Rev. Ronald C. Purkey,
Pastor
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The following Bible study outline was
prepared by Rev. Ronald C. Purkey for
the Adult Bible Class at Paul’s Chapel
where Rev. Purkey is the teacher.
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THE MAN WITH THE PERFECT ANSWERS
SCRIPTURE:
TEXT: "And no man was able to answer him a word
neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions." --
INTRODUCTION: On every hand, Jesus was confronted by those
who sought to trap Him by asking questions which were seemingly unanswerable.
However, Jesus would use the questions to baffle His critics.
This is one of the greatest parables Jesus gave for the period in which you and I live. Notice the man with the perfect answers.
I. SENDING
1. The servants obey the king. (vv. 1-5)
Obviously, "a certain king" is God the Father, and "his son" is the Lord Jesus. Notice the expression "kingdom of heaven". The emphasis here is upon how and why this age began rather than upon the conclusion of the age.
The king "sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the
wedding." Who were bidden? The lost sheep of the house of
What was the response? They made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise.
2. The servants are persecuted. (vv. 6-7)
Verse 6: This was
Verse 7: This undoubtedly refers to the destruction of
3. The servants continue to serve. (vv. 8-10)
In verse 8 we will see a definite change in the method and manner of the invitation, and it refers to the present age in which we live.
Verses 9-10: "So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests."
4. The servants of God must be saved. (vv. 11-14)
Verse 11: What is that wedding garment? The King's invitation is for everyone, but there is a danger of coming without meeting the demands of the King. That wedding garment is the righteousness of Christ which is absolutely essential for salvation, and it is supplied to all who believe.
The apostle Paul speaks of this righteousness: "But now the righteousness of God without the law [that is, apart from the law] is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of [from] God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all [it comes down upon all] them that believe: for there is no difference" (Rom. 3:21-22). All have to have a wedding garment.
Verse 12: Notice that he was speechless! I hear some folk say that they don't need to receive Christ, that they will take their chances before God, that they intend to argue their case. Well, our Lord said that this fellow without the wedding garment was speechless.
Verses 13-14: Whether or not you accept the wedding garment is up to you, but Christ has provided it for you. The invitation has gone out to everyone, but you will have to come on the King's terms.
"Ten Facts About Ministry"
Swindoll, Chuck said: "While doing my research for [my] book, I came across a fine, practical volume by a father-son team in ministry, Warren and David Wiersbe. They have given it an appropriate title, Making Sense of the Ministry. Within those pages are insightful comments that everyone engaged in ministry should read. I am indebted to the Wiersbes for the following list, which I have committed to memory. I even suggested that our congregation ... do the same.
What we have here are ten statements about the ministry that are essential yet easily forgotten; and when they are, things get out of whack. Read them slowly and carefully. Think of them as "Handle with Care" signs.
1. The foundation of ministry is character.
2. The nature of ministry is service.
3. The motive for ministry is love.
4. The measure of ministry is sacrifice.
5. The authority of ministry is submission.
6. The purpose of ministry is the glory of God.
7. The tools of ministry are the Word of God and prayer.
8. The privilege of ministry is growth.
9. The power of ministry is the Holy Spirit.
10. The model for ministry is Jesus Christ."
- Chuck Swindoll, Rise and Shine.
II. SURPRISING THE HERODIANS
(Matthew
The Herodians come to Him with a question which is actually related to their particular position. They were a political party which favored the house of Herod and looked to those of that house to deliver them from the Roman yoke.
I don't think the Herodians could be considered a religious party at all because they were strongly political. However, the Pharisees apparently used them, and it is quite possible that many of the Pharisees were Herodians as well.
1. The sarcasm of the Herodians (vv. 15-16)
Verses 15-16: Obviously, they were not wanting His opinion.
2. The sinister question. (v. 17)
Verse 17: They had their own answer. It was a trick question. If Jesus had
said, "No, you are not to pay tribute to Caesar," He could be accused
of being a traitor to
If Jesus had said, "Yes, you are to pay tribute to Caesar," He could not be the true Messiah. They thought that they had our Lord on the horns of a dilemma.
3. The sincere answer. (vv. 18-21)
Verse 18: Notice that He called them what they were--hypocrites.
Verse 19: It is notable that He used their coin. I have often wondered why He didn't use His own coin. I think it is because He didn't have one.
Verse 20: They were using the legal tender of the Roman government, and here it was a Roman coin.
Verse 21: This is an amazing answer because it involves more than
just answering their question--and He certainly did that. In addition, He is
saying that they did owe something to Caesar. They were using his
coins, they walked down Roman roads, and
4. The silence of the people. (v. 22)
Verse 22: Obviously, this reveals that our Lord did not fall into their trap. Although they did owe Caesar something, that did not remove their responsibility to God.
The Herodians left Him, and now it's time for the Sadducees to come to bat, and they also attempt to trap Him
III. SIMPLIFYING THE SCRIPTURES (Matthew 22:34-46)
1. The inquiry of the Sadducees. (vv. 23-28)
Verses 23-28: The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. They used a ridiculous illustration to try to trap the Lord. Imagine a woman who had had seven brothers for her husbands!
She must have lived in
2. The ignorance of the Sadducees. (v. 29)
Verse 29: The Sadducees were ignorant in two spheres: (1) ignorant of the Scriptures and (2) ignorant of the power of God. Ignorance of the Scriptures and ignorance of the power of God caused them to bring up such a ridiculous illustration. The explanation is simple.
3. The interpretation of the Scriptures. (v. 30)
Verse 30: He is not saying that they are angels. Neither will we be angels in heaven. But we will be like angels in that we will not marry in heaven. In other words, in heaven there will not be any necessity to continue the race by means of birth.
This does not mean that a husband and wife who were very close down here cannot be together in heaven. If they want to be together, of course they can be together. But, my friend, think of the ones who wouldn't want to be together. They won't have to be together.
However, they both will have new dispositions, and probably they will get along lots better up there than they did down here!
4. The instruction of the Saviour. (vv. 31-33)
Verses 31-33: This is a devastating statement! What about those who have gone before? What about Abraham today?
Well, he is just as much Abraham today as he ever was. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have been simply transferred from earth to another place.
They are not dead; they are alive. And this is true of your loved ones who are in Christ and are waiting in heaven for you. This is a glorious truth!
IV. SILENCING THE PHARISEES (Matthew 22:34-46)
Now the Herodians and the Sadducees have been silenced. The Pharisees have
been watching Jesus and these two groups. The Pharisees were a
religio-political party. They wanted to see the
In restoring the kingdom they could join the Herodians, but as a religious party they opposed the Sadducees. The Pharisees would correspond to the conservative wing of the church today, and the Sadducees would correspond to the liberal wing of the church.
The Pharisees, like the other two groups, were out to trap the Lord, and so their representative, a lawyer, posed a very interesting question.
1. The question of the Pharisees. (vv. 34-36)
Verses 34-35: The Pharisees have a huddle, then they plan a strategy and put forth this very clever lawyer, that is, a scribe, an expert in the Mosaic Law, to propound a question
Verse 36: Listen to the answer of the Lord Jesus
2. The answer of Jesus. (vv. 37-40)
Verse 37-38: Notice that He did not pick any one of the Ten Commandments. Then He gives them a second one.
Verse 39: When you apply this to your life, you will recognize that you are coming short of the glory of God.
Our Lord is very straightforward with this man. He says, "You want to know which is the greatest commandment. To love God is the greatest commandment, and to love your neighbor is the next greatest."
Verse 40: These two commandments actually summarized the entire Mosaic Law. The answer of Jesus was so obviously accurate that if the Pharisees had been honest, they would have said: "We have fallen short. We cannot be saved by the Law; we do need a Savior." And at that time the Lord Jesus, the Savior, was almost under the shadow of the cross.
3. The question of Jesus. (vv. 41-45)
Verses 41-44: The Lord Jesus is quoting Psalm 110:1. How could David call his son his Lord? The Pharisees would have to say that the son would have to be supernaturally born for David to call him "my Lord."
There are several implications in this question which are tremendous. Our Lord said that David wrote Psalm 110, that he wrote it by the Holy Spirit, and that he wrote it about the Messiah. "If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?"
How could David call his son superior unless He was? The only logical answer to this question is the Virgin Birth. Jesus is David's son, but He is greater than David.
A son of David cannot be greater than David unless there is something greater introduced into the line to make a greater son. The records of the supernatural birth of Jesus afford the only satisfactory answer.
The Lord of David got into David's line, as stated in Luke's gospel, "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). He is greater than David because He is the Lord from heaven.
The Lord Jesus was forcing the Pharisees to face up to the real issue and to acknowledge Him as David's son and as David's Lord. This ended the verbal clash with the religious rulers.
Verse 45: This is the searching question which our Lord put to the Pharisees.
4. The answer of the Pharisees. (v. 46)
Verse 46: They made no verbal attack upon Him after this. They had determined His death, and that is the thing toward which they are going to move. They see that they cannot answer Him. This is one of the great proofs of His deity.
CONCLUSION: Jesus had an answer for every question. The answers of Christ were based upon the Scriptures which were familiar to His critics. The evidence that Demands a Verdict!
* * *
When
During a pause in the conversations,
Have you acknowledged Jesus Christ as your King? Have you accepted Christ as your Savior and Lord? Are you willing to allow Him not only to save you from sin but also to rule your life?
Today, choose to bow before Him as your sovereign Lord and be His willing and grateful servant. Then you can worship Him as both your Savior and your King! --Our Daily Bread.
God kept His promise of the Savior's birth
That wondrous night when Jesus came to earth;
And still today the prophets' message rings:
He'll come again to reign as King of kings. –Hess
PASTOR RONALD PURKEY’S OFFICE
E-Mail: Pastor Ronald Purkey
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