Who's In Charge Here? A Series on Authority
Friday, January 16, 2004
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My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, thank You for designing me and all human beings in Your image, and thus able to learn Your word and by the power of Your Holy Spirit to live it out in my daily life. I pray for a fresh out pouring of Your Spirit in my life today, that my thoughts, words and actions would conform to Your will, and Your will alone. Use me today in whatever way will glorify You. Give me the opportunity to interact with others who haven’t yet responded to the truth that You are the one, true God, and that through Your Son, Jesus, and through Jesus alone comes salvation. Let my life be an example that draws others to You. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Bible Verses
Matthew 22:29-33
29Jesus replied, “Your problem is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. 30For when the dead rise, they won’t be married. They will be like the angels in heaven. 31But now, as to whether there will be a resurrection of the dead—haven’t you ever read about this in the Scriptures? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said, 32‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ So he is the God of the living, not the dead.”
33When the crowds heard him, they were impressed with his teaching.
Reflecting on God's Word
Have you ever had a problem in life because you didn’t understand the Scriptures? If so, what was the problem, and how did you solve it?
How have you come to know and understand the Scriptures better over the years?
A Deeper Exploration of God's Word
What does Jesus tell the Sadducees there problem was in today’s Scripture? (22:29-30)
How does Jesus demonstrate from the Scriptures that there IS a resurrection of the dead? (22:31-32)
What was the crowd’s response to Jesus’ teaching? (22:33)
Understanding God's Purpose for Us
If the Sadducees’ problem was that they didn’t understand the Scriptures, then what does this tell us about solving the problems that come along in our lives each day?
What difference would there be in your life right now, if any, if you lived as if the Bible was true in all that it presents to us?
Applying God's Word to Our Purpose
What is the most important application of today’s Scripture to your life right now?
Thoughts
Jesus told the Sadducees that their problem was they didn’t understand the Scriptures and the power of God. The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead. They offered Jesus a situation about a woman who married a man. When the man died, the man’s brother married the woman in order to fulfill the expectations of the Mosaic Law. The brother died, so another brother married the woman. This man died, so each of the brothers in the family – seven in all – married the woman. Then she died. The Sadducees question was, “Which man will the woman be married to in heaven, since she had seven different husbands?” Jesus answer indicates that if they understood the Scriptures, they would have known that in heaven men and women are not married. Then He pointed out that when God appeared to Moses, God said, “I AM the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” If Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were dead, and there was no heaven then God would have said, “I WAS the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” This is but one instance when knowing the Scriptures revealed a vital truth! As we study, and learn the truth of God’s word, we don’t just gain important truth, we gain truth that transforms our approach to life and living!