Newlyweds wake up one morning on their honeymoon and the man suggests: "Darling, why don’t you brew us some coffee?"

Wife looks confused: "But that's your job, honey."

“What? Why?”

"It’s all over the Bible, dear."

"The Bible says nothing about who’s supposed to be brewing coffee!" 

The wife grabs hold of a copy and starts flipping pages at random: 

"See? Everywhere: Hebrews, Hebrews, Hebrews."

Stand and read aloud: Colossians 1:15-18

27 Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. 28 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. 30 The second 31 and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”

First, if I were the last brother, I’d be nervous about marrying this girl. 

Why are the men who don’t believe in the resurrection asking questions about what happens after it?

1. Sin’s duplicity makes it complicated

the reason for the question isn’t the real reason

(unbelief is often hidden under complicated questions: ID it that way)

“…you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. 

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

1 Timothy 1:3b-5 NIV

Unbelief hides behind questions and debates about distant people and abstract things that can’t be changed.

Sin is complicated

34 Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection. 

37 But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’[Exodus 3:6] 

38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”

39 Some of the teachers of the law responded, “Well said, teacher!” 

40 And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

A glimpse into heaven

Example: I know my Mom wants to be married to my Dad in heaven and can’t wait to see him, but that’s not at all the point of their question.

2. Earthly assistance won’t be relevant in heaven

Your Bible won’t matter when you’re looking at Jesus.

Airplanes aren’t needed if you can fly.

What’s a purpose of marriage?

Joke:

Want to serve Jesus more fully? Stay single.

Want to become more like Jesus? Get married.

…and of course to show the relationship between Christ and the church.

But Jesus get’s things back on track…

Moses showed that the dead rise

Jesus wouldn’t let them apply Moses only sometimes. 

Their question proved irrelevant.

It matters that you are “…considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead…”

3. The road to eternal life is singular.

…enough for a child to understand.

These teachers seek to keep it complicated.

41 Then Jesus said to them, “Why is it said that the Messiah is the son of David? 42 David himself declares in the Book of Psalms:

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:

    “Sit at my right hand

43 until I make your enemies

    a footstool for your feet.”’[Psalm 110:1]

44 David calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”

Who are these “Lords”? David and Jesus

Since David wrote this psalm in the third person, to be sung by the Levites in the Temple in Jerusalem, the Levites would be singing that "the Lord spoke to my master"—i.e. to David.

Earthly vs. heavenly genealogies. 

So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

Matthew 1:17

On earth, Jesus is ‘the Son of David’.

But, in the verse we opened with, we have the spiritual genealogy:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

Colossians 1:15-18

Jesus came before David as the creator of everything and the first to rise.

45 While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, 46 “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 47 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

While all the people were listening…

Where these teachers wrong because they asked a question? No

They were wrong because of their hypocrisy.

Think of the holidays coming… 2 simple applications.

4. Beware of appealing to vain appearances

vain - having or showing an excessively high opinion of one's appearance, abilities, or worth

“We buy things we don’t want, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t like.”

these ‘teachers’ who had the ability to do the most good, did the most harm.

5. Be authentic this Holiday Season

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving (irony at its finest)

Thanksgiving celebrates Gratitude (write a gratitude inventory)

Christmas celebrates Jesus 

(give anonymously to someone who won’t give back)