Scripture Passage
Sermon Text
Levirate Marriage
This passage is very little strange. It is not easy to logically follow the argument and I don’t think Jesus is really arguing for the resurrection. There are two big groups, in Jewish culture. One is Pharisees. The other said disease and Sarah say, did not believe in the resurrection and they only took five books of Moses as their scripture and so they came to Jesus, challenging Jesus belief about the resurrection, and they gave us, gave him this a ridiculous example, but it’s not really a ridiculous example. It is in Deuteronomy is called Levirate marriage. At that time women could not survive on their own. So if they, the eldest brother, has a wife and pass away earlier without a child, if there’s a child, a child who will take care of the mother, but if the child is not around that, the second brother has to take the wife of his elder brother. So he’s saying the seven brothers, and they’re all married. This woman whose wife, is she in the resurrection kind of ridiculous kind of scene and even for you to say in a Deuteronomy, we’ll never practice that William.
What does it mean to be alive?
I mean, just because he’s in the bible, we won’t do that, but that is kind of context and Jesus is not really giving a logical argument, about, resurrections, simply Jesus saying, Moses said, God is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and God of Jacob and also God is God of the living. Therefore the God is, and Abraham is alive and Isaac is alive and Jacob is alive. It’s kind of not convincing argument, but what Jesus is really saying is strong, he proclaims the God is God of the living. That’s what he’s saying without really going through large argument, he cleans that God is God of the living and for those of us who have, the God of the living are alive and with you today, I like to reflect on what does it mean to be alive? What does it mean to be alive? Being alive does not mean that simply you have a breath or a brain wave. Being alive is not a medical definition or medical condition to Jesus. Being alive is not medical. It was not a medical condition.
Existence is being alive
Being alive is about our existence. The quality of your existence, the kind of existence you have been alive. It is a statement about our existence and what kind of stimulus there. I believe that that statement being alive, I’m alive. Meaning nothing in the world can destroy me. Nothing in the world can destroy it. That’s what it will be a proclaim. When we say that I’m alive. What we are saying is nothing in the world can destroy me. I’m alive. I will not die. Jesus said this. “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die will live and everyone could live and believes in me will never die.” That’s Jesus’ statement. If you believe, while you’re alive, you will live. And then even if you die, you will live. Doesn’t matter what condition you may be physically, but you will live.
Love of God that is inseparable
That’s what you just saying, because you are alive because you’re alive. You will live. Even if you die, you will live. That’s what Jesus is saying and st. Paul said this for, I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ. Jesus, even death cannot separate us from the love of God. So being alive mean means that we are connected to the love of God and nothing can separate us from that love of God that you’re connected to. That’s what it means to be alive, to be alive. Does not mean that you just have breath being alive is you’re deeply connected to that love of God, which is inseparable.
Being alive is connected with eternity
Not because we have breath, we are alive, but because God’s love enlivens us that we are alive. Jesus said what is said in today’s passage in the same line of thinking. He said, indeed, they cannot die anymore. That’s a pole statement. Indeed. They cannot die anymore for him. To God. All of them are alive. Jesus continuously proclaiming that nothing in the world can destroy me though. Death can eat up our being alive because being alive is stronger than death. Being alive is not a temporary condition that we have until death comes to us. Being alive is connected with eternity. That’s what being alive is you are connected with eternity. Death cannot do away with our being alive. Being alive basically means death cannot take power over you. When death cannot have power over you. What happens to us when that is a fact, when there’s when that is a truth, death cannot have power over you. When that is the fact what happens, what happens to you in a real way, in a concrete way. That’s my second point.
Being alive means being free
When death cannot take power over you, you become free. The person whose death cannot take power over them. They’re all experienced this freedom free. From what free from fear. Death creates fear within us. Love casts out fear from us. So when we have that, when we are alive, we become free. No. When I look around, I realized that many, many people, they live with fear because they let death take power over them. It is sad how we are so controlled and manipulated by the fear of death. Didn’t live out. This fear. They constantly ask what if, what if I fail? What if I do not make it? What if people don’t like me? What if I’m seriously ill? What if my children don’t turn out? Well, what if I lose my job? What if there is nothing after I die? They’re constantly asked this question. What if? And they live out? What if so many people live out fear every day, fear, completely controls everything in their lives. It is sad why we let the fear control us so much like that being alive means you’re free from that fear. Death cannot take power over us and that’s why we become free. Free from anxiety, free from fear, free from greed, free from death. Being alive does not mean you have breath. It is much more than that. Being alive means you are completely free. You know, Saint Paul, he was a very zealous man. He was not corrupt in man. He was doing lot of things for God and he was really diligently live for himself. He was doing good works. Every moment. He lived his full potential. He tried to live his full potential, but when he met Christ, he realized this death had dominion over him. When you read through Romans, you can see, he didn’t realize until he met Christ. He led death and he let fear take over his life. Only when he found freedom in Christ, he realized how enslaved he was, unless you really experience freedom. You cannot experience, how enslaved you are.
Power of Vitality
Don’t let fear paralyze, You don’t let fear paralyze you, don’t let fear have dominion over your life. That’s not how we’re supposed to live. We’re supposed to live as being alive rather than living out the fear. What if that freedom, when you experience freedom, somehow their freedom gives the power to you. These are concrete things. Yeah. That freedom gives you the power. What power that is. My third, third is my third point. That power is the vitality, vitality. The power of being alive, power of life that this power comes from within you like a bubbles. When you experience freedom, that power, the vitality, it arises from within like bubbles. This vitality helps us penetrate through the messy life that we experience every day. This vitality, this power helps us penetrate through the problems and darkness that we experienced every day, that vitality is accessible and available to us. Now, this vitality is different from the passion or ambition, personal ambition. This vitality is filled with love and joy. When we have this vitality, we are full of love, joy overflows. It is different, very different from the passion that comes from greed and ambition. Being alive is God’s gift.
God gave us this gift. So then we live our lives. Meaningfully God gave us this gift so that we can persevere and overcome challenges of life. God is the God of the living, not of the dead. When we are connected with God, we will become alive. God is the God of Abraham. The God of Isaac, the God of Jacob and our God. Abraham is alive. Isaac is alive. Jacob is alive and we are alive. Live your life fully being alive. You’ll enjoy the true gift of life in your life.
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