Snapshot Series: "Life"

Snapshot36  Mark 12:18-34  "Life"

Community Group Questions

1.  What areas do you struggle with obedience to the Lord?

2.  Do you find it hard to stick with people when they are going through a tough time?

3.  Do you find it hard to be happy for others when things go well for them?

4.  Do you have anyone in your life that is difficult to love?

5.  Have you ever experienced putting the needs of another before your own and it felt good?

6. Have you ever had to correct someone in love and it did not go the way you expected?

7.  Are the words that you use with the people closest to you words of death or life?

Today in the Gospel of Mark we are going to look at two things about life...There is eternal life and there is full life here on earth.

There is eternal life.

Vrs 18 Sadducees believed there was no resurrection.  Only place in the Gospel of Mark the Sadducees are mentioned.

Though less numerous and popular than the Pharisees, the Sadducees occupied influential positions on the Sanhedrin, the Jewish supreme court and generally cooperated with the Roman authorities. They denied the truths of the resurrection, future judgment, and the existence of angels and spirits.  They accepted only the Books of Moses (the Pentateuch) BKC

Vrs 19-23 The content of the question

If a husband died without leaving a male heir his (unmarried) brother (or, if none, his nearest male relative) was to marry his widow. The first son of that union was given the name of the dead brother and was considered his child. This was to prevent extinction of a family line and thereby kept the family inheritance intact.  BKC

Vrs 24-27 Jesus answered their question and corrected their error about the resurrection.

V24 Marriage is necessary and suitable for the present world order, in which death prevails, in order to continue the human race. But angels, whose existence the Sadducees denied, are deathless and live in a different order of existence where they have no need for marital relations or reproduction of offspring. Their lives center totally around fellowship with God. So it will be in the afterlife for human beings rightly related to God. BKC

The Sadducees were religious people that believed the Scripture (Pentateuch) but did not believe what it taught about the afterlife and more importantly eternal life.

You may say...how can a person be so religious and yet be so off

The concerning thing is the state of Christianity

In a survey from Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life: 57 percent of evangelical church attenders said they believe many religions can lead to eternal life. 

This is a huge problem as a Christian there are core things we need to hold to...

-Jesus added humanity to Himself and came to this earth.

-Jesus lived a perfect life

-Jesus died to pay the price for our sins

-Jesus says we are sinners in need of a Savior

-Jesus rose again to prove that He is God

-Jesus says all who believe in Him will have eternal life in heaven

-Jesus said HE will implant the Holy Spirit in all who believe

-Jesus said he is the way, the truth and life and no one comes to the Father accept through Him.

-Jesus tells us that if we do not believe we are condemned to hell.

This is what every person who calls themselves a Christian needs to believe this...if you don't agree you are probably are not a Christian.

Vrs 27 "He is not the God of the dead but the living" 

So as Christian we know there is eternal life but the next thing the Gospel of Mark teaches us is how a Christian should live that life to have a full life.

There is full life  Vrs 28-34

Verse 28  Warren Weirsbe states The Pharisees tried one more question, one that the rabbis had been debating for a long time. Of the 613 commandments found in the Law (365 negative, 248 positive), which one is the most important?

Verses 29-31

Jesus replied with the traditional Jewish “statement of faith” (the Shema) found in Deut. 6:4. It was recited morning and evening by pious Jews. He then added Lev. 19:18; for if we love God, we will show it by loving our neighbor (Luke 10:25–37).

Verses 32-34  One of the scribes got the message clearly and boldly agreed with Jesus, but the others missed the point completely. They had a shallow view of the real meaning of the Law and failed to understand the importance of obeying from the heart.

If we want to have full life we will love God and love others.

How do we love God?  Obedience

How do we love others?

1.  Stick with them in tough times. Cry with them, fight for them, pull for them and make that time more bearable.

2.  Be happy for them in good times.  This seems strange but sometimes a good friend or family member may not celebrate with you but be envious of you when something good happens. Love for someone can be expressed by being happy for them.

3.  Be gracious and adjust to them.  Some people are difficult to love...Jesus loved the unlovable...It takes grace to adjust and love a person for who they are.

4.  Put their needs before your needs.  Be willing to go out of comfort zone for them. An amazing act of love is sacrifice.

TD Jakes says " Something happens when you sacrifice."

5  Be willing to rebuke. 

6.  Offer encouraging words.  Speak words of life into their lives, what is helpful and praiseworthy.

When we love God and Love others we will truly live.

Snapshot Series: "Money"

Snapshot35 Mark 12:13-17 & 41-44

Money is something we all realize is necessary for survival but can also be a huge issue for many of us.  because it takes a place of great importance. We work for money, we spend money, we feel that money helps our problems, we get upset when we don;t have the money, when we have the money we want more money.

Jesus talks about money actually more then he talks about heaven not because it is more important but it is because we have tendencies at act like it is more important.

Today we are going to look at Three issues in dealing with money from Mark 12:13-17 & 41-44

Vrs 13-15

Trying to corner Jesus

“Taxes” was a Latin loanword meaning “census.” It referred to the annual poll tax (head tax) demanded by the Roman emperor from all Jews since A.D. 6, when Judea became a Roman province.  The money went directly into the emperor’s treasury. This tax was unpopular because it typified the Jews’ subjugation to Rome (cf. Acts 5:37). BKC

They were concerned about the political implications of their question. Obviously the question was designed to place Jesus in a religious and political dilemma. A yes answer would antagonize the people and discredit Him as God’s Spokesman. No messianic claimant could sanction willing submission to pagan rulers. A no answer would invite retaliation from Rome.  BKC

A good Jewish person would not participate in pagan Rome but by carrying the coin, Jesus’ opponents show that they already participate in the Roman social order. ESV Study Notes

Vrs 16-17a

Jesus knew they were trying to trap him so He pulled a Jesus on them and did the unexpected.  Said because the coin had Caesar and his inscription on it...give it to him.

Issue 1 Integrity

Integrity issue, the quality of being honest

The were testing Jesus and Jesus has integrity, Jesus wants us to have integrity especially when it comes to money.

Integrity test:

1.  Are you honest with your money? Tax time, with your employer or employees, in business?

2.  Do you pray about what you spend money on? God I really care about what you want for my life and finances

3   Are you practicing good stewardship?  That means you are responsible with what you have, make good decisions, try not to waste, talk to others that have more experience then you when making financial decisions. Faithful with little. 

4.  Do you have a healthy view of the importance of money?  It is important but it is not the ultimate

Some people act as though money will end their problems but they don't realize they are actually the problem.  A few months ago when the mega-millions was at some crazy high a women said "if I won the jackpot my daughter would take a limo to daycare" does anyway else find a problem with that statement??? 

The next thing we see Jesus bring up is who owns the money?

There is some truth in was the auditor for the IRS said..

“The trick is to stop thinking of it as ‘your’ money.”

Vrs 17b Give to God what is God's which brings us to issue 2

Issue 2 Theology-the study of the nature of God.  

So what actually is God's

Theology test:

1.  Who made you?

2.  Who keeps you alive?

3.  Who gave you everything you have?

4.  Who can take everything away?

5.  Who do we owe everything to?

6.  Who owns everything?

Now that you have good theology Orthodoxy (right belief) we have to have orthopraxy (right practice)

Issue 3 Generosity

Vrs 41-44

Proportionally she had given the most—all she had to live on. In giving to God sacrificially she completely entrusted herself to Him to provide her needs.

Jesus used her example to teach His disciples the value God places on wholehearted commitment. Their own commitment to Jesus would soon be severely tested (cf. 14:27-31). This incident also illustrates Jesus’ total self-giving in death.  GOSPEL

Generosity test:

1.  Do you give to the Lord's work?

2   Do you understand NT giving?

The NT does not mandate a specific percentage, some suggest it is 10 percent because tithe means 10th but the NT the OT tithe is actually teaches the tithe was 23 & 1/3 percent.  In Malachi 3 it directs the people to bring their tithe to the storehouse because then they distributed t the widow and the orphan and took care of the needs of the people.

The NT teaches giving by grace, that means the more God gives you the more you give.  That may mean for some of you giving 10% is not tough at all and you need to consider more and for others 10% is an enormous sacrifice which leads to the next question. 

3.  Do you feel like it is a true sacrifice? (we could use this money for something else)  The Lord sacrificed for us, we should sacrifice for Him. 

2 Cor 9:7 give us our next two questions  

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

4.  Is your giving planned?  out of the first fruits, Pro 3:9-10 you plan giving first. Husband and wife should be praying about this  

5.  Are you a cheerful giver? I hope this message inspires a cheerful heart to give to the amazing things that Lord is doing. 

When we use our money with integrity, realize it is from the Lord and are generous with it He is pleased.