the Bible and then studying it from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, in order to understand what it means for our lives today.

English Standard Version Chapter 12

The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

18 And kSadducees came to him, lwho say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that mif a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man5 must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”

24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because nyou know neither the Scriptures nor othe power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither pmarry nor pare given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, qhave you not read in rthe book of Moses, in sthe passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, t‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”

With that said, we are currently engaged in a study of Mark’s Gospel, a Gospel written to tell us who Jesus is, what He came to do, and what it means for you and I to follow Him.

So, if you haven’t been with us, I would encourage you to go online to marysvillefellowship.com, or download our app on your smartphone, where you can listen to all of the messages leading up today.

With that said, we are picking back up today in the final section of Mark’s Gospel. A section referred to as the “Passion of the Christ”. A section that highlights the final days of Jesus leading up to his death on the cross.

And what we’ve learned so far is that this section begins with seven combative rounds between Jesus and the religious leaders of his day. Seven encounters where the opponents of Jesus are desperately working to discredit, disqualify, and bring an end to Jesus.

So far we’ve looked at four of those encounters, and today we will be looking at the 5th.

The first round was initiated by Jesus as he entered the temple and disrupted the temple worship. A disruption that resulted in Jesus flipping over tables, blockading the entrances, and accusing the religious leaders of irreverent behavior. Why did Jesus do this? He did it to symbolically demonstrate God’s new approach to salvation. That no longer would relationship with God be based on rituals but through faith in Jesus. It was out with the old and in with the new.

So,

So in order to help us get our arms around this next encounter and give us some context, I want to begin by asking you a question:

Round 2 began the next day as Jesus once again entered the temple and was confronted by the religious leaders. Their question, “Jesus, who do you think you are? By whose authority are you doing these things.” And while their question was meant to discredit Jesus, it only solidified Jesus’s authority as Jesus responded with his own question. A question concerning John the Baptists claim of who Jesus was.

The

And while we don’t have time this morning to recount each encounter, what I will say is each encounter has been purposeful, strategic,

Question - Have you ever had somebody try and use the Bible to disprove your faith, your beliefs, or your moral stance? In other words, have you ever had somebody take the Bible, and try to use it against you?

Let me give you an example of what I’m talking about:

One of the the hot topic debates in our culture today revolves around the topic of homosexual and lesbian relationships.

In fact, the advancement of the gay and lesbian agenda has gained more ground in the last 5-10 years than at any other point in American history. As a result, we now live in a culture where homosexual relationships and gay marriage are becoming more widely promoted and accepted.

You might be thinking, “Pastor, how is that happening? What has caused this shift in thinking?” Well, while there are a number of factors that have contributed to this shift, but you can thank the media and Hollywood for much of this influence.

The proof of this can be seen through television shows and movies that are now going out of their way to highlight homosexual and lesbian relationships as if it’s just a normal part of American life. Shows like “Star Trek Discovery”, “Super Girl”, “Legends of Tomorrow”, “SWAT”, “Riverdale”, “Quantico”, and the list goes on and on of shows who are now parading the gay and lesbian lifestyle.

The truth is, Hollywood is doing its worst to contribute to this cultural shift in thinking. Shows like “Star Trek Discovery”, “Super Girl”, “Legends of Tomorrow”, “SWAT”, “Riverdale”, “Quantico”, and the list goes on and on parade gay and lesbian relationships as if it’s a normal part of life.

In fact, it wouldn’t shock me if one of the next Bachelor or Bachelorette seasons involves a gay man or lesbian woman looking for that special someone. Hollywood isn’t done pushing this agenda.

Now, you might be wondering, “Pastor, why do you bring this up? Is the message today on homosexuality?” No, the message isn’t on homosexuality.

And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”

I mention this not to bring attention to the topic of homosexuality, but to illustrate how a topic like this is often debated and defended. Because when it comes to what we believe about topics such as homosexuality, in most cases, Christians use the Bible to defend their beliefs. What’s interesting though is in many cases their opponents us the same source. In other words, sometimes our opponents try to use the Bible against us, often leaving the Christian not knowing what to say or how to defend their stance. Let me give you an example of what I’m talking about.

One scripture Christians often point to concerning homosexuality is found in . Listen to what God says about homosexual relationships in this passage:

22 “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. 23 And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion.” (ESV)

In this passage, God makes it clear that same sex relationships are detestable to Him. In fact, God says it’s as detestable as a man or woman having a sexual relationship with an animal. It’s unnatural and an abomination.

So, what a lot of Christians will do in a debate or argument on homosexuality is point to this passage, and they’ll say, “See, this is what God thinks about homosexuality.” And the truth is, the Christian is right. Homosexual relationships are detestable to God.

But it’s at this point the table is turned as the person they’re debating says, “Well, if you’re going to use that passage as your stance, then why don’t you apply everything the book of Leviticus has to say?”

At this point the Christian says, “What do you mean?” And their opponent says, “Well if you keep reading your Bible, in the next chapter over, in , God also says don’t plant two different types of seed in a field. So, if that’s the case, I guess we shouldn’t plant gardens with different types of vegetables in it. That would be a sin, right?

Oh, and I noticed you’re wearing a 50/50 cotton/polyester blend t-shirt today. I’m pretty sure the Bible says in say that you are forbidden to wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material?

Oh, and I noticed the other day you ordered a hamburger medium rare. Doesn’t God say in that you should not eat meat with the blood in it?”

And now the Christian is left speechless, and it’s at this point their opponent says, “You see, what you believe doesn’t apply anymore. And if you think it does, then you’re a hypocrite. How about you join the 21st century. Can’t you see that God has changed his thinking. Can’t you see that those antiquated beliefs no longer apply?”

Anybody ever faced something like that?

I ask you this question, because as we come back to the Gospel of Mark today, this next encounter is of a similar nature. In this next encounter Jesus is going to be approached by some opponents who want to discuss a highly debated topic of the day. And in order to defend their position and make Jesus look foolish, they’re going to try and use the Bible against Jesus.

So, with that as our context, here’s what I want to do this morning.

First, I want to read through the passage and show you how these opponents are trying to trap Jesus.

Second, I want to show you how Jesus responds to their attack.

Third, based on Jesus’s response, I want to look at how this passage applies to us.

So, with that as our basis, let’s begin as Mark introduces us to round 5. Beginning in 12:18 Mark writes:

“And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.” 24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.” (ESV)

24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.” (ESV)

Mark begins by introducing us to a new group of opponents. A group of religious and political leaders known as the “Sadducees”.

So, who are these guys? The truth is, we don’t know a lot of about the Sadducees. They are only mentioned a couple times in the Gospels, but we do know enough to paint a picture of who they were and what they believed.

Let me give you an example of what I’m talking about:

First, from what the Bible and other historical sources tell us, we know they were wealthy aristocrats. In other words, they were the well to do of Jewish society.

One of the hot debates surrounding Christianity and our culture today revolves around the topic of homosexual and lesbian relationships.

Second, politically speaking they were extremely liberal and were more than willing to cooperate with the Roman authorities in order to maintain their favored positions. In other words, they cared more about power and position than they did for the welfare of the Jewish people.

Third, theologically speaking, they were conservative and only accepted the first five books of the Bible as scripture. Meaning, their Bible only consisted of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. As a result, they rejected the teachings of the Pharisees and certainly rejected the teachings of Jesus.

To be honest, what we see in Hollywood today represents the beleifs an

In fact, the advancement of the gay agenda has gained more ground in the last 5-10 years then the previous 20 years. As a result, we now live in a culture where homosexual relationships and gay marriage are becoming more widely accepted.

In fact, many of the most popular and culturally relevant television shows movies go out of their way to highlight homosexual and lesbian relationships as if it’s just a normal part of our society.

Finally, we also know there were certain theological topics they had strong opinions on. One in particular was their view of life after death. In fact, their view was very similar to that of Stephen Hawking. If you’re not familiar with Stephen Hawking, he was a world-renowned physicist who passed away this past week. At one point in his life, when asked about his view of God and the afterlife. Here’s what he had to say:

“I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.” Stephen Hawking

Hollywood is doing its worst to contribute to this cultural shift in thinking. Shows like “Star Trek Discovery”, “Super Girl”, “Legends of Tomorrow”, “SWAT”, “Riverdale”, “Quantico”, and the list goes on and on parade gay and lesbian relationships as if it’s a normal part of life.

And what they believed is that there wasn’t a resurrection. In other words, when your dead, it’s game over. And that’s why they were “Sadducees”. I know, it’s a bad joke. Just making sure you’re still with me.

Like Stephen Hawking, the Sadducees had a similar view. They didn’t believe in a resurrection or afterlife. In other words, for them, when your dead, it’s game over. Which tells us a lot about the name of their religious party. Because that’s why they were “Sadducees”. I know, it’s a bad joke. Just making sure you’re still with me.

In fact, don’t be surprised if one of the next Bachelor or Bachelorette seasons involves a gay man or lesbian woman looking for that special someone. Hollywood’s attack on traditional relationships and marriage isn’t over.

So, when it comes to the Sadducees, here’s what we need to understand. While the Sadducees disliked Jesus just as much as the other religious parties of the day, their attack on Jesus is going to be more theological than political, and is meant to make Jesus look foolish. And to do that, they’re going to debate him on a theological topic they felt quite confident in. So, what’s their topic? Mark tells us. Listen again to how Mark begins this encounter:

“And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection.” (ESV)

The reason I bring this up is because

Mark tells us upfront this next encounter is going to involve a theological question and debate over the topic of “Resurrection”. A topic they have a strong opinion on. So, how will they debate Jesus? What’s their strategy?

Their strategy is going to be to use the Bible against Jesus by presenting Jesus with a hypothetical situation based on a scriptural command from Moses. Their hope is, to trip Jesus up theologically and discredit his teachings before the people.

So, let’s jump back into the passage and see what this hypothetical and theological question is all about surrounding the topic of the resurrection. Going back to the passage, Mark says when they approached Jesus they said:

19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.” (ESV)

Mark says the hypothetical situation revolves around a command that Moses gave. And the command they are referring to is found in . So, maybe a good place for us to start would be to look this command so we can get a better idea of what they are referring to. Listen to what Moses says in to the people of Israel:

5 “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. 6 And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.” (ESV)

So here you have the Sadducees pointing to a specific passage in the Bible. And what this passage points to is a law that Moses had given the people primarily to protect the heritage and inheritance of a family line.

Let me explain it like this. The idea was, if a man marries a woman, and he dies before they have a male child, it was the obligation of the man’s brother to now marry her, impregnate her on behalf of his brother, in order that his brothers name and legacy could continue.

So, for example, if I would have died before Denise and I had David, according to this law, it would have been my brother Ben’s obligation to marry Denise and have a child on my behalf. That way my name and legacy can continue, and my inheritance is kept within my family name and not given to a different family line.

I know the idea seems foreign to us, but for the culture of Jesus’s day, it was an important part of Jewish lineage.

So, that’s the law and the command they cited. But in this instance, the Sadducees aren’t referencing this command for linage or inheritance purposes. They have a different purpose for this passage. And we see that played out as they now give their hypothetical situation. And the hypothetical situation goes something like this.

Hypothetical Situation - A man marries a woman and dies before they have children. For our purposes, we’ll call this man Jon Doe. And while it may seem all hope is lost, thankfully Jon Doe has seven younger brothers who are ready and able to carry on his name.

So after John Doe’s funeral, the next eldest brother takes her as his wife, but wouldn’t you know it, before they can have a child, he has an unfortunate accident as well and dies. But never fear, there are six more brother to carry Jon’s line.

So the next eldest brother takes her as his wife. But again, as fate might have it, that brother dies before they can have a child. Good thing there are still five brothers left.

At this point brother number three takes her as his wife. But again, before they can have children, he has an unfortunate accident and dies.

And would you believe, this tragic trend continues until all seven brothers end up marrying her and dying before they can have a child with her. So, with the hypothetical situation on the table, based on Moses law, the question for Jesus then is, “Jesus, in the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but that’s not the first question that comes to my mind when I hear that story. The first question that comes to my mind when I hear that story is, “Why does everybody that marries this woman seem to be having an “accident”? I mean I’ve seen enough episodes of the “Forensic Files” to know something fishy is going on here. I mean can you imagine if that happened today? We’d all be like, “Yeah, she’s gotta be taking them out. I mean, what are the odds?”

But that’s their question. “Jesus in the afterlife, whose wife will she be?”

So, why do they ask this question? After presenting a ridiculous scenario, why do the Sadducees want to know whose husband she is going to be in heaven?

The reason they ask this question is because they don’t believe in the resurrection, but they know Jesus does. So in order to trap him theologically, in order to trip him up, in order to make his belief look silly, they create a scenario that they think contradicts Jesus’s belief in the resurrection, and they try and use the Bible to do it. They use one Moses’s commands.

In other words, their thinking is, if the resurrection is real, then this is quite a dilemma for the woman and these men. Because theoretically in the after life, she would have eight husbands. Jon Doe and his seven brothers. “And Jesus, wouldn’t that be wrong. Jesus, wouldn’t that contradict God’s law of one man and one woman. Doesn’t that create a conflict for your theological position Jesus? Come on Jesus, if the resurrection is real then apparently it’s going to be a kinky after life.”

Do you see what they are trying to do? They are taking a passage of scripture out of context and trying to use it to justify their own beliefs while discrediting Jesus’s beliefs at the same time.

It’s exactly what somebody does when they take , the scripture concerning mixing two fabrics together out of context, and try and use it to justify homosexuality while at the same time trying to make you look foolish.

And to be honest, as it is for us in those cases, on the surface, it seems like they might have Jesus backed in a theological corner. Because that’s a good question, “Who is going to get her in heaven?”

So, how does Jesus respond? How does he navigate this trap? Listen to what Mark tells us:

What’s interesting about Jesus’s response is that he approaches it from two directions. First, he tells them why they are wrong. And second, he actually answers their question.

So, what I want to do is look at both sides of Jesus’s response, and I want to begin with the second part, his answer. And the reason I want to start with Jesus’s answer to the question, is because if we’re honest, that’s what we tend to be most interested in as well.

The truth is, we all want to know what heaven is going to be like. We all have questions about what life after death looks like. That’s why we all run to the theatre when a movie like “Heave Is For Real” comes out.

So naturally, when we read this passage, our minds gravitate to Jesus’s answer. That’s what we focus on. So, Jesus tells us. He says:

25 “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” (ESV)

Jesus easy, “Ok, you want to know whose wife she’ll be. I’ll tell you.” And then he gives them two heavenly insights.

The truth is, we would all like to know what heaven is going to be like. We all have questions about what life after death looks like. That’s why we all run to the theatre when a movie like “Heave Is For Real” comes out. Because we want to know. What will heaven be like? What will our relationships with family and friends will be like? If we’re honest, we’ve all asked this same question. We want to know, “Do I have to be married to them forever?”

So naturally, when we read this passage, our minds gravitate to Jesus’s answer. That’s what we focus on. And when it comes to the after life, Jesus gives us two incites into what heaven will be like.

(ESV)

First he says, in heaven she will be nobody’s wife. In other words, relationships will work differently in heaven. He says you won’t have a wife in heaven. You won’t have a husband in heaven. I’m sorry to say, you won’t be married to your spouse for eternity. That’s good and bad news for some of you.

So, how will relationships work? Well, Jesus doesn’t tell us that. He just says, it won’t be like it is now.

Second, Jesus says in heaven, we’ll be like the angels. So, what does that mean? Well, it’s hard to say. Again Jesus doesn’t clarify that. Maybe it means we will be sexless. Maybe it means we’ll have wings. Maybe it means you’ll have a halo. I don’t know. But apparently, how we function now, how our bodies work now, what we look like now, all of that changes in heaven. But in some way, we will be like the angels.

All very interesting and intriguing. And the truth is, we want to know more. And here’s where the danger comes in.

The danger is that we would stay focused on that.

The danger is we would take the limited information Jesus has given us and build a theology for life after death.

The danger is for us to go off on rabbit trails that don’t really matter. Because that’s what happens. We read a passage like that and then we start looking up passages on angels so we can figure what angels are like. Or we buy a book on heaven and try to get more answers about what life after death looks like.

And it’s not that there is anything wrong with wanting to know more about heaven. In the right context of scripture, that’s ok. The problem in this instance though is, that’s not what this passage is about. And if we’re not careful, in our curiosity of the after life, we could miss what Jesus is really trying to say here. We could miss the lesson that Jesus is trying to teach these Sadducees. The lesson he’s maybe trying to teach us.

So, what is this passage really about? What is the lesson? If it’s not about figuring out “who gets her in heaven” or “what heaven is like”, what’s it about?

To understand we have to go back to what Jesus says right before he answers their question. Listen again to what Jesus says:

24 “Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” (ESV)

(ESV)

Notice that before Jesus answers their question, he clarifies first why they are wrong. He says, “You are wrong because...”

The question then is, “Why does Jesus start there?” He starts there because that’s what the passage is about. It’s not about what happens after we die. It’s about why their wrong about it.”

In other words, “I’m going to give you the answer, but before I do, I’m going to tell you what the real problem is here. And the real problem isn’t your question, the problem is why you are wrong to begin with.” In other words, the reason you’re asking this question to begin with is because you are misguided in your thinking.

So, why are they wrong? Why is their view of life after death so off? How could they have come to such a wrong conclusion? Jesus is about to tells us. Listen to what he says, “24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? “ (ESV)

So, why are they wrong? Why is their question so misguided? Jesus tells us. Listen to what he says, “24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? “ (ESV)

Jesus says, “The problem isn’t whose wife is she going to be. The problem is, you don’t know the scriptures or the power of God. The real problem is you have a wrong view of the resurrection. And then after telling them the answer to their question, Jesus addresses the real issue. Listen to what he says:

(ESV)

26 “And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.” (ESV)

Jesus says, “Let’s cut to the chase. This isn’t about Moses and his law. This is about your misguided view of the resurrection. And you’re view is wrong. So, let me give you the correct view using a scripture that actually addresses it.” And then Jesus points to . A passage of scripture where God first introduces himself to Moses through a burning bush. Listen to what the Bible says as Moses approaches the burning bush:

(ESV)

4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Exodus 3:4-6 (ESV)

In this moment of divine revelation, God introduces himself to Moses. How does he do it? By telling him, “I am the God of Abraham, The God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Why is this significant? Because in this moment God talks about these three men in the present tense. In other words, the implication here is that He’s still their God. Yeah, they’re dead, but they’re not. The implication here is they are still alive, just in another state. Meaning, God isn’t the God of the dead, but of the living. He’s not the God of the dead, the former, or the non-existent. He is the God of the living. And that’s really good news for you and I, because that means Stephen Hawkings was wrong. We are more than a computer that wears out.

So, do you see what Jesus did? Jesus called them on the carpet. He saw what they were trying to do. He saw how they took a passage out of context and built a false argument and doctrine. So he says, “You don’t understand the scriptures.” In other words, you’re taking scripture out of context. Then he leads them to the right passage.

Second he says, “You don’t understand the power of God. Because God isn’t a God of the dead, but of the living. He’s a God that raises the dead. He’s more powerful than you can possibly imagine. You guys don’t know what you are talking about. You are wrong.” And in this moment, Jesus wins round 5.

Now, at this point, you might be thinking, “Wow Pastor, that’s quite a passage. That’s very interesting. Pretty awesome to see Jesus beat these guys theologically. But how does that apply to my life? What about this encounter will make me a better follower of Jesus?”

To be honest, there are a couple applications we could look at. For instance, we could take this passage and talk about how to debate somebody who tries to use the Bible against you. For example, I could spend the rest of our time this morning teaching you how to debate the homosexual issue. I could show you how Moses’s command not to eat rare meat or to wear a 50/50 blend shirt has nothing to do with homosexuality. I could show you how to battle someone on the topic of homosexuality and come out on top.

We could talk more about the resurrection and what the after life is going to look like.

But I don’t think that’s the best use of our time. I think for you and I there is a more important application. An application that doesn’t put us standing next to Jesus in this story, but an application that puts us standing next to the Sadducees.

Because the truth is, many times we make the same mistake the Sadducees made. More often than not, like the Sadduccees we are in error. Like the Sadduccees, we’ve come to some wrong conclusions when it comes to our faith or beliefs. We’ve developed some bad theology. And that’s why many times we look foolish and lack power in our life. That’s why when somebody challenges our faith or belief, we don’t know what to say or do.

So, a good question might be, “What are the errors that we make? How at times are we like the Sadduccees?” Based on our passage this morning, I’d like to suggest there are two errors we often make when it comes to living out or defending our faith.

We make an error when we limit our understanding God’s Word in our life.

Listen again to what Jesus says to the Sadducees:

“Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? (ESV)

What Jesus is saying is, one of the errors of the Sadducees was their lack of understanding of God’s Word. And we see this played out in two ways.

First, the Sadducees only studied the first five books of the Bible, and as a result, they had a limited view of God.

And the truth is, Christians make the same mistake today. To often our view or understanding of God is based on a limited view of His Word.

That’s true for some of you hear today. The truth is, much of what you believe about God and how you live your life spiritually is based on what I would call “sound byte” theology. You all know what a sound byte is, right? A sound byte is a short piece or clip from a longer piece of audio.

And the truth is, what some of you believe about God and how you live your life, is based on sound bytes of God’s Word.

Sound bytes you learned in Sunday school.

Sound bytes that you were taught in Catechism class or in confirmation class.

Sound bytes that that you’ve picked up from your religious upbringing.

And while the sound bytes are good, and while they can be beneficial, they are limited. Limited because they don’t give you the entire broadcast of God’s Word. They only give you clips. Highlights. scraps. And the truth is, you can’t build your faith off of scraps of scripture. You can’t defend what you believe with pieces you’ve tried to piece together over the years.

And what ends up happening, is those sound bytes develop our doctrine. They determine what we believe. And they become our only source of defense when challenged.

But the fact of the matter is, you can’t live your life for God off sound bytes. You can’t defend your faith with scraps of scripture that you’ve pieced together over the years. If you do that, you are limiting the extent of God’s Word in your life. And you’re limiting your ability to lead somebody to the truth about Jesus. And as a result, your operating under a false or limited understanding of God, ill equipped to even defend what you believe.

And as a result, your operating under a false or limited understanding of God, ill equipped to even defend what you believe. So, that’s one problem.

So, that’s one problem.

The second problem comes when the sound bytes are taken out of context. The Sadducees were guilty of this. In order to back up what they believed, they were taking scripture out of context and using it to say what they wanted it to say. That’s what they were doing with the command from moses. They took a law meant to preserve a family line and were using it to try and justify their view on the resurrection.

So Jesus says, “Nope, can’t do that, wrong scripture boys. But let me show you the one you should be looking at. Because God is the God of the dead, but of the living. He’s the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.”

You see, the problem for the Sadducees is they didn’t understand how scripture worked. They were using it to back up what they believed instead of letting scripture tell them what God had said. And the result was they’d developed some bad theology.

And what was true for the Sadducees is true for many Christians today. Like the Sadducees, we take our limited view of the Bible and we try and apply the sound bytes to how we live our life or to back up what we believe.

So, when we run into something like the gay debate, we grab our sound byte scriptures. The problem though is we don’t know how to use those passages in a the right way. We’ve simply pulled them out of context to make our point. But then when somebody challenges us with another scripture that works against our scripture, and we don’t know what to do. And the reason we don’t know what to do is, because like the Sadducees we don’t understand how the scriptures work. We have a limited understanding. It’s a huge problem in American Christianity.

It might surprise you to know, in a recent research study, it was found that of those who attend church in America, only 45% say they read their Bible more than once a week and over 40% said maybe once a month. The research further found, that because of the lack of attention to scripture, American Christians were developing unbiblical doctrine and theology. For example, while 67% of Americans believe in heaven, 45% believe there are many ways to get there. And when polled 1 in 5 Christians believe there are many ways to get to heaven.

Do you see the problem here?

So, how do you battle this error? How do you overcome the sound byte problem? It starts by taking the limits off our understanding. It starts by picking up your Bible, and recognizing that God has more to say. He’s not a god of sound bytes. He’s the God of a living Word.

And he’s given it to us in black and white. Everything he wants us to know about him. Everything he wants us to understand about Him is found in this book. Paul says, “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable...”

But for you to hear what he has to say, you have to listen to the entire broadcast. Yes, what your parents taught you was good. Yes, what you learned in Catechism might have been helpful. But it’s limited. They’re sound bytes. It’s not the full audio verson. If you want to truly follow Jesus, you have to become a student of his Word. Not just some of it. Not just what suits you. Not just what lines up with your theology. But all of it.

This is why we practice expository preaching at MCF. This is why we base what we believe not just off of portions of the Bible, but all of it.

The Sadduccees made the mistake of limiting their view of God’s Word. Can I challenge you this morning not to make the same mistake. Can I challenge you to ditch sound byte theology and pick up God’s Word. Become a student of the Word. Commit yourself to learning everything that God has to say through His written Word.

You might say, “Pastor, how do I do that? How do I become a better student of God’s Word?” I would encourage you to buy an NIV Study Bible and make reading God’s Word a daily priority. To be honest, the Bible isn’t rocket science. You can understand it. But you have to take the time to read it. And a good study Bible is a great place to start.

Don’t make the error the Sadducees made. They limited their understanding of God’s Word. They resorted to sound bytes. And as a result, they had developed some bad theology. This leads us to the second error.

I would say this as well.

2. We make an error when we limit understanding of God’s power in our life.

Listen again to what Jesus says to the Sadducees:

“Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? (ESV)

Jesus says, not only did they have a limited understanding of God’s Word, they had a limited understanding of God’s power. In their mind, God wasn’t able to raise the dead. In their mind, God was a limited God. But Jesus says, “No, no ,no. You are so wrong. He’s not the God of the dead, He’s the God of the living. You don’t understand the power of God.”

And again, we make the same mistake today. Because when you limit your understanding of God’s Word, you also limit his power in your life. Let me give you an example of what I’m talking about.

You limit what God could do in your marriage.

One of them most under-taught and misunderstood subject matters in the NT is the subject of the Holy Spirit. The truth is, most American Christians don’t understand who the Holy Spirit is or what his purpose is. In a recent survey, 60% of American Christians said the Holy Spirit was a force and not an actual person. But listen to what Jesus says about the Holy Spirit as he refers to him as a person:

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (ESV)

Jesus says, “Listen, in my absence, he will come, he will help you, he will guide you.” The Holy Spirit is a person. But not only is he going to provide help. Jesus says he’ll also provide power. Listen to what Jesus says in right before he ascends into heaven:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (ESV)

Jesus says, “When the Holy Spirit comes, you will receive power.” And Jesus wasn’t lying. Because only days later, as 120 of the disciples gathered together, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, and they recieved power. Listen to how Luke describes it.

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (ESV)

Luke says, as the disciples prayed, a mighty wind filled the house, and a visible empowerment rested upon them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in languages that weren’t their own.

Now, when I read that, I know what some of you are already thinking. You’re thinking, “Now hold on Pastor, where are you going with this. You’re not going to start talking about tongues are you? Pastor please don’t let the rumors be true.”

Listen, if that’s all you got out of that passage, that they spoke in tongues, then you missed the point of the passage. The passage isn’t about tongues. The passage is about empowerment. In that moment they were empowered by the Holy Spirit. In that moment, they were given something they didn’t have before. The power to do what Jesus had asked them to do. And on that day, as they walked out speaking in languages that weren’t they’re own, 3000 people came to faith in Jesus. Listen to how Luke describes it:

“Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? as the gospel was proclaimed to those present in Jerusalem in all languages and tongues.” (ESV)

And from that point on, the disciples became a power house for Jesus. As they began to heal the sick. As they began to raise the dead. As they began to teach with authority and understanding. So visible was this empowerment that the religious leaders arrested them to find out what was going on. Listen to how Luke describes it:

“7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:7-12 (ESV)

Did you notice what Luke said? When asked by what power or by what name are you doing this. Luke says, “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said...”

Here’s my point. The first century church understood something that the 21st century church has forgotten, and it’s this. If we want to do what Jesus has asked us to do, we have to do it by the power of the Holy Spirit. We need what they had.

And what’s so amazing is that it’s still available today. But what’ so sad is we so often fail to seek it. And as a result we end up trying to do things in our own power.

So, why don’t we seek it? For several reasons. For some it’s because they’ve never been taught about the Holy Spirit and they just don’t know what they need or are missing. For others, it’s because they think it’s weird or maybe even cultic. They’ve heard rumors. They’ve heard somebody speak in tongues. And they think it’s weird. And unfortunately, some Christians over the years have made it weird as the gift of tongues has been mis taught, overly used, and often abused.

And as a result, because of a lack of knowledge, because of fear, because of abuses, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit has been set aside and the Holy Spirit has been sidelined as we try and run plays for Jesus without Him. And like the Sadducees we end up not understanding the power of God, and we end up powerless. Powerless to do what Jesus has called us to do. Powerless to minister to people in our workplaces. Powerless to be the witnesses He’s called us to be. Powerless in our marriages. Powerless in our parenting. Powerless to live the life God has called us to live. Living off sound bytes instead of living by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I don’t know about you church, but I don’t want to be like the Sadducees. I want to understand God’s Word and have the power of God in my life.

Now, at this point, you might be wondering, “Pastor, where are you going with all of this? You’re starting to make me nervous.” Here’s where I’m going. I believe with all my heart that God has raised MCF up to be a power house for Him in this community and region. I think most of you believe that as well. And I believe through this church thousands of people are going to come to faith in Jesus. And as exciting as that thought is, it’s impossible without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit helping us, we will minimize what God wants to do.

With that said, I believe the next chapter for MCF involves you and I growing in our knowledge and understanding of the Holy Spirit. So, how are we going to do that? We are going to do it in a few different ways.

First, if you want to know more about the Holy Spirit and spiritual empowerment, then I would invite you to be at First Wednesday Prayer. First Wednesday prayer is our monthly prayer meeting. It goes from 7-8 on the first Wednesday of every month, and childcare is provided. And starting at the April First Wednesday, I’m going to start teaching on the Holy Spirit and the empowerment that He offers us. So, I’ll just say this. If you want to grow past where you are spiritually, then you need to make First Wednesday a priority. And just to clarify, it’s not going to be some crazy service where people are running around, jumping chairs, holding snakes, and speaking in tongues. It’s going to be a service where we open God’s Word and together discover who the Holy Spirit is and what he offers us.

Second, this Fall, after we finish the Gospel of Mark, we are going to begin an expositional study of the book of Acts. And together on Sunday morning we are going to discover what a NT church looks like. Together we are going to learn what it means to be a spirit empowered church. Together, we are going to begin a journey, that I believe will bring a spiritual awakening first to our church, and then to the community.

Now, here’s the deal. For that to happen, you and I have to be open to what God might want to do in and through us. But here’s the challnege.

The truth is, spiritually speaking, some of you come from a Sadducee upbringing. In other words, you were raised in a tradition that gave you a limited understanding of God’s Word. It gave you sound bytes. In addition to that, it didn’t teach you about the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

Now, please hear me, I’m not saying that to bash anybody’s religious heritage or background. I’m simply pointing out a fact that most mainline traditional denominations fail to teach the entire Word of God and rarely lead anybody to a biblical understanding of the Holy Spirit.

But whether you realized it or not, you’re now in a church that is committed to do that. A church that teaches the entire Word of God through expository preaching. A church that believes God wants to empower us through the Holy Spirit. But for that to happen in your life, you have to be open to it. You have to desire it. You have to want more.

And so here’s I would ask you to do. As we close this morning, and as the worship team comes, I would ask you to consider that God brought you to MCF for a reason. And it’s not because he new you’d like a contemporary church or building. It’s not because he knew you’d like the kids ministry. It’s not because he knew you’d like the worship. It’s not because he knew you’d like the coffee. The reason God brought you to MCF is because he wants to give you more. More understanding. More empowerment. More of Him. But here’s the deal, in order to get more of Him, it’s going to require you to give more of you. More of your time and attention to His Word as you become a student of the Word. More of your time and commitment to seeking His Spirit as you come to First Wednesday. And finally, more of a willingness to step into something you’ve maybe been afraid of as you seek God in ways you’ve never sought Him before.

You see, you’re not here by chance. You’re hear because God has more for you. So my challenge to you this morning, is that you would begin to open your heart to the possibility, that God has more for you.