Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• Politicians are trained to answer questions
• Questions that maybe they don't want to answer
• They answer in a certain way
• Often they don't get it right
• Jesus was often asked questions
• People asked Him very difficult questions
• We are thankful for these questions and His wonderful responses
• His responses showed that He was from God, His wisdom was from God
• Jesus had people in chapter 12 coming to Him to test Him
• The Pharisees tested him with questions about paying taxes to Caesar
• The Sadducces came to test Him about the resurrection
• A third person questions Jesus (v28)
• It is thought that these people came from the Jewish Sanhedrin
• A council of 70 people
• They were plotting the death of Jesus
• They wanted to take away His popular support or to get Him in trouble with the authorities
• It was made up of the Pharisees, the Sadducces and Scribes (experts in the law)
• Perhaps this man was a scribe
• At first this person seems to admire Jesus' response
• Matt 22 - He came to test Jesus
• He still came with his question, but he had more of an open heart
• Perhaps God is starting to work in his heart
• Jesus says this man is not far from the Kingdom - he is very close to true faith
• People can come with genuine questions and really want to know the answers
• Some people come to pitch Jesus against their own rules
• They want to get into arguments with others and show off the knowledge
• When you ask questions of the Christian faith - how sincere are you?
• If you are sincere, then you are on the right path
• If you are questioning to try and destroy the bible or because you think you know better, then you are on the wrong path

Concentrating particularly on v28-34

Being on the Right Path

• The scribes were experts in the law: civil, ceremonial, religious, moral
• They added their own interpretation to these laws - 613 additional rules
• Most of these laws were negative
• About 250 were positive
• For the scribes it was all about meticulous obedience to the letter of the law
• They felt that by obeying God's law in every part they would please God
• How many times did they fail?
• If they could not even keep their own standard, how much more could they not keep God's law
• Do we think like this?
• That we can please God by keeping His laws?
• This is the wrong path - not the path of faith but of trying to obey God's law in your own strength, but failing and being condemned
• This type of religion always leads to pride
• The Scribes were proud (v38)
• They felt they were better
• Are we like this?
• But there was hypocrisy - the devoured widow's houses (v40)
• This is the wrong path
• The Scribes did debate what was the first commandment, the most important commandment
• The tried to make certain laws a priority
• The Scribes ask this question to Jesus
• Jesus quotes from two passages: Deuteronomy and Leviticus
• Think primarily on the vertical level: your relationship with God - loving God
• Who has ever loved God with all their heart, their soul, their mind and strength?
• The second is on the horizontal level: your relationship with one another - loving your neighbour
• You are filled with the love of God, which flows out to others
• These are the greatest commandments
• This man had come to test Jesus (Matt 22) but he confirms that what Jesus had said is true
• God is at work in his heart
• The scribe adds something to this, saying that loving God and your neighbour is "more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices"
• This is something amazing for a scribe to say
• No matter how much religious obedience or how correct it is - none of that can be above this: to love God and to love your neighbour
• Jesus said upon these two commands hangs the whole law and prophets
• All God's laws are for His glory
• All of the laws are summed up in loving your neighbour
• The Scribe accepts the authority of God's word
• Do you accept the authority of God's word?
• Do you really want to know the answers in the Bible?
• Nicodemus had questions - sincere questions
• [He accepted these answers]
• Another man asked 'what must I do to inherit eternal life'
• He could not accept the answer that Jesus gave
• There was a sincerity in his heart, but that was not enough
• There was no desire to yield himself completely to the Lord Jesus
• Come with your questions but be ready to be respond to what Jesus is saying to you
• Example of Brownlow North
• Are we really open to God and to His word?

So far, but not far Enough

• You need to have an understanding of truth
• He did agree with what Jesus said
• "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth" (v32)
• You need to hear the truth and accept it
• This man had "answered wisely" (v34)
• Jesus recognised that this man was on the right path
•  Why was he so far but not yet in?
• He had no understand of who Jesus was
• He called Him a teacher but no more than that
• Jesus began to explain something of who He was (v35-37)
• Jesus was asking if he understood that Jesus was the son of David but the Lord of David
• Do you understand who the Messiah is?
• We need to understand that Jesus is the Son of God
• If He is Lord we are to bow and submit to Him
• Only He can take away our sins
• If He is God He deserves our allegiance
• 'No man can come to the Father but by Him'
• Maybe he still believes he can still love God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength
• It seems he thinks he can love God in his own strength
• This is folly
• None of us can keep this command - we cannot love God in our own strength
• Jesus is the only person who truly loved God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength
• Jesus loved His neighbour as Himself
• Jesus loved them so much that He took their sins to the cross
• Jesus kept the law of God totally
• We must believe in the Gospel truth that Jesus has done this for us
• Those that believe in Him - the Gospel love enters their hearts
• Their love for God grows and becomes genuine

What is the Key to Real Faith?

• How do we enter the Kingdom of Heaven?
• You may be very close but you have not entered
• It is no good saying that my parents are Christians or I have said lots of prayers
• It is 'one by one' - you come to God as an individual, not through any relation of your family - you come to God as you are
• Admit that you are a sinner, confess your sins and you will enter the Kingdom of God
• After this time, no one asked Jesus any further questions
• It is sad that the people felt they couldn't ask to know more
• Maybe you feel like that before God, not knowing what to say
• Just fall at your feet before Him
• May it not be said of you 'you are near, but not yet in'
• Wouldn't this be awful - to be so near but to end up in Hell
• It is so much better to enter in - believe in Jesus and enter in