20120923

INI
17nd Sunday after Pentecost
September 23, 2012
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

IS THERE LIFE AFTER DEATH?
Luke 20:27-40

To the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor
and glory forever and ever, Amen. The Word of God that we'll focus on this
morning comes from the Gospel of Luke, chapter twenty, beginning with the
27th verse, as follows:

Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to
Him and asked Him, 28 saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s
brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should
take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven
brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the
second took her as wife, and he died childless. 31 Then the third took her, and
in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. 32 Last of all
the woman died also. 33 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she
become? For all seven had her as wife.” 34 Jesus answered and said to them,
“The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are
counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither
marry nor are given in marriage; 36 nor can they die anymore, for they are equal
to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. 37 But even
Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he
called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’
38 For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.” 39
Then some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.”
40 But after that they dared not question Him anymore. These are the Words.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, who said, "Because I live, you shall live also,"
Dear Fellow Redeemed,

One of the most famous plays ever produced in America is Thornton Wilder's
"Our Town." You may be familiar with it - it's been on television several times.
The play is a story about life and death, set in the small community of Grover's
Corners, New Hampshire. Well, toward the end of this play, the narrator says an
interesting thing. He's speaking to the audience, and he says, "Now there are
some things we all know, but we don't take 'em out and look at 'em very often.
We all know that something is eternal. And it ain't houses and it ain't names,
and it ain't earth, and it ain't even the stars -- everybody knows in their bones
that something is eternal, and that something has to do with human beings. All
the greatest people ever lived have been telling us that for five thousand years
and yet you'd be surprised how people are always losing hold of it. There's
something way down deep that's eternal about every human being."

He's right, of course. The author of the play doesn't reveal exactly what that
eternal something is, but you and I know. We know the truth about eternity,
because we've got it from the mouth of our Lord Jesus Himself. In our text for
today, Jesus answers once and for all the question --

IS THERE LIFE AFTER DEATH?
I. The Sadducees of this world say NO.
II. God's almighty Word says YES!

The Sadducees were a sect of the Jewish religion, just as the Pharisees were.
But their doctrine differed from that of the Pharisees in one important aspect:
the Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead. Once you die, they
said, that's it. There is no life after death.

They were always fighting with the Pharisees about this point. One thing they
did agree on though: both groups hated Jesus. The Pharisees had tried to trip
Jesus up with tricky questions, and hadn't been able to do it. So on this
occasion, the Sadducees thought they'd have a try. They constructed the
elaborate argument I read to you a moment ago, about the woman and her
seven husbands. The logic seemed flawless. Since the problem of who would be
the woman's husband in heaven seemed insoluble, they thought they had
proven that heaven, itself, cannot exist. "Whose wife does she become?" they
sneered. "For all seven had her as wife..." No doubt they were rubbing their
hands with glee. Now, they thought, we've finally got this Jesus just where we
want Him.

By the way, the "Sadducees" didn’t disappear in the first century A.D. There
are plenty of them around today. People, many of them atheists, who make a
point of denying the idea of life after death. They, too, build their elaborate
arguments, arguments that purport to "prove" that, after the grave, there is
nothing.

We don't have to listen to them, of course. And besides, I think most people
have enough common sense to know that that's not true. I'll tell you what does
worry me, though, and it's not the people who deny the resurrection with their
words. It's those who deny it with their lives. Look at all the people round
about us who go through their daily routine as if this world was all there is. If
you asked them, many of them would say they do believe in life after death. But
that's not how they live. They know there's an eternity, but, as Wilder said,
"they don't take it out and look at it" very often. It makes them uncomfortable,
and they'd rather ignore it. So they do. They go about their business as usual.
They don't come to church to hear what God has to say about it. If they ever
think about religion and God's Word, well -- it's usually something they feel
they can safely put off until later. "Right now I've got other things to do." These
are the modern Sadducees. And when asked the question, Is there Life After
Death?, the Sadducees of this world say NO.

Does that describe us? You and me? Sometimes I wonder. What are our lives
saying to the people around us? Jesus said that we Christians are supposed to be
lamps set up high on a lamp stand. Our lives are supposed to show other people
that there is life after death, and that by the grace of God, that's where we're
headed. But how often don't we hide our lights under a bushel basket in our
attempts to blend in with the crowd? How often don't we allow ourselves to be
carried along by the hustle and bustle of day-to-day living? Soon we find
ourselves skipping our daily Bible reading, missing church, spending thousands
on ourselves and giving nickels and dimes to the Lord. Isn't that Sadduceeism?
Aren't we, in our own way, pushing back the eternal things in favor of the
temporal?

Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness." Let's catch
ourselves, before it's too late. Let's ask the Lord's forgiveness, and pray that He
would keep us mindful of eternity every hour of every day! There are plenty of
Sadducees around already, without us Christians acting like Sadducees, too.

Is there life after death? No matter how many of this world's Sadducees say
NO, God's almighty Word says YES!

Jesus listened quietly while the Sadducees spent all that time constructing their
clever argument, and then He simply knocked it all over, like a house of cards.
The argument about the woman and her seven husbands - that was just the
Sadducees trying to apply earthly rules to heaven. And that won't work. Jesus
pointed out what they should have already known: that heaven is not like earth,
and the age to come is not like the present age. He said, “The sons of this age
marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are counted worthy to attain
that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in
marriage.”

This is one teaching that has never been easy for Christians to grasp. The
relationship between husband and wife is one of the most powerful bonds on
earth. That's why it's so hard for a Christian to imagine not being married to his
or her spouse in heaven. God's ways are high above our ways, and this is
something we just can't see clearly yet. But there are certain things we do know
for sure about heaven: whatever our situation, it will be one of perfect
happiness. In heaven, John says, "...God will wipe away every tear from their
eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no
more pain, for the former things have passed away." --Rev 21:4.

But the Sadducees didn't really care about marriage after the resurrection. They
were trying to prove that there wasn't any resurrection! For this Jesus sternly
rebuked them. We read in Matthew, "Jesus answered and said to them, 'You are
mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.'" The Sadducees
considered themselves Bible experts. But if they had really known their Bible,
Jesus said, they'd never have tried anything as silly as disproving the
resurrection. That teaching is as clear as day!

The sect of the Sadducees had a special reverence for the first five books of the
Old Testament, so Christ selected a passage from Exodus. At the burning bush,
the Lord had identified Himself to Moses by saying, "I am the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob." Not, "I WAS their God," but "I AM their God" The Lord was
telling Moses: Even though the patriarchs passed away centuries ago, they are
still alive in heaven with me! For he is not a God of the dead, Jesus said, but of
the living: for all live unto him. From God's point of view, the eternal point of
view, there are no "dead" people. To Him, everyone is alive.

God's almighty Word proves that there IS life after death. There is a
resurrection, and there is an eternity. Some people deny it; others just stick their
heads in the sand and try to ignore it. But on Judgment Day the "Sadducees" of
this world will find out the terrible truth, the truth that they've really known all
along. "Then the King will say to those on His left hand, 'Depart from Me, you
cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'" --Mt
25:41.

But what about you? Can you be sure that you’re one of those who are "worthy
to attain that age," and the resurrection to everlasting life? Yes! There is a way!

In an art gallery in Sweden there hangs a picture called "The Game of Death."
It's very interesting - it shows a young man playing chess with the Devil. By the
position of the chessmen, it's obvious that the Devil is about to win. One day,
an international Grand Master of chess happened to visit the gallery. He stood
studying the picture for some time. Then he cried out, "I have it! I can save that
fellow!" And he proceeded to show how one brilliant move could turn the game
around, and lead to certain victory for the young man.

My Christian friends, that's what Jesus Christ has done for us. He has, in one
move, eternally checkmated the Devil. Jesus took all our sins upon Himself at
Calvary, and in exchange gave us His perfect righteousness. Such a simple
move, but so unexpected, and so brilliant! In that one move, He snatched away
Satan's victory, and handed him defeat instead. Jesus rescued us from the brink
of hell and delivered us to the threshold of heaven. That's why the open tomb
of Easter is such a joyful symbol for us Christians. For it's the symbol of our
Lord’s promise to each of us: "Because I live, you shall live also!" --Jn 14:19.

I wonder if you fully realize what this simple passage means. And by the way,
this verse is a perfect example of technique I once learned for meditating on the
meaning of Scripture. It’s the technique of emphasizing each word of a passage
in turn, and seeing how the Holy Spirit’s message to you is deepened and
enriched. It’s very simple, but very effective. Each day you choose one Bible
verse to meditate on. It could be from your own devotions, from last Sunday’s
sermon, from the Lutheran Spokesman. Jot it down if you need to, and take it
along with you and think about it during your day. Emphasize each word in
turn, like this:

Jesus said, “Because I live, YOU shall live also.” You too are included in this
offer of grace! It’s not aimed at some special class of people, or even the world
in general. Eternal life is Jesus’ gift to YOU in particular!

“Because I live, you SHALL live also.” It’s definite. No doubt remains. I give
unto My sheep eternal life, Jesus says, and no man shall snatch them out of My
hand.

“Because I live, you shall LIVE also.” We’re talking about life! Real life! Not
the shadow life we’re living now, with its pain and sorrow and disappointments.
But everlasting life, the life of perfect happiness that has no end. This is what is
guaranteed us by the resurrection of our Savior.

“Because I live, you shall live ALSO.” You’re connected to Christ, you’re
eternal life is tied to His. It means that, if it is true that Jesus rose to life again
that first Easter morning, then it is ALSO true that you will rise to eternal life
when the everlasting Day dawns. Regardless of your background, your past,
how great or how many your sins have been -- God's almighty Word says there
will ALSO be eternal life for you! -You see what I mean. How beautiful and
rich is God’s Word! How fathomless are the blessings God would bestow on us
through that Word!

Our hope is in Christ. As the writer to the Hebrews says, This hope we have as
an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast. -- Heb 16:18. Doesn’t it make
you want to share that hope with other people – people who right now are
living without hope? Many years ago, a submarine sank in a storm off
Provincetown, Massachusetts. Rescuers couldn't get to them immediately
because of the heavy seas. But as soon as the weather cleared, divers were sent
down. They combed the length of the disabled ship trying to find out whether
there was anybody left alive inside. Suddenly, one diver heard a gentle tapping.
Listening carefully, he recognized the tapping as Morse code. The message was
a question - three simple words repeated over and over again: "IS THERE
HOPE?"

"Is there hope?" People are still asking that question today. Even in the midst
of all Sadducees of this world, who say that there is no hope of life after death,
there are still a few desperate souls out there who are asking, "Is there hope?"
And there are people you know, people who are aware of your Christian faith,
who will be asking you. Maybe not using those words, but they’re still asking
the question: is there hope? Let's answer them! As a congregation and as
individuals, let's answer them. "YES! In Christ there is hope! In fact, more than
hope – through faith in Jesus Christ, God has made eternal life a certainty!"
AMEN.