Sermon Tone Analysis

This morning we are continuing in our study of the Gospel of Mark.

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.

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.