04-26-20 Today is tomorrow’s past

Scripture:  Matthew 16:1-12

The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.

2 He replied, "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' 3 and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Jesus then left them and went away.

          5 When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6 "Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

          7 They discussed this among themselves and said, "It is because we didn't bring any bread."

          8 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, "You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9 Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11 How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

In our text today, The first 4 words & the last 4 words are:

THE PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES

As you read the words of Jesus and stories of Jesus' life in the gospels, you'll quickly notice that many people were opposed to Jesus' teaching. These people are called the "religious leaders" or the "teachers of the law." When you exegete, or dig a little deeper, you find that these teachers were divided into two main groups: the Pharisees and the Sadducees.

There were quite a few differences between those two groups. To better understand them, we'll start with their similarities.

The Similarities

Both the Pharisees and Sadducees were religious leaders of the Jewish people during Jesus' day. They ruled Zion’s hill = Jerusalem. That's important because Jewish people believed their religious practices influenced every part of their daily lives. Therefore, the Pharisees and Sadducees each held a lot of power and influence over, not just the religious lives of the Jewish people, but their finances, their work habits, their family life, and more.

Neither the Pharisees nor the Sadducees were priests. They did not take part in the actual running of the temple, the offering of sacrifices, or the administration of other religious duties.

Instead, both the Pharisees and Sadducees were "experts in the law" -- meaning, they were experts on the Jewish Scriptures (the Old Testament).

Actually, the expertise of the Pharisees and Sadducees went beyond the Scriptures themselves. They were also experts on what it meant to interpret the laws of the Old Testament. As an example, while the Ten Commandments made it clear that God's people should not work on the Sabbath, people began to question what it actually meant to "work." Was it disobeying God's law to buy something on the Sabbath -- was that a business transaction, and therefore work? Or, was it against God's law to plant a garden on the Sabbath, which could be interpreted as farming?

Given these questions, the Pharisees and Sadducees both made it their business to create hundreds of extra instructions and stipulations based on their interpretations of God's laws.

Of course, they didn't agree on how the Scriptures should be interpreted.

The Differences

The main difference between the Pharisees and the Sadducees was their differing opinions on the supernatural aspects of religion. To put things simply, the Pharisees believed in the supernatural -- angels, demons, heaven, hell, and so on -- while the Sadducees did not.

In this way, the Sadducees were largely secular in their practice of religion. They denied the idea of being resurrected from the grave after death. In fact, they denied any notion of an afterlife, which means they rejected the concepts of eternal blessing or eternal punishment; they believed this life is all there is. The Sadducees also scoffed at the idea of spiritual beings like angels and demons / Acts 23:8 The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.

So we see the Pharisees were much more invested in the spiritual aspects of their religion. They took the Old Testament Scriptures literally, which meant they believed in angels and other spiritual beings, and they were completely invested in the promise of an afterlife for God's chosen people.

The other large difference between the Pharisees and the Sadducees was one of status. Most of the Sadducees were aristocratic. They came from families of noble birth who were very well connected in the political world. We might call them "old money". The Sadducees were typically well connected with the ruling authorities among the Roman Government. They held a great deal of political power.

The Pharisees, on the other hand, were more closely connected with the common people. They were typically merchants or business owners who had become wealthy enough to turn their attention to studying and interpreting the Scriptures – they were "new money,". Whereas the Sadducees had a lot of political power because of their connections with Rome, the Pharisees had a lot of power because of their influence over the masses of people in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas.

Despite these differences, both the Pharisees and Sadducees were able to join forces against someone they both perceived to be a threat: Jesus Christ. And both were instrumental in working the Romans and the Jewish people to push for Jesus' death on the cross.

Jesus’ first words in this text are familiar to almost anyone in any culture in history even if you have never heard of Jesus or the bible, you are familiar with the phrase: “Orange sky at night, sailors delight. Orange sky in the morning, sailors warning.”

The MESSAGE: Matthew 16:2-4   He told them, "You have a saying that goes, 'Red sky at night, sailor's delight; 3 red sky at morning, sailors take warning.' You find it easy enough to forecast the weather — why can't you read the signs of the times? An evil and wanton generation is always wanting signs and wonders. The only sign you'll get is the Jonah sign." Then he turned on his heel and walked away.

JONAH

800-750 BC – One story – Autobiographical

Jonah is the story of what we are going through today and how people respond.

People protest against stay at home orders arguing that the great calamity of millions dying has not happened.

Jonah protested going to Nineveh when God said he was going to destroy the city and then God did NOT do it.

The reason God did not is because Jonah warned the people and they responded with appropriate action.

The reason we have not seen more infections and deaths is that many people have responded with appropriate action.

Vs 4 A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.

          In other words, Jesus is not going to show them a thousand ways what they should understand in one way. Have you ever told something to someone about something that is absolutely true, but no matter how many times and how many ways you tell them, they still don’t believe? The only sign they needed to believe in God was the sign of Jonah – it not only showed how God acted in the past – it showed how God would act in the future for redemption. Matthew 12:40-41   For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.

What Jonah did, saved the lives of over 100,000 people in Nineveh.

What millions of people are doing today are saving the lives of billions.

As Jesus said a sign from the past can teach you; do you believe the past has affected you? Of course, you do. The fact is, today is tomorrow’s past and what you do today can greatly affect your life and the lives of others tomorrow.

Here is an example of how the past can affect the future. At age 60, as I was sharing the 10 at 10 last Friday, something dawned on me I had never realized before. I exist because of the stock market crash of 1929. I can say with relative certainty, that if it had not been for the stock market crash, I would not be here today.

History of the Kramb Co. and Kramb family.

Matthew 6:34     Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I don’t like how we have to live right now! It stinks – I dislike not coming to church – but i/we need to respond in the best way possible.

This is like a Year of Jubilee, which came every 50th year, was a year full of releasing people from their debts, releasing all slaves, and returning property to who owned it.   The year of Jubilee was also dedicated to rest.   During this year, the Israelites were not supposed to reap or harvest; it was a time for people to return to their families and loved ones. 

WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

1. Learn from yesterday's mistakes. Romans 15:4.

2. Be grateful for today.

3. Work hard. Proverbs 22:29. Avoid laziness.

4. Maximise your potential. Only God has no potential.

5. Be prayerful. James 5:16.

6. Give thanks to God. God inhabits the praises of His people.

7. Set spiritual growth goals. 2 Timothy 2:15.  Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.  Be specific. Write it down. Pursue it.

8. Have a deeper relationship with God. He loves you, and desires to have a vibrant relationship with you.

TODAY IS TOMORROW’S PAST

As Christians, we should be doing all we can to determine what this past will one day look like:

Keep in mind that…

These are the days of Elijah, where we must declare the word of the Lord
These are the days of Moses, where Righteousness is being restored.

These are the days of Ezekiel, where dry bones become as flesh,
These are the days of King David, where we are building a temple of praise.
Yes, these are days of great trial, of hunger and virus and war,
Still, we are the voice in the desert crying "Prepare the way of the Lord!"

Behold He comes riding on the clouds, Shining like the sun at the trumpet call,
Lift your voice, it's the year of jubilee, And out of Zion's hill salvation comes.