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.