Thought for March 20, 2024

  •  1757: William Romaine preaches on the topic "the Lord our righteousness" at St. Mary's in Oxford England. His sermon offends the self-righteous scholars and he is never allowed to preach there again.
  • 1774: First of the Intolerable Acts--Boston Port Act--closes harbor until damages for the Tea Party are paid
  • 1800: Volta reports the discovery of the electric battery
  • 1852: "Uncle Tom's Cabin" published
  • 1886: First commercial alternating current power plant in the US begins operation
  • 1890: General Federation of Women's Clubs formed
  • 1922: USS Langley is commissioned--first aircraft carrier
  • 1930: KFC founded by Harlan Sanders
  • 1942: MacArthur says "I will return"
  • 1984: Senate rejects bill allowing spoken prayer in public schools
  • 1986: NYC passes first gay rights legislation
  • 1999: Legoland California opens--Thomas loved it; Julianne broke her arm
  • 2003: U.S. invades Iraq
  • 2020: Tom Brady agrees to join Tampa Bay
  • 2020: Smoke from the Australian wildfires kills more than the fire itself
  • Born: Ovid, Henrik Ibsen, Eugene Schueller [L'Oreal], Edgar Buchanan ["Petticoat Junction"], Ozzie Nelson, Carl Reiner, Fred Rogers, Jerry Reed, Pat Riley, Bobby Orr, William Hurt, Spike Lee, Holly Hunter
  • Died: A.E. Douglas [invented counting tree rings to date-dendrochronology], Chet Huntley, Lewis Grizzard, Kenny Rogers
Thought:
Have you noticed the truths that Jesus was teaching during His last week before the cross? He wants us to know that He fulfills all prophesy by riding in on a colt. He wants us to keep His commands knowing that He prepares and He provides everything we need. He wants us to have Him as the only authority for our lives. He wants us concerned about others because of what the owner may do to those that killed His son. He expects us to render to Him everything He is due. Back in 2013 when I taught from this passage, I had the song "My Tribute" played to help us focus on this point. As I look at Passion Week, I see Jesus giving a summary or maybe a crash course on what the disciples needed to learn before He departed. I am sure I need to hear those same truths.

Today, look at Luke 20:27-47. Here we have those who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead asking who is married in the resurrection. Sadducees believed only in the first five books of the law. They denied the resurrection of the dead, life after death, angels and demons. Yet, here they are questioning Jesus about marriage after death. This still happens today. People who deny Christianity come and ask questions based on the truth of Christianity or they start arguments about the meaning of the Bible when they deny that it is God's word.  But what is the real question here? Not whose wife someone is in heaven, but the fundamental question---is there life after death? Is there a resurrection? This is a key question, for if there is no life after death, then this world is all there is. Think about that for a moment. This is as good as it gets. The good will never really be rewarded and the evil will never really be punished. 

Jesus addresses this issue to the Sadducees by referring to Moses and the Patriarchs. He tells these men that the books of the Bible they claim to believe all speak to the resurrection. Maybe the most important thing Jesus says is that God is God of the living. We were dead in sin, but are now alive in Christ. God is a living God and He is the God of the living. Apparently this was a question in many of the churches after Christ's resurrection. Look at Paul's writing in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. If there is no resurrection, then Jesus was not raised. If that is the case, our faith is in vain and worthless because our faith is in someone who is dead. 

Praise God! Jesus was raised from the dead and lives eternally and reigns forever. And because that is true, we who are in Christ will be raised from the dead to dwell with Him forever. Jesus wanted the disciples to know that there is a resurrection before He went to the cross. Maybe they forgot until the tomb was empty. But we know He lives!. 

Blessings
Larry

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