changethings

JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING

TEXT:
Matt. 22:23 & 31-32

INTRODUCTION:
A. SADDUCEES AND PHARISEES
    1. The Sadducees and Pharisees were opposing religious parties.
    2. The Sadducees did not believe in angels or in the resurrection.
    3. They were SAD, YOU SEE?
    4. OTOH, Pharisees believed in miracles, angels, and the resurrection.
    5. They were FAIR, YOU SEE?

I. JESUS CHANGED EVERYTHING FOR THE SADDUCEES

A. THE SADDUCEES HAD A SUPERIORITY COMPLEX
    1. The Pharisees had been trying to ridicule Jesus.
    2. They were trying to make fun of him with trick questions.
    3. They had been completely routed by Christ’s responses.
    4. The Sadducees thought it was funny.
    5. Jesus had beaten the Pharisees at their own game.
    6. But, they were going to show their intellectual superiority.
    7. The Sadducees were sure they could stump Jesus.
    8. They just knew they could make a fool out of him.
    9. They were going to show their superiority over the Pharisees.
    10. They were proud.
    11. They were arrogant.
    12. They felt superior to all others.
    13. But, Jesus was about to change everything for them.
            CAN I HAVE AN AMEN!

B. THE SADDUCEES DIDN’T BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER DEATH
    1. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection.
    2. They believed that the Pentateuch was all there was to the Bible.
    3. They claimed that the resurrection was not taught by Moses.
    4. The Pharisees had never been able to prove otherwise.
    5. Since the Pharisees couldn’t do it, they thought no one could.
    6. They were secure in the idea that there was no life after death.
    7. But, Jesus was about to change everything for them.
            CAN I HAVE AN AMEN!

C. THEY ASKED JESUS A RIDICULOUS QUESTION
    1. They asked him about marriage after the resurrection.
    2. It was a ridiculous question and Jesus told them so.
    3. Then they got more than they had asked for.
    4. They never asked him to prove the resurrection from the Torah.
    5. But, Jesus knew they had a problem and he was going to fix it.

D. JESUS ALTERED THEIR THEOLOGY
    1. To the Sadducees the resurrection was ridiculous.
    2. They believed death was the end of man’s existence.
    3. But Jesus quoted from the Pentateuch and straightened them out.
    4. He quoted a statement God made to Moses at the burning bush.
    5. God said, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Ex. 3:6).
    6. If the Sadducees were correct, God should have said “I was.”
    7. Instead, God said, “I am.”
    8. They had never seen that before.
    9. They had never thought about it before.
    10. This meant that God is still the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
    11. This meant they were still alive during the time of Moses.
    12. That was 300 years after the death of Jacob.
    13. This meant they will one day share in the resurrection.
    14. Jesus changed everything for the Sadducees that day.
    15. Jesus altered their theology!
    16. There are some today who need Jesus to alter their theology.
            CAN I HAVE AN AMEN!

E. JESUS ALTERED THEIR PHILOSOPHY
    1. Up until that day, the Sadducees only thought of the present.
    2. They had no hope of a future.
    3. They had no hope of going to heaven.
    4. To them, everything was temporal.
    5. To them, if it didn’t happen now it wasn’t going to happen.
    6. Their philosophy was based on no tomorrow.
    7. Now they were forced to think on things above.
    8. Jesus changed everything for the Sadducees that day.
    9. Jesus altered their philosophy!
    10. There are some today who need Jesus to alter their philosopy.
            CAN I HAVE AN AMEN!

F. JESUS ALTERED THEIR ECONOMIC FOCUS
    1. Up until that day, earthly possessions were their only focus.
    2. Worldly wealth was all that mattered.
    3. They saw no need to think about anything else.
    4. This was the only home they thought they would ever have.
    5. There was no heaven and no hell in their theology.
    6. They believed, “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.”
    7. But, Jesus changed everything for the Sadducees that day.
    8. Jesus altered their economy!
    9. There are some today who need Jesus to alter their economy.
            CAN I HAVE A GOOD AMEN!

G. JESUS CHANGED THE SADDUCEES FOREVER
    1. Jesus changed everything for the Sadducees.
    2. You still hear of the Pharisees, they’re still around.
    3. The Pharisees are the modern day Jewish rabbis.
    4. But, you don’t hear much about the Sadducees after that day.
    5. Twenty years later, they didn’t exist at all.
    6. They were routed so badly that day that they lost all credibility.
    7. You can’t argue with God without looking foolish.
    8. You can’t argue with God and win.
    9. Jesus changed the Sadducees forever.

II. JESUS CHANGED EVERYTHING FOR HIS FOLLOWERS

A. JESUS CHANGED PETER’S LIFE
    1. Peter had denied the Lord three times.
    2. Peter had cursed as if Christ had never influenced him.
    3. Peter had sworn a lie claiming that he did not know Jesus.
    4. Then he went away and wept bitterly.
    5. Later, he joined the other disciples in hiding after Jesus’ death.
    6. But, Jesus changed everything.
    7. 3 days later, Jesus rose from the dead
    8. When he arose, Jesus visited Peter.
    9. 40 days later, Peter was standing in the streets preaching Jesus.
    10. For Peter, Jesus changed everything.

B. JESUS CHANGED JAMES’ LIFE
    1. James was Jesus’ earthly brother.
    2. During Christ’s early life, James refused to believe in him.
    3. After the resurrection, we read where he was the head of the
        Jerusalem church.
    4. When he saw the transformed, resurrected Jesus it changed his life.
    5. He went from a doubter to a believer.
    6. For James, Jesus changed everything.

III. JESUS CHANGED CHRISTIANITY

A. HIS DISCIPLES WATCHED HIM DIE
    1. They must have thought he could not be God.
    2. Why would one who is God endure such pain?
    3. How could one who is God endure so much pain?
    4. How could one who is God allow such abuse?
    5. They were no doubt convinced that he was just a prophet.
    6. They were retreating, fearful, and trembling.
    7. They had no hope.
    8. This is how life would have remained if all we had was a cross.
    9. If not for the empty tomb, the cross would have been a tragedy.
    10. The symbol of Christianity is more than just a cross.
    11. The cross and the preaching of the cross is a priority.
    12. But the cross meant nothing without a resurrection.
          CAN I HAVE A GOOD AMEN!

B. SOMETIMES WE ARE LIKE THOSE DISCIPLES
    1. We mope and dread as if Christ were dead.
    2. We fret and stew as if Christ were through.
    3. But, He’s alive and we ought to remember it!
        CAN I HAVE A GOOD AMEN!

C. THE RESURRECTION CHANGED EVERYTHING
    1. They went from retreating to rejoicing.
    2. They went from fear to faith.
    3. They went from trembling to triumphing.
    4. Jesus changed their direction.
    5. Jesus set their hearts on fire.
    6. Some said later, “Our hearts burned within us.”
    7. Jesus changed everything!

CONCLUSION:

THIS ONE SOLITARY LIFE

"More than 2000 years ago, Jesus was born contrary to the laws of life. He lived in poverty and was reared in obscurity. He did not travel extensively. Only once did He cross the boundary of the country in which He lived and that was during His exile in childhood. He possessed neither name, wealth, nor influence. His relatives were inconspicuous, uninfluential, and had neither training nor education. In infancy He startled a king; in childhood He puzzled the doctors; in manhood He ruled the course of nature, walked upon the water as if it was pavement, and hushed the sea to sleep. He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His services. He never wrote a book, and yet all the libraries of the world could not hold the books that have been written about Him. He never wrote a song, and yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than all the songwriters combined.

He never founded a college, but all the schools put together cannot boast of having as many students. He never marshaled an army, nor drafted a soldier, nor fired a gun, and yet no leader ever had more volunteers who have, under His orders, made more rebels stack arms and surrender without a shot being fired. The names of the past proud statesmen of Greece and Rome have come and gone. The names of the past scientists, philosophers, and theologians have come and gone; but the name of this Man abounds more and more. Though time has spread 2000 years between the people of this generation and the scene of His crucifixion, yet He still lives. I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever were built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.

Has He affected you?
Has He changed your life?
Has He changed your theology?
Has He changed your philosophy?
Has He changed your economy?
Has He made your heart burn within you?
He will if you only let Him!