Sermon #64
Series: Matthew
Title: Trappers Trapped
Text: Matthew
22:15-46
Reading: Larry
Criss – Lindsay Campbell
Subject: Christ’s
Confounding of His Enemies
Date: Tuesday
Evening – November 21, 1995
Tape # R-96
Introduction:
In the passage before us tonight the Holy Spirit has
recorded a series of subtle snores hid by our Lord’s enemies during the last
days of his earthly ministry. By their pretentious questions, asked with the
pretense of seeking to honor God and understand his truth. These hell-inspired religionists were trying
to entice our Lord, trying to trick him into saying something which they could
use as an accusation against him. Obviously, their schemes failed. They were
taken in their own snare, and retreated in utter confusion. But there is much
to be learned from this event.
Proposition: Religious
training is not sufficient to give men and women spiritual discernment. Spiritual discernment comes only by knowing
the Scriptures and the power of God – (I Cor. 2:11-16).
I want you to hold your Bibles open at Matthew 22. Read along with me, as we go through this
passage of Holy Scripture. We will look
at it in four parts. May
God the Holy spirit be our Teacher. And I pray that he will graciously seal his
Word to our hearts.
I. First, Let’s read verses 15-22 – The Snare By Which The Herodians Hoped To
Entangle Our Savior Was A Question About Politics.
The Herodians obviously had some connection
with Herod and with the Pharisees. It is really unknown to us, who they were,
what their connections were, and what their beliefs were. Many have tried to
figure out who these men were. I will
leave that to them. I want you to see the message the Holy Spirit of God would
have us to learn.
A. First, The Gospel of God’s Free and Sovereign Grace is Always Offensive to
Lost Religious People – (v. 15).
The
word “Then” in verse 15 directs our attention to the preceding parables given
by our Lord. In the parable of the two sons, our Savior told them that their religious works would profit them nothing before God (21:31). In
the parable of the husbandmen, the Pharisees “perceived that he spake of them”
(22:45), when he said, “The kingdom shall be taken
from you,” and judgment shall fall upon you (22:42-45). Then, the parable of the marriage feast
plainly declared the message of God’s sovereign, electing
love and irresistible, saving grace (v. 14).
That message of grace was the clincher.
The Pharisees, the Herodians, and the Sadducees were all enraged by it,
and sought to destroy the Son of God for preaching it. The cross of Christ, the gospel of God’s
free, sovereign, saving grace in Christ, the gospel of God’s free, sovereign,
saving grace in Christ alone, is an offence to all natural men (Gal. 5:11). Here is the cause of offence…
1.
Total
depravity declares man to be basically evil, not good.
2.
Unconditional
Election makes salvation to be a matter wholly determined by the immutable will
of God.
3.
Limited
Atonement makes salvation to be merited by and secured by Christ alone.
4.
Irresistible
Grace makes the new birth, repentance, and faith to be the works and gifts of
God the Holy Spirit.
5.
Perseverance
of the Saints makes salvation, grace, and eternal life entirely dependent upon
the work of God.
B. Second, Satan often comes against us as a flattering friend rather than an
enraged enemy – (v. 16).
Many
there are whose souls have been ruined by the world’s seductive kindness, who
stood strong and firm against the world’s persecutions.
Illus: Samson
Solomon
Hezekiah
Sweet
things cause more sickness than bitter things.
The warm, balmy sunshine of a bright summer day is far more likely to
make a man shed his protective armor than the freezing blasts of winter. The devil is never so dangerous as when he
appears to be our friend. And the world
is never so dangerous to our souls as when it smiles and flatters.
C. Third, In all matters of civil law, it is our duty to be obedient to civil
government (v.
21).
I do not approve of many things, indeed, of
most things promoted and encouraged by the institutions of government in this
country. I am thankful for the nation,
love it, and am willing to fight to the death to defend the land and liberty
God has given us. But those laws of the
land that tend to destroy the very fabric of society. I do not and cannot condone.
However,
wherever the laws of the land do not demand that I violate the Word of God, I
am and must be obedient to the laws of civil government.
1.
We
must be obedient to God, regardless of cost or consequence, even whom law
forbids our obedience (Acts 4:18-20).
2.
But,
where Caesar does not demand disobedience to Christ, we must render unto Caesar
the things that are his – That includes taxes (Matt. 17:27).
II. Second,
in verses 23-33 The Snare by which the
Sadducees Attempted to Trap the Son of God was A Question About The
Resurrection.
The Sadducees were the liberals of the
day. They denied the resurrection. The
Sadducees and the Pharisees were not real friendly with one another. But they were willing to put aside their
differences when it come to opposing Christ, they were happy to work together.
Again,
there are three things in these verses that are as obvious as the sun…
A. The Dishonesty of Scoffers (vv. 23-29).
These
men pretended to honor Moses, The Scriptures, and God, though they sought honor
only for themselves. And in their pretentiously pious attempt to destroy the
doctrine of Christ they fabricated a story.
1.
Imaginary
suppositions are the strongest weapons of infidels. While ignoring obvious
evidences of divine truth, they pile up suppositions and hypothetical
situations to confuse the issues they refuse to face.
2.
When
witnessing to men and discussing Bible truths, do not be drawn into this trap –
Note: Any child can ask questions
that a wise philosopher can never answer with satisfaction.
Note: There are some things we know (I Pet. 1:18-25). Be
content to wait. What we know
not now, we shall know thereafter.
3.
Spiritual
things can only be known and learned by spiritual things (v. 29).
B. The Blessedness of the Resurrection – (v. 30).
In
that blessed, glorious state, we shall be as the angels of God. We know very
little about the life that awaits us in the resurrection. But this much is sure…
1.
It
is beyond imagination (I Cor. 2:9).
2.
No
consequence of sin shall follow us into eternity (Rev. 21:4).
3.
We
shall be “as the angels of God.”
C. The Eternality of Our God (vv. 31-33).
Our
Savior quotes Exodus 3:6 in the present tense – “I am (not was) the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Then he adds these words – “God is not the God of
the dead, but of the living.”
1.
God
is eternal!
2.
Those
who die in Christ, are not dead at all, but living!
III. Third,
verses 34-40 show us how that The Pharisees sent one of
their Lawyers, Tempting the Savior with A Question about The Law.
The word “lawyer” here does not refer to a
lawyer as we think of lawyers. This
fellow was not a trial lawyer, or a civil lawyer. He was a religious lawyer.
The worst kind of lawyer! These
lawyers were men whose life and business it was to study and teach the Mosic
law, with all the customs and traditions appended to it by men.
Again,
there are three things in these verses that must be understood.
A. The law of God is holy, just, and good.
What a blessed place this world would be if
all men loved God and one another!
B. No man is capable of fulfilling the law.
Grace teaches us to love God and one another,
and enables us in a measure to do so.
But our best love is full of sin!
C. The only way any sinner has hope of fulfilling God’s holy law is by the
doing and dying of Christ, our Representative and Substitute – (Rom. 8:104).
1.
He
obeyed the law for us.
2.
He
paid our debt.
3.
We
fulfill the law by trusting him.
IV. In
verses 41-46, The Son of God Puts Forth
One Question Before Which All Other Questions fade into Insignificance – “What
Think ye of Christ?”
With this question of all questions, he
snared the fowlers and trapped the trappers.
These learned religious men were put to silence by this question. To
answer it honestly, they would have had to acknowledge that the Messiah must be
both God and man. But, rather than be
honest, they held to their religious traditions and went to hell!
Now,
I put this question to you once more – “What think ye
of Christ?” Let me answer for myself and
for every saved soul, according to the Scriptures –
A.
He
is God Almighty! (I Tim. 3:16)
B.
He
is a Real Man – The Woman’s Seed! (Gal. 4:4-6).
C.
He
is the Lord our Righteousness! (Jer. 23:6).
D.
He
is our All-Sufficient Substitute! (II Cor. 5:21).
E.
He
is our Mighty Savior! (Heb. 7:25; Matt. 1:21).
F.
He
is our Advocate with the Father! (I John 2:102).
G.
He
is Precious! (I Pet. 2:7).
Application:
Once
more, we see how that our Lord takes what wicked men, inspired by Satan
himself, meant for evil, and turns it for good.