Sunday Message - Today Jesus 125

23/09/07
<Luke 20:27-40>

GOD IS NOT GOD OF THE DEAD, BUT GOD OF THE LIVING

• We know God not because of a routine or merely an ideology. God has never given us a religious
belief. Our belief is alive
• The Immanuel that God has given us is; He is with us now
• We need not put in a lot of effort or be very diligent in doing something. The most important thing
for us is to discover God’s perfect will, and know that God loves our family members whenever we
see them
• We should not live separately from God’s perfect will. We ought to obey His perfect will
• If we are able to see that there’s an answer in God for all our problems, we shouldn’t continue to
doubt God or remain weak
• We shouldn’t touch what God has never ask us to touch
• It is relatively easy for believers to worship God, offer their money or serve in their ministries
diligently. However, they always couldn’t see God or obey God
• What God really want from us is that we are able to see that He is with us now and that we will
submit to the Holy Spirit’s guidance
• A person’s physical conditions and situations remain after he is born again. The difference is that
the Holy Spirit has come upon us
• There’s a spiritual and a physical forces battling in us
• We are delighted in a lot of things. However, if we continue to dwell upon those things that are not
related to God’s eternal kingdom or perfect will, we will be disciplined
• Perhaps such people realized their mistakes one day. However, they may go into the other
extreme and speak nothing but spiritual matters. When that happened, their words will only irritate
others
• However, as they know Jesus Christ better, their lives can get connected to God and the spiritual
realms
• The things done by God are very normal. Jesus Christ was both a normal human being and a
perfect God
• The struggles in our lives come about when the spiritual matters couldn’t reconcile with the
physical ones. There are also signs of such struggles in churches today
• The worldly people in the temples wanted to test Jesus Christ by using practical matters. They’d
twisted God’s truth
• Believers will know God’s desire when the church’s teachings are incorrect
• We saw how the Herodians had wanted to trap Jesus Christ with financial matters. However, the
Lord did not walk into their trap
• Today, the Sadducees had wanted to trap Jesus Chris using marital matters. They did not know
that Jesus Christ was actually the Lord of martial
• As we continue to read <Matthew>; we know that Jesus Christ announced the “7 woes” when
those people continue to test / trap Him

Read <Luke 20:27-40>

1. The Sadducees used the matter of “a man must marry his brother’s widow” to test Jesus Christ. It
shows that they are both carnal and realists, who are living in doubts and ironies
• Sadducees do not believe in spiritual matters. They are realists who only look at reality
• Their lives are full of ironies. They do not believe in matters after death. Thus, there’s no
meaning for their lives at all
1) Do not believe in “heaven, angels, resurrection, etc.” Thus, they always learning, but never
understanding <v.27>
- God has created two worlds: heaven and earth <Gen 1:1>, one is visible, but the other is
not. Everything was created by Jesus Christ, for Jesus Christ and established by Jesus
Christ <Gal 1:15-18>. Everything in heaven and on earth will be reconciled in Jesus
Christ when the time is up <Eph 1:10>. It means the Sadducees did not know about the
unseen world or Jesus Christ
- God’s world is based on the spiritual world. Therefore, carnal people will never be able to
understand the true meaning of God’s world <2Cor 2:8; 2Timothy 3:7>
- Whoever does not understand the “fundamental problems and the seed of the woman,
Jesus Christ” written in <Gen 3> will never be able to understand the “content of the
Bible, the spiritual / soul / mind of people, and the relationship between the world and
history” <Col 2:2-3>
• God already told us that there’s heavenly kingdom, when He first created the world
• <Genesis 1; Col 1:15-17>
• The Sadducees has never believed in the heavenly kingdom. If that’s the case, to whom
are they praying for? They did it just for others to see
• The truth will always be the truth. The truth will not disappear even if people disbelieve or
deny it
• The heavenly kingdom is with us 24hrs a day
• How can a person who doesn’t believe in God’s truth be able to understand God’s word?
• Since the beginning of <Genesis>, it tells us that there’s a spiritual realm. If we are not
able to understand the truth of <Gen 3>, we will not be able to understand the whole
Bible at all. In other words, it means we will not be able to understand the Bible if we do
not first understand spiritual realms
• A person who doesn’t understand God’s word will interpret the verse “Give to Caesar
what is Caesar and to God what is God” as “do not mix up physical things with religious
belief”. This explanation is incorrect
• Why is it that we will interpret God’s word differently even though we’d listened to the
same source? This has something to do with Satan
• It was mentioned in <Gen 4> that there are two types of people in this world. One is just
like the Sadducees, who are realists. They thought that God are pleased only by physical
offering. Cain was such a person. That was why he offered the crops to God simply
• On the other hand, Abel understood <Gen 3>, knew God’s perfect will and the Holy Spirit
when he gave his offering to God
• Although what both Abel & Cain had offered are physical things, God was really looking at
their hearts when they did the offering. Thus, God was pleased with Abel’s offering
• We might have memorized a lot of Bible verses in the past but if we do not understand
spiritual truth, the verses we’d memorized would not become our strength or set us free
• How can we put on the full armor of God and fight the spiritual battle if we do not
understand spiritual truths?

2) Therefore, they do not understand the perfect will of God for arranging “if a man dies without
having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him” <v28-33>
- Reference: <Deu 25:5-10>, <Ruth 2-4> the story between Ruth and Boaz, the kinsman-
redeemer
- God’s desire is not about a person “marrying his brother’s widow”, but on “having children
for his brother”. It means God’s emphasize is not about the “natural children” a person
 must have. Rather, it is all about “having eternal inheritance through the son of promise”
<Romans 9:8>
• The Sadducees do not understand the spiritual truths behind <Genesis 3>
• The Sadducees wanted to test Jesus Christ with martial matters. They did not know that
though Jesus Christ came from Heaven, He had never violated any of the worldly laws
• The matter about the Sadducees testing Jesus Christ was already written in <Deu 25>
• God might remove a person from earth if he continues to be weak, sinned and yet did not
seek God. God’s emphasize is whether, or not, that person has received the eternal
inheritance
• Therefore, if an Israelite man died without having children, his brother must have children
with that man’s widow. The children will belong to the dead person and not his brother
• The Israelites were all assigned their lands after they’d left Egypt and entered Canaan.
Everything that belongs to us will remain our children and ours. Some of the Israelites
might sell off everything, including themselves (to become slaves). However, God said
that on the Year of Jubilee, everyone could redeem everything. That was the meaning of
why a person must married his brother’s widow and have children for him
• God’s purpose is this: the inheritance He gave us, belongs to us forever
• We should read <Gen 38>, which records the events of Judah and Tamar
• God wanted to use the children of Judah to have Jesus Christ. After Tamar’s husband
(Er) dead, Er’s brother (Onan) refused to have children with her. Therefore, Onan made a
fool out of Tamar, which was wicked in God’s sight; so God put him to death
• Worrying that his youngest son, Shelah, would also be dead because of Tamar, Judah
lied to Tamah. Since God wanted Jesus Christ to come through the family line of Judah,
He allowed Judah’s wife to die. In the end, Tamah had her children through Judah
• After knowing the truth, Judah said, “she is more righteous than I”. It means to say Tamah
understood the spiritual truth more than him
• The story of Ruth was recorded in the book of <Ruth>. Ruth understood the spiritual
matters. She refused to leave her mother-in-law, Naomi after her husband has died. In
the end, she got together with Boaz
• The most important verse in <Ruth> is “the kinsman-redeemer”
• Boaz and Ruth became the forefathers of Jesus Christ after they got married
• And now, the Sadducees seemed to be making a joke out of the martial matters, which
God had placed much emphasis. Thus, they use the martial issue to test Jesus Christ
• Jesus Christ told them, “at the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in
marriage”
• We must be able to see the eternal inheritance and judge everything basing on it
• Some people do not care about the eternal inheritance at all. Their focus is only on the
current and realistic things. They are already under a curse

3) Due to the ignorant of “truths in the spiritual world”, not only were they unable to enjoy
spiritual blessings, they always find themselves in powerless and futile situations
- Without knowing the “spiritual world”, “scientific, logical and humanism” ideologies will
have their limitations and contradictions
- Carnal Christians will have contradictions and struggles between their beliefs and reality
- People who serve in ministries, without first knowing the “spiritual mysteries” is like “the
blind leading the blind”. This will creates serious problems
• A lot of famous people throughout history, who do not know God, were under curses.
They have a lot of problems other than mental illness. They led a very chaotic lifestyle
• Stars and idols in the entertainment circles have a lot of problems and sufferings
 • We will live in agony if we keep seeking love from people without first seeing God’s love
• People who do not know about spiritual things and God but are very diligent in their work
will have mental problems
• A lot of famous psychologist spent their whole lives helping mental patients and end up
having the problems of those mental patients happening in their own homes
• A lot of believers know that there’s a God. However, when they do not really understand
the spiritual truths, they always live in agony. The more they serve in ministries, they more
contradictions, struggles, disheartenment and frustrations they will face
• How could a person who doesn’t know about spiritual truths able to cast out the evil spirit
from another person’s life?
• We should all become people who fully understand spiritual truths. God is always with us.
We must do all things with the perspective that God is with us
• Our family will only be blissful when we lead them with the perspective that God is with us

2. Jesus Christ replied, “God is not God of the dead, but God of the living”
• What this verse means is that there’s a meaning for everything done by the living people
1) God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob… everyone who is in God, is alive <37-38>
- Abraham wasn’t just living on Earth for some 4000yrs ago for about 175yrs. He is still
living among the living right now. Thus, “God of Abraham” means that God wasn’t just the
God of Abraham who has lived 4000yrs ago”; He is still the God of Abraham today
- Lord Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even
though he dies” <John 11:25-26>. All God’s people called to receive salvation will never
die. They surround us today like “a great cloud of witnesses” <Hebrews 12:1>
• Everyone who is in God remains alive. Some are living physically while others are alive in
spirit
• We just need to believe once to live eternally <John 11:25-26>
• In this world, there exist both living and dead people, and each of them has their own
roles and work
• Those who living through Jesus Christ inherit the work from those who used to live
• Our work will not be remembered if what we did wasn’t done in the fellowship of the living
• What we are doing today is the ministry for the living. Do not return to heaven only to find
that everything we’ve done wasn’t remembered at all
• Abraham & Moses; God’s covenant for them and their testimonies must become the
foundation of our hope in God
• Moses must cross the Red Sea. We must also cross the Red Sea if we are being lead by
the God of Moses, who is also the God of the living. We must cross the Red Sea, go
through the wilderness and set our foot in Jordon River

2) Therefore, “things of heaven and of earth”, “things of the past, present and future” must all be
linked up together. Only those “alive” are able to inherit from those who are used to be “alive”,
and able to understand “how kingdom comes upon us / how to enjoy the spiritual authority
and power”. And also able to “save, heal and nurture people”, so as to increase the spiritual
crown daily and to pass the task on to future generations.
- Since the creation of the world, all God’s works has goal, emphasis, and sequence. His
work has never ceased and there’s a correlation between the front and end tasks
- After Jesus had finished His work on earth, He ascended into Heaven. When the day of
Pentecost came, the Holy Spirit comes upon “120 disciples” and God’s Gospelisation
work began in Jerusalem. The work continues until now, and it will be expanded till to the
ends of the earth, to all Nations. Today, the spiritual people continue to inherit this
spiritual mission from the spiritual people of the past, enjoy the spiritual blessings in
saving, healing and nurturing people, and continue building God’s eternal kingdom
 • The work that God started since the creation of the world has never been changed
• There is a group of people who talks about nothing but on spiritual mysteries and spiritual
things. They are so into mysticism that they isolate themselves from reality
• The messages that they experienced are not related to their lives in reality. The spiritual
experiences that they always wanted are very subjective. Their experiences are not
related to evangelism and rising disciples at all
• Believers who are into mysticism will only cause troubles for those who really understand
God and the spiritual truths
• How can we relate spirituality with reality? The most accurate standard come from
studying everything that Jesus Christ has done

3) Spiritual mystery is not about those knowledge and experiences that have neither foundation
nor practicality, in which the mysticism followers are after. The only way that can make a dead
person resurrect or to change a worldly person to a spiritual person is through “Jesus Christ”
* What it means by mysticism? It is the desire for mysterious experiences that are not
related to practical life (i.e. impracticality)
* Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, etc became “alive” because they’d believed in
Jesus Christ. However, what they had seen was only the “shadow of Jesus Christ”. What
we see now is the “body of Jesus Christ”
① We can only see “how God is living in us” through the display (life) of Jesus Christ
• Jesus Christ’s life and background is similar to ours. What He experienced in the
development process is what we would also experience

② It is only through the revelation of Jesus Christ, that we can understand the invisible
world, the spiritual mystery and things of the future
• Only Jesus Christ came from the heavens. Therefore, only Jesus Christ is able to tell
us the situation of the spiritual world
• When we see the things Jesus Christ did, we will know the spiritual truth
• In our daily life, we can see angels working for us

③ Through the teachings of Jesus Christ (truth), we can therefore know God’s perfect will,
hear His voice and see His works
• Jesus Christ’s teachings are not apart from the practical world
• Jesus Christ is not a philosopher. He wants us to know that when we live, how we
can live by the truth

④ By the precious blood of Jesus Christ (substituted death), we can therefore be sure that
“God is love, we are His beloved children and also Christ’s body”
• Jesus Christ died for us. Jesus Christ is great, unlimited love. His death is for us. If
we truly know Jesus Christ’s love, we will not be easily deceived by Satan
• The more we are able to see that we are honorable, the more we want to be
sanctified
• The love we have received is not cheap love, but one that is very valuable

⑤ Through Jesus Christ’s entrustment (covenant), we are therefore able to examine “God’s
plan for me in my conditions”
• Jesus Christ entrusted us with the 4 Gospelisation
• Therefore, our lives exist for the 4 Gospelization. Only those who understand this
truth will not depart from the spiritual and practical matters
 ⑥ Through Jesus Christ’s presence with us (Holy Spirit), we are therefore able to
communicate with God and obtain authority and strength, and be able to serve God
• <Romans 8> tells us, Jesus Christ is seated on the heavenly throne, the Spirit
himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express
• This will revive our spirits. Therefore we are able to accept <Romans 8:28>, obtain
courage and faith

⑦ Through Jesus Christ’s prophecy (future), we are able to know our tomorrow and
eternality
• Through the prophecy of Jesus Christ, the numbers to be reached will be filled.
Thereafter, the heavenly kingdom will come; we will resurrect and receive our crowns
• Only through Jesus Christ, we can put together the practical and spiritual matters

* Only in Jesus Christ are we able to obtain “a faith with foundation” and “connect the
spiritual world with the practical world”
* Only in Jesus Christ are we able to understand God’s perfect will in “marriage, bringing
up our children and all things”

3. Through “practical life”, we receive “inheritance and crowns from the eternal kingdom” daily
• The reason why we live today is to receive our eternal crowns
• Actually, we live forever. Our 70-80 years of life is like living on a stage
1) In heaven, there are no such things as “marriage” and spousal living” as on earth. These are
all for “eternal inheritance”
- God said, “But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the
resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no
longer die” <34-36>
- Generation after generation, all the blessed “people who have life”, are all in heaven, so
when “the number of those who are to be saved is filled”, there is no need for “marriage,
bringing up children, increase the number of people”: Every believer will receive a new
and resurrected body, become the bride of the Lamb (Spiritual meaning) <Rev 19:7-10>:
Every believer will receive his crown from his fruits in his lifetime, become a king like
Christ and also do eternal new things (mystery of all mysteries)
• Why is there no need for marriage in heaven? This is because in heaven, all the people
have already been attained (the number of those who are to be saved has been filled).
God’s will has been fulfilled
• Our joy in heaven is greater than the joy and blissfulness of a marriage life
• God continues to fulfill His plans through the relationship between couples

2) However, God did not ask us to “just care about spiritual things” but ask us to restore the
union of “practical with the spiritual” and “today with eternal”
- Those “eternal, heavenly, spiritual” matters are hidden in “spousal living, bringing up
children and practical live” on earth
• We must know why God asks us to get married. When we meet some problems while
serving God, we need someone beside us to listen to us, to care for us. Through what our
partners do for us, we are able to restore strength to pray, restore our courage. After
restoring our joy, we are able to share with them our joy
• This is love that is deep, there is eternal meaning in this love
• For those who do not know the truth about marriage, even when they are 40 years old,
their courtship is very childish
• There is true love only in God’s kingdom
3) How to link “practical with spiritual”
① First, we must restore our lifelong goal in our “practical life”
- Set our lifelong goal (Glorify God, benefit people, build His kingdom, 4 Gospelisation)
- By the lifetime goal, examine all my individual conditions, relationships, all things.
Seek out God’s perfect and eternal will
• We must restore the goal of a person with “life”: glorify God, benefit people, build His
kingdom, restore the 4 Gospelisation
• When we pursue these everyday, the people beside us will be blessed. When we do
things, we will have strength
• Those who live by this goal are the most honourable. They are living on the stage
among many stages
• This comes after Adam, the systematic goal of a person who has “life”
• We are able to differentiate things that are spiritual and carnal after this goal has
become our foundation

② Grasp the spiritual meaning of the “practical world” (In other words, in all things,
differentiate things that are spiritual and carnal)
- “A spiritual person sees through all things”: Must learn: “the spiritual meaning in all
things”, “how to use the spiritual perspective to judge everything”
• Many believers think that those who are successful are those that God blesses. This
way of thinking is incorrect because Satan uses the success of this world to deceive
people
• We must view and judge using one life-long goal
• In everyone’s eyes, the Sadducees were good in every aspect. Everyone respected
them. However, in God’s eyes, they were the worst
• Many people who see King David feel that he is not like a King. However, in God’s
eyes, David is the most adorable
• It does not mean that those who attend meetings 7 days a week are spiritual
• We must really know how to differentiate between things that are spiritual and carnal

③ Sustain “spiritual strength” to go through “practical life” (In other words, Submit by relying
on the Holy Spirit! This is the last step towards wonderful fruits)
- Must grasp: God said, “But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the
Kingdom of God has come upon you” <Matthew 12:28>; Paul said, “I can do
everything through him who gives me strength” <Philippians 4:13>; the mystery of
“pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” <Eph 6:18>
• We must “sign”. This is to set apart by relying on the Holy Spirit
• If we did not do so in the end, it is equivalent to nothing. It is like a cheque with
everything filled up but it is not signed
• Why is it that every time when we listen to messages in church, we are able to
receive answer, strength and perspective but once we leave church, we cannot do
so?
• The water in Jordon River will only flow backwards when we step into the water
• Some people say, we know but we cannot do it. It is not about we having to so. We
have to rely on the Holy Spirit
• We must be well-prepared, and live by obtaining God’s perfect will. When we prepare
our hearts to meet problems, this is relying on the Holy Spirit, and by doing so, we are
already victorious
 • If we do not rely on the Holy Spirit to be victorious, Satan can cause us to fall in a
flash
• E.g. When my relationship with my wife is not too good, we will quarrel over very
small matters. At such times, I must see that my wife is given to me by God. We are
all very weak and therefore need God. When we have the heart to ponder this way,
we will not quarrel with our wife
• We must raise the victory flag in Jesus Christ. In all things, we must rely on the Holy
Spirit for guidance

4) To be able to see more and more the “the practical world” and “spiritual world” as one
- The examples of Abraham, Jacob, Peter, Mark, my past testimonies and forecast of the
future
Sharing and Prayer Topics
1. The Sadducees did not believe in things about “the heavenly kingdom, the angels and the
resurrection” and probed Jesus Christ: Currently, what is the extent to which I can grasp
the spiritual mystery and enjoy the spiritual blessings and strength? Seek out the ironies
and contradiction in our life and ministry
2. Jesus Christ is able to ask the dead to resurrect, the only channel to ask a carnal person to
become spiritual: Have I grasped the correct meaning of the “spiritual person”? Am I able
to differentiate “mysticism” and “spiritual living”? How do I understand the mystery of
Jesus Christ so as to become a spiritual person?
3. The most ideal spiritual person is one who is able to link “faith with the practical” and
“today with the future”: Diagnose what is the extent to which I have restored this? By
holding on to “the main living contents that is repeating daily”, seek out my ultimate goals
and spiritual meaning, and also ponder on how to sustain my spiritual strength