MONDAY 21ST MAY, 2018 MORNING PRAYER DEVOTION
SCRIPTURE READING:- ACTS 23:1-11
TOPIC:– ALL SADDUCEES MUST BE SILENCED
TEXT:- ACTS 23:8
Sadducees are Jewish group mentioned in Mark 12:18; Luke 20:27; Acts 23:6-8. They always appear as inquisitors or opponents of John the Baptist, Jesus, or the early Christians.
The Sadducees comprised the ruling class of Israel. The Sadducees, during the time of Christ and the New Testament era, the Sadducees were aristocrats.
They tended to be wealthy and held powerful positions, including that of chief priests and high priest, and they held the majority of the 70 seats of the ruling council called the Sanhedrin.
They worked hard to keep the peace by agreeing with the decisions of Rome [Israel at this time was under Roman control], and they seemed to be more concerned with politics than religion.
Because they were accommodating to Rome and were the wealthy upper class, they did not relate well to the common man, nor did the common man hold them in high opinion. The common man related better to those who belonged to the party of the Pharisees.
Though the Sadducees held the majority of seats in the Sanhedrin, history indicates that much of the time they had to go along with the ideas of the Pharisaic minority.
The Sadducean’s Beliefs And Doctrines That Contradict Scriptures:
1. They believed that God controlled all things, yet decisions made by individuals also contributed to the course of a person’s life.
2. They were extremely self-sufficient to the point of denying God’s involvement in everyday life.
3. They don’t believed in the resurrection of the dead, they denied any resurrection of the dead, Matthew 22:23; Mark 12:18-27; Acts 23:6-8.
4. They don’t believed in an afterlife, with appropriate reward and punishment on an individual basis, holding that, the soul perished at death, and therefore denying any penalty or reward after the earthly life, Acts 23:7.
5. They don’t believed in the existence of angels and demons, they denied the existence of a spiritual world, i.e., angels and demons, Acts 23:8-9.
6. The Sadducees were more concerned with politics than religion, they were unconcerned with Jesus until they became afraid He might bring unwanted Roman attention. It was at this point that the Sadducees and Pharisees united and conspired to put Christ to death, John 11:48-50.
7. The Sadducees earned numerous rebukes from Jesus. Pharisees were rivals of the Sadducees, they managed to set aside their differences on one occasion, during the trial of Christ. It was at this point that the Sadducees and Pharisees united to put Christ to death, Mark 14:53; 15:1.
8. Religiously, the Sadducees were more conservative in one main area of doctrine. The Sadducees considered only the written Word to be from God. The Sadducees preserved the authority of the written Word of God, especially the books of Moses [Genesis through Deuteronomy]. While they could be commended for this, they definitely were not perfect in their doctrinal views.
Perhaps the best lesson we can learn from the Sadducees is to not be like them. We are to believe everything the Bible says, including the miraculous and the afterlife.
Prayer Points:-
1. I silence all the spirit of Sadducees in my life now by fire, in the name of Jesus Christ.
2. O Lord God, give me grace not to walk against You, in the name of Jesus Christ.
3. The resurrection power of God, do the impossible in my life, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Have A Beautiful Monday!
