The Source Of All Our Troubles

 

 

"All errors arise from not knowing the Scriptures and the power of God." - Matthew Henry

 

"Ignorance is the cause of error; those who are in the dark, miss their way."

"The patrons of error do therefore resist the light, and do what they can to take away the key of knowledge."

"The ignorance, disbelief, or weak belief, of God's power, is at the bottom of many errors, particularly theirs who deny the resurrection."

 

- all of the above quotes are from the Matthew Henry Commentary

 

In Matthew 22:29, the Lord Jesus said flat-out to the Sadducees - "...Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God."

 

He said this in response to their blatant ignorance and refusal to "rightly divide the Word of Truth"(2 Timothy 2:15) concerning the Resurrection and the miraculous power of God to effect it. 

 

The Scriptures definitely assert both positions and beliefs.

 

The following Scriptures are proof that there is a resurrection of the body promised in the Bible -

 

Job 19:25-27 says - "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and  not another; though my reins be consumed within me."

 

Psalm 16:9-11 says - "Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt Thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand are pleasures forevermore."

 

 Psalm 17:15 says - "As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness."

 

Isaiah 26:19 says - "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead."

 

Isaiah 57:1-2 says - "The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness."

 

Daniel 12:2-3 says - "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever."

 

Hosea 13:14 says - "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes."

 

The following Scriptures are proof that God is able to gather the scattered dust of the dead and remould it into a glorified body -

 

Genesis 18:14 says - "Is any thing too hard for the LORD?..."

 

Jeremiah 32:17 says - "Ah Lord God! behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for Thee."

 

Luke 1:37 says - "For with God nothing shall be impossible."

 

Acts 26:8 says - "Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?"

 

Philippians 3:21 says - "Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself."

 

The Sadducees were not your average Jew. They were among the leadership of Israel. They were noted for their love of debate, yet here we see them in error - deceived by their impure passions...taking a wrong view of the doctrine of the resurrection...and not accepting or understanding the Old Testament texts concerning the power of God. They approved of the Scriptures and read them, yet they really didn't understand them - falling into gross errors and sad mistakes.

 

We cannot help but wonder - just how many times have we found ourselves in the same situation as the Sadducees - receiving the rebuke of the Lord - "...Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God" ? Just how many times have we been mistaken...erred...drifted off course...or underestimated the power of God to do the miraculous on our behalf?

 

We may have even gotten angry with God over an issue - only to realize in the end that we had taken a wrong view of things and limited the Holy One of Israel. Our own ignorance caused us so much heartache and trouble.

 

We cannot help but ask ourselves - How many errors flow from the same source? How many times do we err simply because we don't take the time to examine the Scriptures for ourselves and realize the power of God to change any situation that we face?

 

It is obvious to us that the Sadducees were in error. The evidence is there right before our eyes.

 

But what about your life's problems? You may not be denying the resurrection per se. On the contrary, you may be unknowingly denying that God is able to change your life or that of a loved one...bring life out of a "dead" situation...or victory where there is defeat.

 

Never forget - the spring and source of all our troubles is found in today's text - "...Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God."

 

You have a choice - you can study God's Word until you find your answer - and, believe me, you will find it in the pages of the Bible - or else you can remain ignorant like the Sadducees and be on the "outs" with God. 

 

It's your decision!