Good morning. We'll continue through our sermon series from the Gospel of Luke this morning. If you have your Bibles, you may turn to Luke chapter 20. Luke chapter 20. We'll be reading verses 27 through 47. My focus this morning will be on verses 27 through 44, and the sermon title is Kingdom Life and Kingdom Lord. Let us be reminded of our call to worship today, that the book of Hebrews reminds us in chapter 12 that we should not refuse him who is speaking, that is present tense. And as the saints gather, we come to hear Christ speak through his word, through the faithful preaching and interpretation of his word. Don't ever forget that you're here and our active participants are privileged to hear the speaking Christ, the risen, ascended, speaking Christ, who still walks among his churches. Let us then, with that in mind, hear the word of the Lord from Luke chapter 20, beginning in verse 27. There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, and they asked him a question, saying, Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now, there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died without children, and the second and the third took her. And likewise, all seven left no children and died. Afterward, the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as a wife. And Jesus said to them, The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age, and to the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given into marriage. For they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him. Then some of the scribes answered, Teacher, you have spoken well. For they no longer dared to ask him any question. But he said to them, How can they say that Christ is David's son? For David himself says in the book of Psalms, The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son? And in the hearing of all the people, he said to his disciples, beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes and they love the greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts. They who devour widows' houses and for pretense make long prayers, they will receive the greater condemnation. Thus ends the reading of God's word. Let us pray. Our Father, our God, we thank you for the risen, ascended Christ, who still speaks to his church, and we ask you to give us ears to hear, hearts to receive and minds to understand what he would have us to know this day. In Jesus name. Amen. In our sermon last week, from the Gospel of Luke, we learned that Jesus is the authoritative Christ, that He is Messiah King, sent from God to save all who believe. If you remember from the last sermon, in order to get a larger context for today, Jesus told the parable of the wicked tenants. And in the parable, He indicted and judged the leaders of Israel for failing correctly to teach and shepherd Israel as they should have. Jesus taught in the parable that these teachers will be destroyed for their lack of submission and for their insubordination to God and His Christ. In fact, He went on to say in the last sermon that what was written about the stone that the builders rejected becoming a capstone from Psalm 118 would be fulfilled in the teachers of Israel's rejection and murder of the Christ. Christ's murder and humiliation would be the cornerstone to a new temple that was made up of Jews and Gentile believers. And Christ's resurrection life would make Israel finally a fruitful vineyard in Him by His grace. Now, at this time, Jesus is still preaching the gospel in the temple in Jerusalem. That's very important. Jesus has made it to Jerusalem, and we're about to transfer or cross over into His suffering. into Jesus' passion. At this point, as chapter 20, verses 1 and 26 teach us, the teachers of Israel are seeking to trap Jesus in His words. They're maliciously seeking to lay hands on the Lord of glory in order to kill Him. And He knows that. We must be reminded of that. Yet He continues to preach and teach the gospel of the kingdom. Today's sermon, today's point in our passages, Not merely does Christ have authority as the Christ, but does he specifically have the authority to interpret rightly the Old Covenant Scriptures? That's the point of today's passage. In our passage today, Jesus Christ is revealed as the authoritative interpreter of Moses, of the writings, of the Psalms, of the prophets. And so our passage today begins with Jesus answering a question. It's an interpretive question put to him by the Sadducees. The Sadducees desire as aristocratic leaders of Israel to destroy Jesus's authority and especially his credibility with the people, especially as he's teaching in the temple, which is their domain. And they don't think he has any business in that temple teaching. And so Jesus answers this question as we're about to look, and he teaches and he interprets Moses. But he also puts to them a question. that we'll look at from Psalm 110. If you consider David's son, if they call David's son, the Messiah's David's son, how can David also call him Lord? So Jesus answers their interpretive problem, but he also puts to them an interpretation problem, an interpretive exam, if you will. Notice in verse 27, the Sadducees come up, they ask Jesus concerning the resurrection, and particularly Luke tells us they don't believe in the resurrection. Now, this is the first reference in Luke's Gospel to the Sadducees. These men, as I said briefly, were aristocratic leaders who lived in Jerusalem. They exercised a great deal of influence over the people there. They were also members of the Jewish Sanhedrin, or assembly. And if you'd like more on that, you can hear or read the last sermon on the Sanhedrin. The Sadducees were more specifically priestly and lay aristocrats. in that they revered only Torah, or the Pentateuch, or the five books of Moses. They rejected the rest of the Old Covenant Scriptures, and particularly the oral interpretation of the Pharisees, even when the Pharisees might have gotten the interpretation right. The Sadducees were the conservative, aristocratic, high priestly party, worldly-minded, and very ready to cooperate with the Romans, which, of course, enabled them to maintain and keep their privileged position for a long period of time. They might be compared to, in the medieval church, to bishops and barons and rulers of that period. The Jewish historian Josephus described them as, the Sechizes, as those well-to-do. He said that they were men of the highest esteem politically, And as aristocrats, but they were more heartless than any other of the Jews. As I said, while the Pharisees and the scribes believed in the resurrections, the resurrection, the Sadducees denied it. And so they present Jesus a problem question. This is a pseudo problem. The Sadducees are asking Jesus a question that might be compared to a question that's presented to modern day believers. A question, a rationalistic type question that mocks rather than really wants to know God's revelation in Scripture. You see, this might be compared to a question that a modern day believer might be asked about the existence of God with a well thought out and elaborate predicament of reality that seems to discount any belief in God. And so this could serve as a early rationalistic kind of question that's being asked. They could have probably also asked Jesus, if God is so powerful, can he create a rock that's too heavy for himself to pick up? That's the kind of question this is. So we should understand the background of this question from the Old Testament, and how it is particularly that the Sadducees are seeking to discredit Jesus's interpretation of Moses. Notice in verse 28, they say to him, Teacher, Rabbi, Moses wrote for us. Now, remember, they apparently heard that Jesus speak of his resurrection, of his speaking to his disciples of the hope of his resurrection. They understand that resurrection theology is at the heart of Jesus's gospel of the kingdom. They've had ears to hear what the content of Jesus's gospel of the kingdom is. And so they begin with a predicament problem question here, a pseudo problem from Deuteronomy 25, 5 through 10. As we read earlier in the scripture lesson implication here in asking Jesus, this is how will you interpret Moses? The great prophet, the great teacher of Israel, how will you do in your interpretation of Moses? Perhaps on a deeper level, they're asking, how will you reveal yourself? Are you one who undermines or disagrees with Moses, our great prophet, or will you agree with them in Deuteronomy 25? There was something established in the Mosaic Law called Leverite Marriage. Leverite Marriage. In Deuteronomy 25, 6, we hear, or we get to the heart of what this Mosaic Law established. It says, "...and the firstborn whom she bears," that is, of the widow, "...shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out from Israel." Leveret, or L-E-V-I-R-A-T, Leveret, comes from the Latin term Lever, L-E-V-I-R. And so it's called Leverite marriage. Lever, or Lever, which means simply husband's brother or brother-in-law, was given, this Leverite marriage was given in the Mosaic instruction in Deuteronomy 25, simply so that the deceased husband's name might live on through his children, through his wife, through his brother's wife after he's dead. You see, this would give the dead husband's name a sort of afterlife that would continue on. In Genesis 38, 8, we hear of Judah saying to Onan, go into your brother's wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her and raise up offspring for her, for your brother. In Mark 12, 19, a passage that's parallel to the Scripture, we hear more fully, the question asked was, 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. So that was the practice, so that the brother's name might have an afterlife, so that the brother's name would live on. And so in biblical culture, And more generally, or broadly, in the ancient Near East, this kind of practice, this kind of marriage, was practiced. After the death of the husband, the widow's firstborn son from the dead husband's brother would be considered the firstborn son of the husband who had died, essentially. His name would live on, though he was dead. And this happens also in the Book of Ruth. It's interesting to note that by the time of Jesus, this practice was not as common. And so what does that reveal to us? Well, it reveals to us here that the Sadducees are asking a mere sort of hypothetical in-house debate academic question. They probably heard the Pharisees speak of the resurrection and weren't satisfied about their biblical support and interpretation of Moses and this question. They probably asked the scribes before about this particular problem or pseudo problem that they present to Jesus. And so this is really an in-house debate. It's an academic question that they're trying to get to. They probably had not, in their estimation, heard a good and reasonable answer to it. Because they start with the assumption there could be no resurrection. They're starting with the assumption there could be no resurrection. As I was reminded in early Christianity how to distinguish between Pharisees and Sadducees is that they were called Sadducees because they didn't believe in the resurrection. And that's what made them sad, you see. So their question is a trick question. It's a trick question. that if Jesus accepts the interpretation of the Levirate marriage, then that would undermine the fact of the resurrection that the Pharisees and the scribes taught. That's what they're getting at. And it would deny Moses and what Moses taught. So if Jesus believed in the Levirate marriage taught by Moses, and there was an afterlife and a resurrection, they're saying, that would seem to make a great mess in familial relationships in the age to come. That's why verse 33, whose wife will the woman be? She said seven husbands. Because the Sadducees only focused on the Torah or the five books of Moses, they think that the teaching on the resurrection presents problems for the realization of this law. As they say in verse 33, for the seven had her as a wife. See the problem? No children have been produced through the seven different spouses. verse 30. And so the Sadducees interpreted this Mosaic legislation as clear legislation, but that the resurrection was somehow implied in their interpretation and others' interpretation, and so it must be wrong. In fact, they're asking this way. They're saying, how can there be such thing, Jesus, as a resurrection, if these kind of situations could occur by being obedient to the law of Moses? How can Moses teach about liberate marriage and also teach a resurrection? This seems ridiculous, don't you think? This is why Jesus will use Moses is teaching in Exodus to answer the Sadducees and to prove by his authoritative interpretation of the Old Covenant that there is indeed a resurrection from the dead. Hold on to that for a moment. We'll look at that in a moment, Lord willing. But Jesus is teaching the Sadducees and we today that the infallible rule of interpreting Scripture is that Scripture interprets Scripture. How's he doing that? Even if an interpreter of God's holy word comes to a particular conclusion from a portion of Scripture that seems to undermine the doctrine, she or he should seek to interpret that Scripture in light of the larger context of God's revelation. And so Jesus, contrasting his authoritative answer and interpretation of the Scriptures, the fact that God's revealed will for his people in this age should not necessarily be compared with social conditions in understanding the age to come. Look at verse 34. He begins to answer the question, and he's going to use the book of Exodus primarily from the passage about the bush that's found in Exodus 3 that we read earlier today. But first of all, he begins his authoritative answer and interpretation of the scripture by showing that God's revealed will for people of this age, verse 34, should not be necessarily compared to the social conditions of the that age or the age to come, verse 35. And so Jesus teaches not only that scripture should interpret scripture, but that in our interpretation of the scriptures and especially truths relating to eschatological matters or matters with regard to the eternal hope that we all look forward to. Especially with truth of matters relating to the future, we must all take into consideration the two ages or the two aeons or the two worlds that are revealed in Scripture. There are two different ages, Jesus says, there are two different aeons, and they have some continuity but drastic and eternal discontinuity that must also be recognized. You see, the false presumption of the Pharisee or the Sadducees that Jesus is getting at, the false presumption of the Sadducees is that the resurrection life to come in that age in the future is the same kind of life as the present. And so Jesus gets at this. These are two different ages, this age and the age to come. And what God has provided in marriage for this age, and what He's provided for the continuation of the family name in this age, is not the same reality to be experienced in that age, or the new creation, or the age to come. That is, the future life. And so we want to make this distinction between this age and the age to come when we're interpreting our Bibles. You see, what characterizes this age? Well, here Jesus says, marrying and giving into marriage. continuing one's family name through procreation. That's what characterizes this age. What also characterizes this age in other scriptures? This age is characterized by the fall of Adam, by sin, by misery, by suffering in the body and in the soul. That age is characterized by a new creation, a new way of doing things, a new way of relating to God, where God himself will dwell in the presence of his people. That age, or the future age, is represented by the fact that in the eternal age there will be no more sin, there will be no more suffering, there will be no more misery. All that will be absent. And we will reflect the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, face to face. This is the eternal bliss that we're talking about. You may not know this, but Paul, the Apostle, refers to these two ages very clearly when he talks of Jesus' resurrection authority power. In Ephesians 1, Paul says that he wants the saints in Ephesus and we today implicitly to know the incomparably great resurrection power of those who believe that Holy Spirit power that has been given us. It's like the working of Christ in the dead. And he says that he worked in Christ. In Ephesians 1, 20 and 21, he says the power that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at the right hand in the heavenly places, far above every rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the age to come. So Christ teaches that there is indeed a provision of God for lover-right marriage for the sons of this age, as Moses taught. But this does not undermine the fact that the sons of the resurrection will be deemed worthy by God, verse 35 says, and will experience the resurrection from the dead in a blissful eternal state with God that will be different than the sons of this age. Marriage and life will be different in that age. It won't be experienced in the same way. Verse 36 says why? Verse 36 very clearly, because the sons of the resurrection cannot die anymore. No reason to carry on the family name when they don't die. You see, marriage is an institution for this present age that exists for the glory of God, and we should be thankful for it. Marriage exists in this present age for the enjoyment of sons and daughters of this age. Every human being can experience it. Marriage exists for this present age for the procreation of the human race because of the reality of death, because of sin in this present age. This is all that Jesus is saying here. In the age to come, people of God, that age Death cannot touch the lives of the people because resurrection life is found in union with Christ for eternity. And so the bride of Christ meets the bridegroom, the great marriage supper of the Lamb. After that, in that age to come, there'll be no more need of continuing to live as we did live in the present age. The age to come is different. Rejoice, you who are believers in Christ. sons of the resurrection, Jesus says you cannot die anymore. I'm reminded of the Apostle Paul's glorious words in first Corinthians 15, where he says in verse 54, when the perishable speaking of our bodies and creation in general, when the perishable that which is defined and characterized by by by temporality, by death, when the perishable puts on the imperishable and the mortal puts on immortality, then she'll come to pass the saying that is written Death is swallowed up in victory. Oh, death, where is your victory? Oh, death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, people of God, Jesus says there's no dilemma concerning the liberal right marriage, possibly causing a widow to eternally be a polygamist. There's nothing in this so-called dilemma, this pseudo-problem, to cause this woman to eternally to have many husbands. Matthew, in his gospel, when he records this account of Jesus, it's interesting. He gives us even more information of what Jesus said, and I think that's important for us to note here. The Sadducees were wrong about the resurrection. Because although they interpreted the Scriptures, they didn't truly know or understand them. That's an important point. They did not know, that is, they did not believe the resurrection power of God, found especially in God's revelation of that resurrection power in Jesus Christ. Matthew 22, 29, Jesus answered them and he says, You are wrong, Sadducees, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. And so we should know that Jesus authoritatively teaches the truth of Scripture, the true meaning of Scripture as the son of man and son of God. And he teaches that in the age to come, our new creation, life and the continuation of life will not be by procreation because we will be granted, those who believe in him will be granted a new existence. In fact, we'll be like the angels, he says in verse 36. What's it like to be like an angel? Well, he doesn't say we'll be angels, and that's important to note. He doesn't say we'll be the same as angels. He says we'll be like or similar or, in fact, more precisely, equal to them. And what does that mean? What does that teach us about this resurrection to come? Well, angels live eternally, worshiping and praising God. They never die. There's no threat of death or corruption. They're glorious creatures who cannot experience death. They cannot experience pain. They cannot experience the suffering, temptation or corruption. And we who believe in Jesus will be like them. That is great hope for those who suffer in the body, for those who know that unless Jesus returns, we will be buried under the ground in a grave one day. It is great hope to know that even now you're part of that resurrection through faith in Christ. So the family name. or person will not merely live on through the widow and the husband's brother in the way that it was in this age, but the person will live on by virtue of the eternal life that God grants in the resurrection. That is like the angel's life. The age to come or the new creation is a different kind of life found in God's gift of eternal life. It takes on a new order where marriage is not needed. We to experience a transformation, resurrection change in the twinkling of an eye when Jesus returns. And so we want to notice here in verse thirty five, there's not only a division between two ages or two worlds or two aeons, there's a division between two types of people in the world and there are only two types of people in the world. You see, there are those who are considered worthy of the resurrection, verse thirty five says, and implicitly There are those who are not considered worthy of the resurrection who will indeed die and experience God's judgment. You see, one type of person who's worthy of the resurrection is the type of person who's characterized by an orientation, not just to this present age, which is temporal, but one who is looking forward to the age to come revealed in Jesus Christ. One person's orientation, the believing orientation, The one who is worthy of the resurrection is one's orientation is toward Christ and his eternal kingdom, not building a kingdom of self here on this were in this world. But that leads to the question that Jesus implies here, what how? Is one considered worthy of the resurrection with Jesus? How is one considered worthy to experience being like angels who never suffer or die? Belief in the Son of God is what is required. Nothing more, nothing less. Belief that he is the resurrection and the life. Only he or she who comes to Jesus the Son by faith, though that person may die in the present age, will live again. You see, the worthiness, how one becomes worthy, is simply by belief in Jesus Christ that one is unworthy. One is sinful. One is not worthy of the eternal riches and inheritance of Jesus Christ. But Jesus was. And so we believe in the son who gives life. This is why John, twice in his gospel, at least many more times than that, but two times at least, I'll quote. John says in John 3, 16, God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whosoever believes in him shall never perish but have everlasting life. In John 11, 25, Jesus reveals after the resurrection of Lazarus, he reveals himself as I am the resurrection in the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, he shall live eternally. And so Jesus goes to verse 37 to explain this. Jesus explains in verse 37 that Moses also taught in the book of Exodus. And again, remember, they only turn to Moses. So he uses Moses as an example of scripture interpreting scripture. He says Moses taught in the book of Exodus that the dead are raised, particularly in that passage about the bush. Now, that passage about the bush, that's a way of saying things before they had chapters and verses in their Bible. So Jesus is saying, remember, Exodus. Remember the passage about the bush? It's like us saying in chapter 3 of the book of Exodus. And so he quotes Exodus 3, 6, where God, Yahweh, reveals His covenant name to Moses, where God says, I am the God of your father, Moses. I am the God of Abraham. I am the God of Isaac. I am the God of Jacob. And Jesus uses this as scriptural evidence for the truth of the resurrection. Now, as we've read earlier in our scripture lesson, there's more proof of the resurrection throughout other scriptures. We see that in the book of Job, as we read, we see it in the book of Daniel, chapter 12. We see it in Isaiah 26 and even implicitly in Isaiah 65 and 66. But Jesus uses Moses, and so Jesus chooses a passage from the Torah, from the five books of Moses, from the Pentateuch to show that Moses also taught about a resurrection. Now, how does he come to this conclusion? This is important. with regard to the eternal life he's speaking up and being part of the age to come by faith in him. You see, Exodus 3, or the passage about the bush, teaches the resurrection of the dead. Why? Well, because, Jesus says in his interpretation, verse 38, God is not the God of the dead. He's the God of the living. In that passage in Exodus 3, remember, God reveals himself covenantally through his promise to all who believe, like the patriarchs, like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He says that the patriarchs believe the covenant of God and that God is the living God of Moses, of his fathers, of Abraham, of Isaac and Jacob. What Moses is teaching from God's revelation to him in Exodus is that those whom God has covenantally promised himself to will experience life, although they die. Remember, the summary promise to all the patriarchs, the summary promise that God makes to his people is one of life. It is one of him revealing himself as the God of the living. When God says that I will be your God and you will be my people, not merely temporarily, not merely here in this world, but also in the age to come. That's the implicit teaching of Moses. God's summary covenant promise was that those who believe as God's people would be with God eternally and experience life in Him. Remember earlier in Luke's Gospel, when Jesus tells the story of Lazarus and the rich man, Abraham is presented in the story as alive. Remember, he refers to Abraham's side, Abraham's bosom. He's already referred to the fact that Abraham is alive. And we're taught in the New Testament Scriptures that Abraham lived. though he was dead. We're taught in Hebrews 11, Abraham was looking forward to a city that has foundations, who designer and builder is God. He wasn't looking forward to merely an earthly Jerusalem, but a city, an eternal city of Jerusalem, where he would eternally dwell with God in his presence. In fact, when he sacrificed his own son Isaac, he believed that God could raise the dead even there. So Abraham believed in the resurrection and saw it. Jesus, in fact, says, Abraham saw my day and rejoiced in John 8. And in that context of John 8, he also says, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, if anyone keeps my word, meaning believes my covenant promises in me, he will never see death. So God not only has made a covenant commitment of life to the believing patriarch, But it's in this promise back way back in Exodus and revealed in Jesus's time in this promise that God makes to the patriarchs is a covenant of life and grace that God has promised all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the realization of all the promises that God made to Abraham and Moses. Jesus reveals the clear hope here of all who believe those who believe God's promises in Jesus Christ already have life Now, in fact, Jesus says you've already passed over from death to life by virtue of your union with Jesus Christ. And although you may die physically in the body, you will live again. That's part of the covenantal promises of God realized in Jesus Christ, part of what God has promised. And that's why Jesus says, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, he shall live again. And God is sworn. covenantally by himself that he will grant eternal life to those who believe this covenant promise is found in Jesus. And what does that mean? Simply means belief in him, belief in Jesus's resurrection. You notice how this first part of the passage ends in verse thirty nine, the scribes who taught the resurrection commend Jesus for his interpretation, I reckon, because he agreed with them. They end by saying you've spoken well, teacher. But Luke gives us this passage because another group of Israel's teachers, primarily the Sadducees, another group of Israel's teachers have failed to trap or confound the Lord of Glory. Who has the right to be teacher of Israel? Who has the right to be the interpreter of Moses? Who has the right to be the great rabbi teacher over Israel? Only Jesus. And so Jesus, not only ably, interprets Moses rightly, but he authoritatively and clearly gives information to all who have ears to hear that there's a resurrection to come and the hope is found in him. But sadly, the implicit here is the Sadducees walk away still rationalistic men with no belief in a resurrection. They don't believe. Their presupposition is there could be no resurrection. They can't see a resurrection. They don't believe in spiritual world. It's all about the material world. And so they deny themselves any hope like many in our world. The Sadducees deny themselves any hope of eternal life. And so what do they do? The Sadducees walk off to live in the here and now to be men merely of this present age that's passing away, who will die without any hope whatsoever. And so the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the dead is a historical and biblical reality. The reason why we see this so clearly in the New Testament and history itself and those who believe in this Jesus, listen very carefully if you're in pain, if you're confused, if you're disgruntled, if you're disappointed, if you live daily and bodily and social and financial trouble. You will live again. And this present age does not last long. wonderful time to spend, but it doesn't last long. It's like a vapor. It's like a mist. But one day this present age will give way permanently to the age to come and the resurrection and there'll be no more sin. You won't have to deal with temptation. You won't have to deal daily with thinking of death. There'll be no more hoary hairs covering your head and beard if you're a man. Or no hair at all. But those who die without hope, like the Sadducees, there's only the judgment of God for them. This is a representative group who've come face to face with Jesus Christ and his word and have failed to hear him. They've stumbled because of their presuppositions. They've stumbled because there could not be a resurrection. We all must hope in the resurrection and the dead. And I'll ask you, do you believe Abraham? Do you believe what Abraham believed as well as what Moses and the prophets witnessed to as the resurrection of the dead? Do you believe Jesus Christ, who confirmed the teaching of Moses and rose from the dead as a first fruit of all who believe? And so Jesus answers this ably as only the Lord of Glory could do. But then he asked them a question. Now it's time for them to take out their pens and pencils and paper and answer an interpretive exam of their own, put to them by wisdom incarnate. I won't spend as much time on this passage, but I do want to point out to you, it's part of the context here. So I ask you to stay with me for a few more minutes. Look at verses 41 to 44. Jesus puts an interpretive question to them. So in response, he gives them a test. He asked them to interpret Psalm 110. as we read responsibly earlier from the Psalms. Specifically, he wants them to interpret Psalm 110, verse 1. And of course, verse 40 says that Jesus has the floor because they didn't dare ask him any more questions. And so Jesus says this. He asked them, How can they say that Messiah Christ is David's son when Psalm 110 has David calling the Christ Lord? How can the Christ Be David's son and Lord. See, in Jesus's time, Psalm 110, which he's quoting here, particularly verse one, it was classified by Israel as a royal psalm that spoke of Messiah. A royal psalm is what we call a messianic psalm that tells of a day to come when God will send his Messiah. It's a psalm that specifically speaks of the Christ and his eternal rule. And so in this psalm, if you remember, David is revealed a king who rules as vicegerent or vice region is how we say it. And this king rules over Israel on behalf of God. But after David's death, this psalm's fulfillment was highly anticipated because it believed that the Messiah would fulfill this psalm and that Messiah would militarily, gloriously and victoriously conquer all of Israel's enemies when the Lord placed his enemies under his feet. And so, during Jesus' time, the Jews regarded the Messiah Christ to be the son of David. David's son, who would sit on David's throne, would one day come. That would be the Messiah. And so, Psalm 110.1 states that Messiah Christ is to be the Lord of David. The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand. And so, Jesus asked the Sadducees and scribes, how is he his son? In verse forty four. Now, it's important to understand that Jesus is not undermining that correct theology. He just wants to broaden their understanding of God's revelation here. He's in no way denying that he's the Christ David's son. That's not the point here. He's giving more of an authoritative interpretation, understanding of the passage rather than authoritatively interpreting Moses. He's now authoritatively interpreting the Old Covenant writings. for them to fully understand. You see, the Messiah Christ will not only be David's son he's teaching, but also with authority, authority to interpret too, authority to raise the dead. With authority, he'll not only be the son, he'll be one greater than David. He'll also be David's Lord. You see, in patriarchal biblical culture, you might know a son was considered under the father. He was not Lord. over the father. So how can David call him his Lord? Psalm 110, interestingly enough, is quoted, according to biblical scholars, more times in the New Testament than any Old Testament quotation, any Old Testament scripture. It's quoted precisely and it's alluded to more times than any other Old Testament passage. When it is quoted in the New Testament, it's helpful to know It is declared to refer to and being fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ in his exaltation, resurrection, in his vindication before God in his resurrection, in his ascension, in his enthronement to glory at God's right hand. In other words, it's fulfilled by Jesus as a resurrection psalm, one that reveals him as the Lord of the resurrection. as the one who's been vindicated by God as God's eternal king at his right hand, and the one who has the authority and power to raise the dead, not only in this age, but also in the age to come. He's not merely David's son. That is, he's merely human. He's God and man. He's not merely just a teacher like David or a king like David. He is David's Lord. God-given resurrection, enthronement, power at God's right hand to raise those who believe in Him. In fact, Jesus doesn't specifically say He's fulfilling this psalm right now. It's their time to answer the examination and question. But He does explicitly refer to it at His death. Jesus says, from now on, the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the throne of God. And so Jesus wants the people of Israel to understand that he's not only David's son, one who's less important than David as a son. He's also David's Lord with authority. And see, in the larger context, it's to be understood that to bow to Jesus as not only David's son, Messiah, but David's Lord, that is, Messiah King, if one bows to him in submission to his lordship, One will experience all the benefits of salvation, resurrection, and be considered worthy of the life of that age which is to come. See, the hope of the resurrection is for those who don't merely recognize Jesus as David's son. Anybody can say he's a good teacher, another rabbi Jew who taught in the temple. But not everyone can say that he is the hope of all who believe that he is the resurrection of life, God in the flesh, David's Lord, one greater than David with authority to raise the dead. And so, as Jesus has already revealed himself as one greater than Moses, as one consistent with, but yet greater than Moses, his prophet is one. He now reveals himself as one greater than David, a greater king. Although David died, and his body saw corruption, he hoped in his Lord that he would one day be resurrected. So Abraham believed in a resurrection, looked for an eternal city to come where God would dwell with man. Moses died believing in a resurrection to come, that a mediator of a new covenant, a greater prophet than Moses would one day settle the people, not merely in the land, but eternally at peace and shalom in the very presence of the living God. And David died with hope in the resurrection because he believed not in his son merely, but in his Lord, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. Is there a resurrection from the dead then? Yes, a resounding yes. Abraham, Moses and David have witnessed to it. The most, perhaps three most revered and honored men in the Old Covenant time period, witness to the resurrection of the dead and experience the life that only God could give. Again, who's the interpreter of God's scriptures in the Old Covenant? Who has the right to be the true rabbi, teacher of Israel? Who is the one who's faithful to God's revelation to Abraham, Moses and David? The Lord Jesus Christ, who is Abraham's seed, the one greater than Moses and David's Lord. That's who? I'll close by asking you, is the resurrection your hope? Is your hope in Jesus Christ? If you believe in Christ, listen, you're already part of the resurrection now. You see, this present age and the age to come overlap in Jesus. It's a way that we don't fully understand. I understand that. I know that. But it is true that the Bible reveals that you're worthy and you're just to receive resurrection, glorified bodies, because of your union with Jesus. That is, because you've believed in Jesus Christ and He's united you to Him by His Spirit. You know how the Apostle Paul describes believers? He doesn't merely point you to a future resurrection of that age. That he does also. But he tells you, if you have been raised with Christ, Listen to this, Colossians 3.1, if then you have been raised with Christ. That is, if you've been raised with Christ now, present tense, during the time of the Colossians, during the time of we today, do you understand that if you have been raised with Christ, that is, if you have been united to Him by faith where Christ is, seek the things above. Why? Seek the things above that age. Seek the things of that age where Jesus is. seated at the right hand of God, fulfilling Psalm 110. That's how Paul describes the Christian life in Colossians 3. He says, set your mind on things above. What does that mean? It doesn't mean to be heavenly minded, so heavenly minded you're no earthly good. He says, set your mind on the hope that's already been revealed in your union with Jesus. Set your mind on that age. Be oriented toward Jesus, who has finished the race and been resurrected. And keep your eyes on Him, the author and the perfecter of your faith. And he goes on to say in Colossians 3, 4, that when Christ, who is your life, appears, you will also appear with them in glory, which was the hope of Abraham, Moses and David. Is it your hope? See, Christians, we live in between two ages. You must understand that we are citizens of two worlds. And because of that, this age is characterized sin, misery and temptation, and we deal with it. That doesn't undermine the fact that we're already part citizens of heaven, part of the age to come. Especially when we worship, as we heard in the call to worship, we're called to worship at the heavenly Zion, not the place of Sinai or the giving of the law, but at the heavenly Zion. In worship, we've already realized, in part, our resurrection life in Jesus Christ. Even now, those who believe have experienced resurrection from death to life. Even now, in your union with Jesus, go and live like that. as those who have been raised from the dead and given new creation life. The age of the spirit, the power, the resurrection, the life of that age breathes into this age in our union with Jesus Christ, giving us strength to live, obeying Christ as not only the son of David, but as his Lord. Praise be to the resurrected, ascended Christ who rules and reigns on David's eternal throne. Let us pray. Our Father, our God, we thank you for the resurrection that's revealed, and we thank you that Jesus interprets Abraham, Moses and the prophets as understanding the resurrection. That was to come in the Christ that Abraham saw that day that Abraham trusted in the resurrection, that Moses trusted in the resurrection, that David trusted in the resurrection. We thank you that in Jesus we see the resurrection in the life and we live as privileged people on this side of the fullness of times when Jesus has come in that age. The age to come has intruded into history, has intruded into this present age. Help us, O Lord, as we live between these two ages, knowing that we're part of both. In this age, we experience doubt and temptation, struggles, even the rationalistic temptation of the Sadducees at times. Help us, O Lord, to seek and be oriented to that age, the age to come in Jesus Christ, because that is where we precisely live. Knowing that our life is hid in him, we pray in Jesus name, Amen.