Sermon Notes: Listening to The Right Voice

Today was a special day at our little church, in several ways.  First, we honored and prayed for a member of our church who is also a law enforcement officer....a first responder.  It was such a joy to have this young officer's whole family come forward to show their support as the Pastor prayed for his protection and blessing upon his life and service.  We are so very thankful for our law enforcement personnel. They are always there for us, ready to protect and serve.  The very least we can do is show our support and pray for their safety.

Another blessing of the day was that these two dear friends from our previous "Home Bible Church" and Ladies' Prayer Fellowship came to visit our church today. This picture is from another time and place because I forgot to take their picture today, shame on me!  So, just for the record, no we don't have church on the river.  Might be nice sometime, but that wasn't today...

And the other special thing about today was that my hubby was the "guest" speaker.  As you've heard me say previously, our pastor is retiring, and last Sunday was his last Sunday to preach. However, he and his wife are still worshiping with us through next Sunday...we're just giving them a little break so they can sit and worship with us from the pew for a change.

And so, with all of that in mind, here are the sermon notes from today's message, as best as I could transcribe as my hubby preached. No, he didn't give me a copy of his notes...it was up to me to listen carefully!

So here goes!

Our Scripture lesson for the day was Matthew 22:23-33.  This is a passage where Jesus is answering some questions from Sadducees.  You may wonder what exactly is a "Sadducee".  Here is the definition as found from Dictionary.com

Sadducee

|

---

noun Judaism."a member of a Palestinian sect, consisting mainly of priests and aristocrats, that flourished from the 1st century b.c. to the 1st century a.d. and differed from the Pharisees chiefly in its literal interpretation of the Bible, rejection of oral laws and traditions, and denial of an after life and the coming of the Messiah."

(My note: I've often heard pastors explain the reference to the Sadducees as those religious persons who did not believe in the resurrection, and so they were so "Sad, you see".  )

Anyway, the Sadducees were trying to trick Jesus into giving answers to difficult questions regarding marriage in the afterlife, even though they personally did not believe in an afterlife.  

Jesus is very patient as He deals with people who are blinded from listening to the wrong voices and not understanding the scriptures.   See how He responded to them in verse 29:

"You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures 

nor the power of God."

This is a message for us today.  Listening to the wrong voices will blind you to the truth.

God's Word is here to lead us and guide us in all of life's questions.  We need to use God's Word to find the truth.

Jesus is our only Hope...Jesus is the way to heaven. He has the answers we are looking for.

Why did Jesus take His time with the Sadducees? Think about how many times Jesus had to correct people in the Scriptures for their wrong assumptions and ideas.

Nicodemus, a Pharisee and ruler came to Jesus by night to ask Jesus about the miracles and signs that Jesus was performing. He recognized that Jesus could not do these things unless He had been sent from God, but he truly didn't understand the bigger picture of Who Jesus was.  Jesus carefully explained to Nicodemus how to be "born again"...and then shared with him His purpose for coming into the world in the famous verse  found in John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

God sent His Son into the world to redeem the world...

• We are born into Ruin
• God presents to us Redemption (through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross)
• and then God provides Regeneration through the gift of the Holy Spirit

In Matthew 22:31-32, Jesus tells the Sadducees that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Jesus speaks of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the present tense. They are still living.

The power of God came to you in a message that is a love letter from God to mankind. God's Word.

The outcome of reading and understanding God's Word is glorious.  

One day we will share in the glory of God in heaven with innumerable people who have gone before us...and the angels who are also innumerable.

Jesus reminded the Sadducees and all of those who are blinded by this present world..."You don't know the power of God..."

The Sadducees were wrong in their assumption that there was no resurrection or afterlife.

But God wants to help you understand the truth. He wants to save you from ruin (your sins).

Pray for an enlightened mind by the power of God's Holy Spirit.  

The power of God is here to help the helpless and the hopeless.

God may ask us one day, "How many people did you talk to about Me?"  We should be about our Father's business and sharing the good news of redemption from the ruin of our life through Jesus Christ, and the regeneration of our spirit through the power of God's Holy Spirit.

Be like Jesus.  Read and know God's Word. Share the truth.

Our music director sang the following song for our special music today:

The Touch of the Master's Hand...

Once we've been touched by the Master's Hand, our life takes on new meaning, purpose and value. We are priceless in the eyes of the Lord.  He gave His life for our lives...He took our ruin, redeemed us and made us brand new...(regeneration).  The Touch of the Master's Hand!

I love how God put all these special things together today. Even the song that was sung...it was not in collaboration with the sermon, and yet, God did bring it all together.  Sometimes we just have to sit back and see what God has laid out right before our eyes!! 

Sermon Notes: FUMC, Interlachen, FL, Rev. John F. Steiner, 6/23/2019

Please Note : I want to repeat this disclaimer here...the notes, outline, and content included here are based upon my own personal understanding of the message that was being given. I am not attempting to completely quote or reproduce this message or any other message I've shared previously. Just as each person reading these notes may glean insights and thoughts that seem to directly apply to one's own situation and interpretation, my own delivery of these messages is skewed by my hearing and translation of what is being said. Some may read my notes here and wonder if they were hearing the same message as I...and I say, God speaks to each of us as He wills...there are things He is trying to get across to each individual that may be entirely different than what the person sitting next to you in the pew is needing to hear... That is how the Holy Spirit works! He knows what we need to hear and how to apply it to our hearts. So it is with that understanding that I present these sermon notes to you.