LUKE 20:20-47 TRICK QUESTIONS ETERNAL TRUTHS2014 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Luke 20:20-47 Trick Questions Eternal Truths

The religious leaders want Jesus dead. They are doing everything they can to get rid of him and get him out of the picture.

They're doing their best in the passage we're looking at today to trap Jesus, to entrap him in the things that he has said. Now, Jesus has just finished telling the parable of this vineyard with the wicked vinedressers. And we studied that last week, which concluded there in verse 19.

And so that's why I read that with you this morning, so that you could see this passage we're going into flows out of this parable that Jesus tells. And it tells us in verse 19 that the religious leaders knew that Jesus was speaking that parable against them. And so their response then, as Jesus has said,

basically, you know, said that they are the wicked vine dressers and the kingdom is going to be taken from them, their response in verse 20 is they begin now to watch Jesus. Now this isn't, you know, that they're learning to follow Jesus, that they're interested in Jesus, but it's a watching with sinister intent.

That they're looking for an opportunity to take him down. They want to get rid of him. And so it tells us that they send spies into their midst.

Now spies, I would say, you know, don't think of it so much as like military spies, but more like private detectives. They hired these people, they sent these people into the crowd, and they're gathering evidence. They're trying to find some type of accusation that they can bring against Jesus. And you can see that at the end of the verse there in verse 20, it says, "...in order to deliver him to the power and authority of the governor."

So they're looking for an opportunity to turn Jesus over to the Romans. They're looking for an opportunity to get Rome to bring judgment upon Jesus. And so they're watching him. They're looking for an opportunity. They send in the spies, it says, who pretended to be righteous. So they're pretending to be sincere. They're pretending to be followers. And they're in the midst of the crowd...

But they're really trying to trap Jesus that they could turn him over to Rome. Now they want Rome to deal with Jesus for a couple reasons. In verse 19 we see that the religious leaders feared the people. They feared

are not normally shy in taking action and you know they they'll put people to death when they feel like it even though they don't have the actual right to but they feared the people and the people are following Jesus and that's what's getting them upset and so if they attack Jesus and put him to death then the people will not follow them anymore and they're afraid of losing their power

And so they want to turn him over to Rome to let Rome do that damage so that they'll still maintain their position and power amongst the people. So they're looking to get rid of Jesus because they do not like what's going on and how the people are following Jesus and paying attention to Jesus, which Jesus has been, you know, challenging the religious leaders and showing that they are not faithful to God.

And so they send in these spies with some questions. And so I titled the message this morning, Trick Questions, Eternal Truths. Because they're sending in spies to ask questions to trap Jesus. But through that, Jesus is teaching us some important truths that we need to know. And so there's four points we'll look at in this passage as we finish off chapter 20. And the first one is found in verses 20 through 26. And here's the eternal truth.

You are created in God's image. You need to know that you are created in the image of God. And that means something very specific as you'll see in the passage as we walk through it. So let's pick up in this trap in verse 21. Here's what it says. It says,

We know that you say and teach rightly, and you do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth. So here these spies now are amongst the crowd. They pretend like they're righteous and sincere and ask a question, pretending that it's a legitimate question, that it's something they actually care about. But first they, well, they attempt to, what we would say, butter him up.

They attempt to kind of puff him up. And they say, Jesus, you're amazing. And, you know, we really respect you because, well, you're not afraid of what people think. You say what's right, no matter what the consequences are.

This is part of their trap. Now a normal person would begin to be puffed up at this point. You're like, yeah, yeah, I don't care what people think. I say what's right. I speak my mind. I speak the truth. It doesn't matter what the consequences are. But Jesus isn't falling for their trap. But they're trying. They're attempting. This is part of their trap. Building him up so that then they could take him down. Because they're going to ask him to speak against Rome.

So Jesus, will you speak the truth? Even though Rome will bring judgment upon you, this is what they're seeking to accomplish. Verse 22. Here's the question. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not? So the question is,

What do we do about these taxes that we have to pay to Caesar? Now the taxes that they're asking about, it's a specific kind of tax. And it's called the poll tax. That is basically like as a census. This is something they would collect as a way to understand, you know, the number of people in the population and in the different regions. And so it was a citizenship tax that was given to Rome.

It was not a huge amount of money that was, you know, being requested. The tax was a denarius. And a denarius is said to be basically equivalent of one day's wage. So if you could think about, you know, what you make an hour or what you make in a week and kind of factor in and consider, okay, for a day I make this much money for a day's work.

that's about the amount that it would be for this tax. And so it wasn't a huge amount of money, but it was a tax that they hated to pay because it was an indication that they were subject to Roman authority. And that was really offensive to the Jewish people. They hated the fact that they were under the authority of Rome. They wanted to have their own authority and be established as their own nation once again.

And so they ask him this question, thinking that they have him trapped. Because if Jesus says, yes, it is lawful, you need to pay your taxes, then they're thinking, all right, the people are going to hate him if he says that. Because they hate paying those taxes. And so if he says, yes, you better pay your taxes, then, well, they're going to be upset with him. They'll stop following him, and they'll continue to follow us as they did.

But then if Jesus says no, then they're thinking, well, then we can turn him over to Rome and say, hey, Rome, he's telling people not to pay their taxes. He's, you know, rising up against you. You better deal with him. And so they think they've got it figured out. They've got this perfect plan. If he says yes, the people will stop following him.

If he says no, Rome will judge him. Either way, their mission is accomplished and they will maintain their role and their position in the land. Verse 23. But he perceived their craftiness and said to them, why do you test me? They thought they had a good plan. They had these spies strategically placed, pretending to be righteous, but they can't fool Jesus.

You can't fool Jesus. You can't pretend to be righteous and fool Jesus. He sees through the pretension. He recognizes when questions are not legitimate, when they are not genuine. He recognizes it when we're faking it.

It's really hard to get anything past Jesus. And so he, recognizing their attempt here, responds with great wisdom. It goes on in verse 24. He says, They answered and said, Caesar's.

So in answering this question, Jesus says, does anybody have a denarius? What we're looking for, what we're talking about in paying this tax, this is the amount that was owed for this poll tax. And so someone says, oh, I have one, here you go. And so here's what it might have looked like. Now this one's actually from a little bit later on in history, but it would have been something similar. That it would have the image of Caesar, Caesar Tiberius at that time.

And then it would have an inscription around it, the words that, you know, was chosen by that ruler at that time to be on the coin. And so this coin has Caesar's image and it has Caesar's words.

It has his image and his inscription. Now the coins of Tiberius, who was the Caesar at that time, said, Tiberius Caesar, son of divine Augustus. And so as a reference to, you know, the fact that they proclaimed themselves to be gods, the Roman Caesars, the Roman empires. And so that's what the coin said. And so it had his image. It said that he was the son of divine Augustus. And

Jesus now is going to use that to make his point. Verse 25, and he said to them, render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's. Jesus here responds in great wisdom and in doing so he gives the religious leaders no room for accusation.

There's nothing that they can accuse him of. They can't take him to Rome and say, he says we shouldn't pay taxes to Caesar. Because that's not what Jesus said. At the same time, they weren't effective in turning the crowd against Jesus. Because Jesus in his wisdom says, some things belong to Caesar and some things belong to God. This coin that you're carrying around, it has Caesar's image, his inscription,

So it's his. So by all means, give back to him what belongs to him. That's him or his. It's his image, his inscription. You, on the other hand, bear the image of God. And you have his inscription. That is his words. And so give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and give to God the things that belong to God.

The commentator named Morris says, Jesus is saying that we are citizens of heaven and earth at the same time. That is, you and I, we have responsibilities here, now, because we live on this earth for the moment. And so we have responsibility to the governing authorities that we are under. At the same time, we are citizens of heaven. And so we have responsibility to

to the authority of heaven, which is God. And we have both responsibilities. Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. Now, I consider this passage to be quite timely, as I'm sure many of you are about to prepare your tax return for the year. It's tax season. And so it's appropriate to remind you and say, you need to render

unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's. That is, it's right for you to pay the taxes that you owe. Let me put it this way. Get back the most that you can while at the same time paying what you rightfully owe. That's really what we ought to be doing as believers. That we get back as much as we can. Hey, you don't have to give money away, but make sure at the same time that you are paying what you owe.

That you give what's appropriate to the governing authority of our day. That you give what's appropriate to those who have been placed over us. Romans chapter 13, Paul tells us that all authority is, well, it's given to us by God. And we're to be subject to those authorities. And so, be faithful. But, consider it this way. So,

You know the IRS does audits. Sometimes because there's a problem. Sometimes randomly. So let's say you get audited. And the auditor comes and knocks on your door. You want to be able to witness to him. To share the gospel. And lead him to salvation.

But you can't do that if you're cheating on your taxes. Right? I mean, you want to have a good witness so that he can come, yeah, check everything out, and at the same time you can share the love of God expressed through Jesus Christ to him or her, the auditor. That you're above reproach. That you're not involved in some scheme to, you know, get back more or pay less than you owe. No, pay what you owe

It's appropriate to get back as much as you can, but don't do so at the expense of your witness that you would be a good representation of Jesus Christ, that Jesus would be proud of how you do your taxes. So render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's. Pay what you owe. Give what's appropriate. But then don't miss the second part, and to God the things that are God's.

In Genesis chapter 1 verse 26, God says, Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. God declares that as he created humanity, he did so in such a way that we are in his image. That we bear the image of God. Now, it's not a perfect image, right? We have a fallen nature and there's some issues as a result of sin there.

But at the same time, we bear the image of God. We are created in His image. You are created in the image of God. And therefore, you belong to Him. Not only are you created in His image, He is, you know, your creator, but then also He purchased you. So He created you and He purchased you. That is, Jesus Christ, being God, became man,

And died upon the cross. Paying the redemption price for us. For humanity. Receiving the full penalty for sin upon himself. We're going to be partaking of communion together at the end of service. And remembering what Jesus did for us upon that cross. And receiving that penalty unto himself. But in doing so he paid the price. He purchased us with his own blood.

And so he created us and that means we are his. We belong to him. But he also purchased us. And so we doubly belong to the Lord. We are doubly his. And so we are to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's. But we belong to God. Our lives belong to God. And so we are to give ourselves to the Lord because we are his.

Well, verse 26 says that they could not catch him in his words in the presence of the people. And they marveled at his answer and kept silent. I imagine sometimes I like to do this, you know, kind of put yourself in the shoes of the religious leaders. Man, they must have been frustrated. They had all planned out. It's like, we got him. I mean, it's the perfect question. We got him this time.

And still nothing that they could accuse him of. So frustrating. I kind of picture it like it was reminding me of when I was young, probably an early teenager. And I was at my home and my cousins were over. And my little cousin Joshua, he's, I don't know, I think about 10 years younger than I am. So he was really young. And we were outside. We were playing around the pool and stuff. And Joshua gets really frustrated with me.

And he's like frustrated and more and more frustrated and so frustrated. Finally, he runs into our house and he's yelling to my mom. He calls her Aunt Turtle. Aunt Turtle! Aunt Turtle! Jerry won't let me push him in the pool.

He's so frustrated because he was outside trying as hard as he could, but I was a lot older than him. And he said, Jerry won't let me push it. That's what I picture here. The Pharisees, the religious leaders, they're like trying to push him in the pool. And as hard as they try, they can't. And so they marvel at his answer and keep silent. Listen, you are created in God's image. And you can try to fight against that. You're never going to push him in the pool.

You're never going to win. You can't fight against your creator and win. You can't fight against the one who purchased you with his own blood and win. It's always going to be an act of frustration. And so while you're on this earth, yes, you have responsibility to the governing authorities, but you also have a responsibility to God. Give to God that which belongs to him, and that is yourself, your life. You belong to

I like the way that David Guzik puts it. He says, It is fitting. It is honorable to die for your country. And we are amazingly blessed with freedoms and wonderful things in this country by those who have died for the country. It's an honorable thing.

But only God is worth living for. Don't get confused. There's a lot of things that you can live for. But God is the only one who is worth living for. Give to God the things that are God's. Because you are created in his image. Well going on now to the second point. We find it in verses 27 through 40. And that is that you will live for eternity.

We move on now to the next trap question, trick question, trying to trap Jesus. And here he reveals another truth that we need to know. And that is, you are going to live forever. Every person will live for eternity. Now that doesn't mean that every person will have eternal life or that every person will go to heaven. But you will live for eternity forever.

And you have two options for eternity. With God or apart from God. And with God is incredibly far superior to being apart from God. And that is something to consider as we read what Jesus dealt with as these now Sadducees come against him. In verse 27 it says, Then some of the Sadducees who deny that there is a resurrection came to him and asked him. So,

The bell sounds. Ding, ding, ding. Round two. Here come the Sadducees. Now they're going to try their best to take down Jesus. The Sadducees were a group of religious leaders like the Pharisees. But the Sadducees and the Pharisees didn't like each other. They worked together only against Jesus because they had a common enemy. But the Sadducees believed different things than the Pharisees.

They only believed in the first five books of the scriptures. That is the books of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. They didn't regard the prophets. They didn't regard the Psalms or the writings. They only held to the first five books of the scriptures. Now, as a result, they concluded that there is no such thing as resurrection.

Because they did not believe that those first five books taught resurrection. They thought that's something someone else invented later on that God didn't actually teach that. And so that's their perspective. They're religious leaders. They have power and authority. In fact, they're the ones who have the high priest in that day. And so they were, you know, a high political position as well.

But they're trying to get rid of Jesus too because the people are following Jesus and Jesus has been speaking the truth which is against what they've been teaching. And so they come in verse 28. It says, saying, Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies having a wife and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. So they come to Jesus and they point him back to a passage that they believe.

So that's Deuteronomy chapter 25 verse 5 where Moses explains if there is a man and wife and the husband dies without having children that she shouldn't go and just marry anybody else but that his brother should marry her and should raise up a child in his brother's name. That the name of that brother would continue on.

Also you can remember too that God divided up the land of Israel by inheritance amongst the different tribes and then amongst the different families. And so the purpose of this was that the inheritance would be preserved. That the family inheritance would be passed on to a new generation. And so if the brother married the widow and they had a child, that child would get his father's

inheritance and would carry on that family name and that family inheritance. This law became, you know, really important later on as well in the book of Ruth. Really the whole book of Ruth is centered around this law. Remember when Boaz went to the gate to meet the other guy who, you know, could redeem the land that belonged to Ruth's family. That

He talked to the guy. He said, okay, you want to buy this land? Yeah, I want to buy this land. Okay, but here's what you need to know. Ruth, her husband died and they didn't have any children. So if you're going to redeem the land, you also have to marry her and raise up a child in her dead husband's name. And that's when the guy said, oh no, I can't do that. You know, my wife's not going to go for that. So I can't. You purchase the land, Boaz. I can't do it. So

So Boaz purchases the land and also at the same time receives Ruth as his wife and raises up children in the name of her husband who died. And so that's the idea of the kinsman redeemer there and a big part of the concepts and the plot there in the book of Ruth. So that's the scripture they're pointing him back to, reminding him of this law. Now they go on with their hypothetical scenario. Verse 29.

Now there were seven brothers, and the first took a wife and died without children. And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also. And they left no children and died. Verse 32. Last of all, the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife. So they set up this...

scenario. It's hypothetical. This isn't an actual family. They're not recounting historical events. They've created in their minds this situation which they think proves that the whole idea of resurrection is ridiculous. They believe the law of Moses. They believe that the brother should take the wife and raise up a child. They believe that

And so it doesn't make sense to them how resurrection could be a real thing from God because it doesn't make sense. Are they all seven going to be her husbands? I mean, that doesn't make sense, Jesus. Which one will be her husband? Now, again, they're attempting to make resurrection sound ridiculous. And they thought that they had a logically sound argument. I mean, they're just, they're working their way logically.

And you can follow along working through the logic. It makes sense. But here's the problem. They do not have all the information. And they were assuming that the next life, eternity, would be pretty much the same as this life. That things are going to be the same in the next life as they are in this life. That it's going to be similar experiences. And they didn't have all the information. And that's the problem whenever we hold back.

to logic above all else. Now, listen, the Christian faith is a reasonable faith. There are reasons to believe. It makes sense to believe. God wants you to use logic. He wants you to reason and understand at the same time. There are some things that we do not know. And when we come across those things that we do not know, we have to take God at his word. And so logic can only take us so far. And if we try to force logic

logical conclusions that God hasn't declared, we often will be, well, messing up doctrine. And that's what was happening here. They were messing up doctrine. The resurrection can't exist, they thought, because it doesn't fit this logic that we have. But again, the problem is they didn't have all the information. And so Jesus now will educate them. In verse 34, he says, "...the sons of this age marry and are given in marriage."

But those who are counted worthy to attain that age and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. Jesus now explains this life is different than what eternity will be like.

everything in the next stage is going to be different. There's not going to be new marriages in heaven. There's not going to be that kind of husband and wife relationship. Sometimes husbands and wives kind of get concerned about this. Like what? We have to hate each other in heaven? No, no, no. It's not that you're going to be opposite, but the idea is that everything in heaven is going to be better than what we experience here.

And so the marriage relationship is for, well, until death do us part. That's why it's part of the vows. It's not for eternity. It's for this life. And so, yes, you'll know each other in heaven. Yes, I'm sure you'll enjoy great times together in heaven. But it will be different than what you experience here. And so Jesus says there's not going to be marriage in heaven. There's not going to be death in heaven. You're going to be like the angels in the sense that you're sons of resurrection. You have a whole different relationship.

Life ahead of you in eternity. So you don't understand all the information or you don't have all the information. Again, your logic, sure it sounds sound, but it can only take you so far. And you have to recognize you don't have all the information. You have to take God at his word and not just rely upon your logic.

Now Jesus will go on to challenge them in their doctrine about the resurrection. In verse 37, he says, But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised when he called the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him. Jesus now refers them to Exodus chapter 3.

And he refers them to this passage because this is one of those passages that they believed. They believed the first five books of the scriptures. And so he refers them to Exodus chapter 3. He says, think about the passage in the part of the Bible that you believe. And here you'll see there is the reality of the resurrection. Now,

We say Exodus chapter 3. They didn't have the chapter and verse divisions that we have. Those came later. And so Jesus referred to it as the burning bush passage. And that would call their minds to this portion in the book of Exodus where Moses out in the wilderness sees a bush that is burning but it's not consumed.

And he says to himself, hey, I better check that out. And so he goes and he checks it out. And God appears to Moses through that burning bush and speaks to Moses through that burning bush. And God introduces himself to Moses there in Exodus chapter 3 verse 6. He says, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look upon God.

Jesus says, remember that passage? Remember that God is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Jesus now makes the point, he is not the God of the dead, but he's the God of the living. Now Jesus's point is that God didn't say, I was the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and now I want to be your God. He says, I am the

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That is presently, currently, I am their God. He says, for all live to him. There in verse 38. That is that, yes, they don't exist on this earth anymore. So in that sense, they're dead. But that's not the end of their existence. And that's what the Sadducees would believe. Because if you don't believe in resurrection, life after this death, then...

You simply cease to exist when you die. And Jesus is saying, they still exist. When God spoke to Moses, it was many years after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But they still exist. They still live as far as God's concerned. We might not see them, but God sees them. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. That is, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are still alive because, well...

They live for eternity. There is resurrection. There is life beyond what happens here on this earth. Verse 39. Then some of the scribes answered and said, Teacher, you have spoken well. But after that, they dared not question him anymore. So at the end of this trap, all they can say is, Well, that's a good answer. Wish we had some kind of comeback. Um...

And so they dared not question him anymore. They didn't have anything else they could. We don't want to put ourselves in a trap by asking him more questions is what they were thinking. Jesus proves it. You will live for eternity. And so I want to encourage you this morning to consider that. Not only do you belong to God because you were created in his image, but you're going to live for eternity. And since you're going to be living for eternity, you ought to be preparing for that.

Too often we get our eyes and our focus on this life and our plans for the here and now. But we need to invest in what is to come. Because this life is just a fraction of your actual existence. And you need to prepare for eternity. First of all, prepare for eternity by receiving Jesus Christ. By being born again. Because it's only then that we have access into eternity with God.

And so first we must do that. But then also beyond that, remember Jesus taught us to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven. That we need to not just believe in Jesus, but also to live for eternity. To live for eternal rewards. To accomplish great things for the kingdom of God. Because, well as Paul said in, I think it's 2 Corinthians chapter 4, the things that are seen are temporary.

But those are the things that we see and often that's what we are completely focused upon. But remember, we have a dual citizenship. Yes, we're citizens here for now. So it's appropriate to plan and to get educated and to have a career and to save. It's appropriate for all those things. But don't limit it to this life, the things that are seen. Because Paul also says the things that are unseen, those are the things that are eternal. So make sure that you don't just focus on what is temporary.

And then at the end of your life, all you had was just temporary stuff that won't last. But make sure that you invest and prepare for eternity, pursuing after the kingdom of God and right relationship with God. Well, moving on now to the third point, we find that in verses 41 through 44. And the third point is that Jesus Christ is Lord. That's the next truth that is revealed in this passage.

This time though it's revealed by Jesus challenging these religious leaders. Verse 41, And he said to them, How can they say that the Christ is the son of David?

So they've been asking him questions. The other gospels, like Matthew, also include, there was another question that was presented to Jesus about what is the greatest commandment after the resurrection question, now the greatest commandment question. But now Jesus turns to them and challenges them and says, how can they say, that is, how can the scribes and the teachers say that the Christ is the son of David?

Now when he talks about the Christ, that's the Greek word for the Hebrew word Messiah. It's the same. Christ, Messiah, it's the same. It means anointed one. He is talking about the promised Savior. Ever since the Garden of Eden, God has been promising a Savior to save people from their sins. And this promised Savior is all throughout the Old Testament, all throughout the Scriptures.

And Jesus asks about this promised Savior, how can they say that he is the son of David? Now, what's the problem with referring to the Messiah as the son of David? Because the scriptures did say, God did promise that the Savior would be a descendant of David. That he would come from the line of David. So, calling him a son of David would seem to be appropriate.

So what's the challenge here? Why is Jesus asking this? Well, he explains it more in verse 42 and 43. It says, Now David himself said in the book of Psalms, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. Jesus now points them to Psalm 110 verse 1, where David, the author of that Psalm, writes, The Lord said to my Lord,

And so David here is recording this conversation between these two people, the Lord and my Lord. The Lord is a reference to God the Father. My Lord is a reference to the Messiah. And so the Lord, God, said to the Messiah, the promised Savior, Jesus, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.

Now you and I look at this and we don't really see the dilemma that Jesus is highlighting. But in their culture and in that context, they would understand it would be very unusual. In fact, it would really never happen where someone would call their descendant Lord. Lord was not just a reference to deity, but it was also a term of respect like sir we would use today.

And so what he's saying is older people would not call younger people Lord or they wouldn't say sir to them. But younger people would call older people Lord. That would be typical. That would be normal. But it would be very unusual, unheard of for someone to call their great, great, great, great, great, great grandson Lord. Jesus here is highlighting that, well, Jesus, the promised Savior, is a descendant of David, but that's not all that he is.

he is also David's Lord. He is also superior to David. That the Messiah, the promised Savior, would also be God. Verse 44, therefore David calls him Lord, how is he then his son? That's Jesus's point. The Messiah would be greater than David, even though he was a descendant of David.

I like the way that Revelation 22 verse 16 puts it. There Jesus is speaking and he says, I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star. Jesus declares there, I am the root of David. That is, I am the originator. I am his creator. But then I'm also his offspring. I'm also his descendant.

And Jesus, by becoming man, although he is God, he became man, he created this unusual situation where he is David's originator and David's descendant. And so Jesus is challenging the religious leaders to help them recognize that the promised Savior was more than just a normal descendant, more than just another man who would live,

But that he also would be David's Lord. And of course Jesus is that promised Savior. Jesus Christ is Lord. He is God. He is the Lord. And so the passage there in Psalm 110 where it says, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. That is being fulfilled by Jesus right now. Jesus is at the right hand of the Father.

On the cross, as he died upon the cross, he said, it is finished. The work is complete. His job is done. He paid the price in full. And now he's seated at the right hand of the Father. And he will be there until his enemies are made his footstool, which will be at the end of the tribulation period. And that's when he will return again.

And establish his kingdom here upon the earth. Now there is something that happens in between. He leaves the right hand of the throne for a moment to collect the church. We call it the rapture of the church. But that's not work. That's a groom receiving his bride. And so Jesus, that promised savior, is Lord. Which means that we must submit to him. And we must surrender to him. That we must allow him to...

To have the full authority of our hearts and lives. That He gets to say what is right and what is wrong. He gets to say what we do or what we don't do. He is Lord. We are created in God's image. He created us. He purchased us. We belong to Him. And we will live for eternity. And since Jesus Christ is Lord, we must submit to Him.

We must surrender our lives to Him. Now, one final passage for us to look at in verses 45 through 47. And this gives us point number four. And that is that pretenders will be greatly condemned. Knowing all these things that we know. You are created in God's image. You will live for eternity. Jesus Christ is Lord. This is kind of a warning. Don't try to fake it. Don't try to pretend.

To be submitted to the Lord. Don't try to pretend to give your life to the Lord. Don't try to pretend to prepare for eternity. Because pretenders will be greatly condemned. Look at verse 45. Then in the hearing of all the people. He said to his disciples. Beware of the scribes. Who desire to go around in long robes. Love greetings in the marketplaces. The best seats in the synagogues. And the best places at feasts.

who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive a greater condemnation. As the religious leaders came to Jesus, testing him and seeking to trap him, he answered with great wisdom and they were unable to trap him in his words. But now, as they publicly tried to trap Jesus, now Jesus warns the public that,

about these religious leaders. And essentially what he says is, watch out for them because they are pretending to be godly. And he calls out some specific things that they do. They go around in long robes, putting on this show of holiness. We're righteous. We're holy. And they love the greetings in the marketplace.

When you revere those teachers and those scribes and you go, oh, look at, you know, he's in the marketplace. It's such a great honor to meet you, Rabbi so-and-so or scribe so-and-so or teacher so-and-so. And these announcements as they come to the feasts, they walk into the synagogue and it's like, oh, look who's here. Come on up front. We got a great spot for you, Rabbi.

They love the popularity. They love the position. They love these greetings and all the attention. But Jesus also says at the same time they're devouring widows houses. They're taking advantage of people. They're taking advantage and ripping people off. One of the things that they were doing, David Guzik points out, they taught that the greatest act someone could do is to give money to a teacher.

And of course, it was the teachers who taught this. So it would be as if I was up here today and I was telling you, if you really want to be righteous, if you really want to guarantee that you'll be in eternity with God, the best thing that you can do is give money to pastors. Ushers, bring the bags again. We're going to collect some more offering. I mean, if you really want to be saved...

That's horrible, right? But that's what they were, they were taking advantage of people in that way and taking what was not theirs, devouring widows' homes. Jesus also says they were making long prayers. But it was all for show. It was all demonstration in front of people. But their hearts were far from God. And they were not really seeking God. It was...

In pretense. They were pretending. And Jesus says. These will receive greater condemnation. Pretenders will be greatly condemned. Listen. There are pretenders. There are hypocrites. And I know a lot of people talk about all those hypocrites in the church. And.

To some degree, they're right. There is hypocrites in the church. There are those who pretend. But I can assure you that God, God is more disturbed by the hypocrites than anybody else is. And they will be greatly condemned. Because a pretender knows the truth, but doesn't live by it.

And God holds us accountable for what we know. And the more we know, there's a greater accountability. And so there will be a greater condemnation for those who are pretending. But there will be pretenders. There will be hypocrites. Just as Judas was one of the 12 disciples. There will be those who betray. There will be those who are pretending. Now here's the thing about that, okay? Our job is not to track them down. There will be pretenders. That doesn't mean we got to figure out

Is he pretending? I don't know. I mean, he doesn't really look like he's worshiping in the worship time. I'm not sure if he's really, I think he's just pretending. I think he's pretending. Yeah, I think he's pretending too. It's not our job to figure it out. God knows who they are. Just as he saw right through the spies who pretended to be righteous, God sees right through that. He knows exactly those who are pretending. Our job is not to track them all down. Our job is to make sure that we're not one of them.

That's what we need to be concerned about. That's what we need to be focused on. Our job is to make sure that we have real relationship with God. That we're not just putting on a show and making sure that other people think that we're good, but that we are passionate about God. That He is first in our life. That we don't just pretend that, yeah, you know, I'm created in God's image. So I'm giving unto God what is God's. I'm giving my life to the Lord. But it's just a show.

Yeah, I'm going to live for eternity, so I'm storing up treasure in heaven. But it's just a show. Yeah, Jesus Christ is Lord. But if it's just a show, if it's just pretending, then all we do is bring to ourselves greater condemnation. No, instead, we need to guard our hearts. We need to be passionate about making sure these things are real and true in our lives. That they accurately represent who we are.

These trick questions that they brought reveal eternal truths. You are created in God's image. So give your life to God, but not partially, not half-heartedly, not so others can see. Really give yourself to God. Really live for Him. Really prepare for eternity. And take those things seriously and lay out for yourselves treasure in heaven. Really submit to Jesus Christ and let Him be that final authority in your life.

Not just for show. Not to impress anybody else. Not to keep your wife from nagging you. But to really have right relationship with God by faith in Jesus Christ. And I want to encourage you this morning to grasp hold of these eternal truths for real. And to live them out. That you would love God with all of your heart and soul and mind and strength. That He would be the most important thing in your life.

I'm going to invite the ushers to come forward. I'm sorry, the worship team to come forward. And the ushers are going to prepare for communion. And as the worship team leads us in this song, the ushers are going to pass the bread and the cup out to you. And what I'd like for you to do is to spend time with the Lord as you prepare your heart to receive communion. Paul told us in 1 Corinthians to check our hearts and make sure

To examine ourselves before we partake. Make sure that you're not just pretending this morning. Make sure that you're not just putting on a show. But as you prepare your heart for communion, get real with God. And make sure what you have is a real relationship with Him. Jesus gave us communion on the night that He was betrayed. And He gave us the cup. And He said, this represents My blood, which is shed for the remission of sins. It's poured out that you might be forgiven.

And he gave the bread or the cracker. He said, this is my body which is broken for you. And both times he says, do this in remembrance of me. And so as you hold those portions this morning, remember what he did. He is Lord. He is God. But he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death. The death on the cross. There's no other way to respond.

Than to give our lives to Him. And so let's do that this morning. Let's receive. And as you partake. If you've never believed in Jesus Christ. Or you need to repent and get right with God. Please partake with us. And do so saying yes. I receive the forgiveness that you offer at the cross. I receive what you accomplish for me. By dying on the cross for my sin. And I give myself to you. I want to live for you.

Let's make that the commitment and the covenant of our hearts as we partake together. So they're going to lead us. The ushers are going to pass it out. At any time during the time of worship, you're welcome to partake as you do business with the Lord and settle the issue. Lord, am I right with you or am I just pretending? And once that's settled in your heart, go ahead and partake and enjoy your time in the presence of the Lord. Let's worship Him together.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.