The Christian Ambition
Matthew 20:17-28
April 29, 2012

This morning we come across a very interesting story.
That infamous story of a mother who was willing to do anything
To make sure her boys got what they deserved.

And yet at the same time it must have been one of the most painful teaching moments that Jesus ever had to endure.

• His life was all about sacrifice, And here we are approached by someone whose life is all about gain.

• He left it all, and now He is being followed by leaches who only want to get it all.

• No sooner did He vacate the throne than these two want to jump into it.

2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”

He is without a doubt the most giving man the world has ever seen
And yet He is followed by some who appear to be the most greedy.

Jesus just gave a sermon in the earlier parts of the chapter in which He said, “So the last shall be first, and the first last.”

And instantly James and John run up to make sure they aren’t last.
It’s like the sermon went in one ear and out the other,
And that must have been extremely frustrating for Jesus.

What we see here is the presence of ambition.

Now, in our world today ambition is roundly considered a good thing.
• We equate it with drive and motivation.
• We think to lack ambition is to be lazy or apathetic.

Indeed, there is nothing wrong with being motivated,
And certainly the Bible does not promote laziness.

It is just that the focus of our ambition matters.

There are examples of good ambition in Scripture.
2 Corinthians 5:9 “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.”

According to Paul a believer should be ambitious,
They should be motivated to live in a way that pleases God.

That is good ambition.

1 Thessalonians 4:9-11 “Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you,”

There Paul spoke of ambition that also sets out to love your brother.

And yet Scripture is also clear that ambition can be a very bad thing,
Especially if it is selfish ambition.

James 3:13-16 “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.”

James said if you have that kind of ambition that promotes self
And magnifies self and tries to please self and make self comfortable…

If you have selfish ambition did you hear what James said?
• At the very least that is “earthly”, meaning it is a worldly trait.
• Beyond that it is “natural”, meaning a desire of the flesh, not the Spirit.
• But even worse it is “demonic”, meaning it is evidence of Satan in your life.

Now pay attention to what James said.
When you set out in life to climb the ladder and make a name for yourself
That is exactly the opposite of Godliness.

That is worldly, that is selfish, that is demonic.

1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”

No wonder our world thinks ambition is a good thing.
This world lies in the power of the evil one.

We, however, are called to think biblically not worldly
And reject what is evil and cling to what is good.
And selfish ambition is definitely not good.

The tragedy is that it shows up from time to time even in church,
It most certainly did among the twelve.

But in reality, it didn’t just start here, it had been here all along.

When did it start?
Matthew 4:18-22 “Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.”

And you could immediately say, “No way” you can’t call that ambition.
Those guys were following Jesus, how can you call that ambition.

You can’t, if it weren’t for future conversations.

See we wouldn’t even know why they followed Jesus,
Until that fateful day when their ambition was challenged.

Remember this day?
Matthew 16:21-24 “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

Why did Peter pull Jesus aside?
He didn’t like where Jesus was headed.

But I thought Peter was just a follower?
Obviously not, Peter was focused on his own interests.

Don’t believe me?

Remember when their ambition popped up again?
Matthew 18:1-3 “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

It sounds like they’ve embraced the suffering of Christ there doesn’t it?
Absolutely not!

And that isn’t the last time.

How about when the rich young ruler left?
Matthew 19:27 “Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”

Can we think of a more selfish question?
That is selfish ambition at its very core.

It is clear that these guys were following out of selfish motives.
They wanted the kingdom.
That is why even though Jesus has three times told them
About His inevitable suffering, they still have failed to get it.

• They didn’t hear it because they wouldn’t hear it.
• They had an agenda…
• They had ambition…

And this morning those ambitions reach an all-time high.

But you see it is even possible to sign up to follow Jesus
And do so for selfish reasons,
And that issue comes to a head in our text this morning.

3 things
#1 THE CHRIST’S AMBITION: SUFFERING
Matthew 20:17-19

Before we can talk about the ambition of a Christian we most certainly have to spend some time talking about the ambition of the Christ.

And with Jesus it is extremely clear.
He came to die.

We find here in these verses something that is not new information.
“As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them…”

It is likely they are in a caravan headed up to Jerusalem for Passover,
But Jesus pulls the twelve aside.

It may have even been that they thought He was pulling them aside
To go somewhere else, (for they knew it was dangerous for Him),

You remember in John 11 when Jesus had let Lazarus die
And then decided to go to him.

John 11:7-8 “Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?”

But He pulls them aside to confirm His plans.

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem;”
They all knew that this was not a wise move on Jesus’ part.
This was a dangerous move, and yet Jesus says we are going.

What is even more startling is that
He knows exactly what will happen to Him there.

This isn’t just the threat of danger, it is the certainty of death.
“the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.”

Now this is the fourth time He has revealed His coming death.
But this is the first time He has mentioned His crucifixion.

He is going to die, and it won’t be by lethal injection.
He is going to die the most cruel death ever devised.
And yet He says, “we are going”.

That is ambition, but it is not selfish ambition.

It was His ambition to please the Father
And to accomplish His will.

John 12:27-28 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

That is tremendous focus.
He was going to the cross.

And when you think about His life He always had this ambition.
• Satan couldn’t deceive Him out of it.
• The Jews couldn’t discourage Him away from it.
• Peter couldn’t deter Him from it.

Jesus came for the purpose of suffering, and He was focused on it.

Philippians 2:5-8 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

And that was the ambition of the Christ.
It wasn’t about self-promotion
It wasn’t about climbing the ladder
It wasn’t about getting what was best for Him

The Christ’s Motivation: Suffering
#2 THE CARNAL MOTIVATION: SELF
Matthew 20:20-24

Just as it is important to get a picture of Christ’s motivation,
It is also important to get an understanding of carnal motivation,
And we get a doozy of a picture here.

After Jesus made that 4th prediction, Luke’s gospel says this:
Luke 18:34 “But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said.”
One could ask what Luke meant,
But all you have to do is read these 5 verses.

• Jesus has taught them about denying themselves and following Him.
• Jesus has taught them about humbling themselves as a child.
• Jesus has taught them about becoming last so they can be first.
And it is obvious the disciples heard none of it.

Now obviously this is a selfish motivation we have
Desiring to make sure you get the seat you want in the kingdom.

But let’s take a little closer look, and let me show you
Some of the ways we recognize the presence of carnal motivation.

We then these types of ploys are present,
You can bet the motivation is selfish.

1) FLATTERY (20)

Thanks to having all four gospel accounts
We know who this woman is, it is Salome.

She is one of the women who came to the tomb,
And she is also the sister of Mary the mother of Jesus.
This makes here Jesus’ aunt and James and John His first cousins.

And yet, despite the family ties, notice what she does.
“…came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him.”

This may appear like humility, but don’t let it fool you.
It is flattery.

They were coming seeking to puff Jesus up that He might grant a request.
It was common practice for a ruler to show off his power
By granting magnificent requests.

(The motivation behind Herod offering the daughter of Herodias
anything she wanted up to half his kingdom)

Salome is doing the same here,
By bowing and recognizing His ability to grant great requests.

Mark actually reveals her question.
Mark 10:35 “James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came up to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.”
You can feel their flattery as they seek to get what they want.

When flattery is present carnal ambition is close behind.

2) MANIPULATION (21)

I already told you that this was Jesus’ aunt.
How shrewd to send a woman to Jesus, and His aunt none the less.

They are really working on the sympathy of Jesus.
It is manipulative thinking He won’t have the heart
To turn down this dear old woman.

And notice the request:
“Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.”

In short, she came flattering and manipulating asking for the right
For her boys to be the 2nd in command.

• It wasn’t for the glory of Jesus,
• It wasn’t for the good of the kingdom,
• It was for the good of Salome, James, and John.

There is flattery, there is manipulation, and there is selfish ambition.

3) ARROGANCE (22)

Now there is arrogance for you.
It’s bad enough they thought themselves worthy
Of being second in command in the kingdom, but notice this arrogance.

Jesus says, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?”

WHAT CUP WAS THAT?
The cup of suffering.

Matthew 26:39 “And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Remember the ambition of Christ was that of suffering,
And it is His suffering that earned Him glory.

Philippians 2:8-11 “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
The only way to get the glory Christ is going to get
Is to leave heaven, live sinless and die a cruel death on the cross
To atone for the sins of man.

And Jesus asks these men, are you able to do this?

AND NOTICE THE ARROGANT ANSWER.
“We are able”

WOW!
• Were they sinless? No.
• Would they even endure suffering? No (they fled in the garden)

But the point is they thought they deserved it,
They thought they were worthy of it.
And when you find arrogance like that, you often find selfish ambition.

Selfish ambition is the natural response of the arrogant,
They feel they deserve a higher place with more recognition.

JUST LIKE SATAN

4) COVETOUSNESS (23)

Now Jesus’ answer is obvious, and it falls right in line
With what He just taught about the workers in the vineyard.

• The position to the right and left of Christ is not up for auction.
• Nor is there a competition to see who earns it.

WHO IS IT FOR?
“those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”

God knows who He wants there, and He will create those seats for them.
(Again it is not works, it is grace)

Now here is James and John, being so discontented
With their portion, they wanted someone else’s.

That again is selfish ambition.
It is to value self too high and others too low,
To the point that you think you deserve their place
And you are willing to flatter and manipulate to get that position.

That is carnal ambition.

And we see it everywhere in our world.
It’s easy to spot in the corporate ladder of America where people cut each other’s throats in order to ascend to higher positions.
But we also see it in churches.
(And perhaps preachers are the worst)

Matthew 23:6 “They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues”

3 John 9 “I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say.”

It’s apparent that Diotrephes descendants are still around today.
Always thinking they deserve a bigger church…
Always wanting someone else’s ministry…

And I would be lying if I said I never thought that way in my life. I’ve had those thoughts and God has been quick to put me back in my place.

On one occasion He called me Balaam.
(you know the prophet for hire, who loved the wages of unrighteousness)

I certainly do not have the right to look up some ladder
Or search out some bigger church, that is selfish ambition.

And James said that is evidence of demonic influence.

But you understand it.
And it is drastically different from that of Jesus.

That is what James and John had.
But don’t be too hard just on them, notice who else has it.

The rest of the disciples.

See here is a 5th indicator of selfish ambition
5) JEALOUSY (24)

They weren’t upset because these men offended Christ,
They were upset because James and John thought of it first.

These men wanted that position and it aggravated them
That James and John would ask for it first.

Jealousy is also an indicator of ambition.

Just because a person stays in a low position
Doesn’t mean he isn’t ambitious,
It only means he lacks opportunity to climb the ladder.

I could stay in Spur the rest of my life and still be selfishly ambitious,
It would just indicate that I never got an opportunity.

But if I am continually jealous of pastor’s with large churches,
Wishing I had what they had, that is still selfish ambition.

Listen to what James said:
James 3:13-16 “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.”

Jealousy is just as bad.
And when those two are present “there is disorder and every evil thing.”

The Christ’s Ambition: Suffering The Carnal Ambition: Self
#3 THE CHRISTIAN AMBITION: SUBMISSION
Matthew 20:25-28

And you will notice that Jesus first reveals to them
That their ambition is not godly, but worldly.

(25) “But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.”

That is exactly what James and John wanted.
They wanted authority.
They wanted to be able to boss people around.

And they didn’t learn that from studying God’s word,
They learned that from following the pattern of the world.

Then comes Jesus’ correction.
(26-28) “It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Now notice what He said.
• If you want to be “great” then be what? A “servant”
• If you want to “first” then be what? A “slave”

See the lower you become the higher you ascend.

The greatest are those who serve, and the absolute greatest
Are those who completely relinquish all rights in order to do so.

And this is the Christian Ambition.
Not to ascend to some level of control over someone else,
But to purposely descend to a level of service to someone else.
WHY IS THAT THE CHRISTIAN AMBITION?
Because that was Jesus’ ambition.

“just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

That is what a Christian seeks.

AND THAT IS SO OFTEN NOT THE WAY IT IS IN THE CHURCH.
I’ve had the luxury of being a member of 5 different churches in my life,
And I can tell you it is discouraging how far off we can be in this.

• I’ve seen people literally start fights and bring division in the church simply because they wanted to be on the finance committee, and wouldn’t serve on any other committee.

• I’ve seen men get mad and leave the church because they were never “promoted to the office of deacon”

(Which is a farce, the word deacon means “servant”
And to be a deacon the right way you certainly don’t get promoted into to it.)

Every time a person becomes a deacon they ought to go home and say,
“I got demoted today, they made me a deacon”.

But I’ve seen men fight to become one
And then walk around with their nose in the air.

• I’ve seen pastor’s leave because they didn’t get enough money or because they weren’t treated with enough respect.

• I’ve seen women fight over the chance to sing special music and pitch a fit if they weren’t selected enough.

• And more times than I can count I’ve heard people complain about what a pathetic job someone else in the church is doing. No matter if it is preaching or singing or teaching or cleaning.

And it is foreign to Christianity as Jesus desired it.
• He wanted Christians to fight to serve.
• He wanted Christians to delight in little or no recognition.
• He wanted Christians to promote others and recognize them.
• He wanted Christians to seek out the low places not the high ones.

Luke 14:10-11 “But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Why do you think Jesus washed the disciples feet and then said:
John 13:12-17 “So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”

It is not the high and mighty that are great, it is the servant.
And the Christian’s ambition is not to gain authority over someone But rather to put themselves under someone else’s authority.

Those are the greatest, those are the first.
Most of the time today the servants stay in the shadows,
But it won’t be that way in heaven.

In heaven the Pam Goodall’s will be great.
Won’t ever preach or sing a special or play an instrument, but she’ll clean your house when you are sick and paint a room if you’ll pick the color.

In heaven the Joe Fincher’s will be great.
Won’t ever preach a sermon or put his name in the bulletin, but will mow your grass if you need it, or wipe down tables if they are dirty, or help you do any other project you have.

In heaven the Rita Harris’s will be great.
Can’t make her get on the stage or let herself be seen, but she’ll work beside you on any project and will pray for you without ceasing and will support you in whatever you do.

And I’m sure I embarrassed them royally because they all hate recognition.

And then there is the flip side.
• The person sitting in here who was hoping like crazy I would call their name…
• The person who gets upset because they didn’t get recognized…
That is the difference between being great and wanting greatness.

The disciples missed it completely and we do too most of the time.
To want recognition and respect and authority and honor and clout,
That is “earthly, natural, demonic”

But to forsake all that and purposely seek the lowest of spots
Without recognition if only you will be able to serve someone else,
That is Christ-like.

“demonic” or Christ-like?
It is revealed by the focus of your ambition.

Learn to make it your ambition to be like Christ and not like this world.

Matthew 20:16 “So the last shall be first, and the first last.”

Understanding Kingdom Compensation
Matthew 20:1-16
April 22, 2012

Well this morning we come to a topic of discussion
That I think we can all easily grasp.

We are talking about the concept of compensation.
If there is one thing we in America understand
It is the concept of compensation.

• We understand what it is to be paid for a job
• And thanks to our legal system we understand what it means to be compensated for a wrong suffered.

Compensation is the often the theme of Scripture,
And it is one that proves to be a great motivator to life.

Only Scripture doesn’t call it compensation, Scripture calls it judgment.

Revelation 22:12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”

Scripture continually speaks of the fact that mankind
Will be compensated in eternity for how he lived in this life.

Paul says:
Romans 2:9-11 “There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”

God is a righteous judge who will reward men in eternity for their deeds.

And this notion of compensation literally saturates the pages of Scripture.

Take just what we have been studying in Matthew’s gospel.

Jesus first introduced this idea in the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Even from there we learned about greatness.

Matthew 5:19 “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

And even from there Jesus continually spoke about the coming judgment.
Matthew 5:25-26 “Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. “Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.”

Matthew 5:29-30 “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. “If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.”

In chapter 6 He taught:
Matthew 6:20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;”

And we could go on for a long time.

• Read Matthew 10 and listen to Jesus assure us that even the one who gives a cup of cold water will not lose his reward.

• Read Matthew 11 and listen that if you take His yoke upon you, you will receive rest.

• Matthew 13 brought the parables of the kingdom where we learned that the treasure in the field and the pearl of great value are worth any sacrifice

• Or in Matthew 16 where we learned that if we keep this life we will lose it, but if we lose this life we will find it.

• Or read in Matthew 18 about the man who would not forgive his servant and thus was handed over to the torturers until he repay all he owed.

The idea of eternal reward or judgment literally permeates the Scriptures.
Jesus spoke about it all the time.

He came from eternity and stepped into time and this gave Him tremendous perspective about where a person ought to invest.

Jesus understood that decisions you make here come with consequences in eternity, and He constantly pushed men to consider those consequences while making their decisions.

This flowing all the way to the conversation with the Rich Young Ruler.

Matthew 19:21 “Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Jesus wasn’t being harsh.

• If this man really wanted eternal life then he had to follow Jesus.
• If He wanted to follow Jesus he would have to remove the obstacles
• Namely, to follow Jesus, this man had to get rid of his wealth.

Now, even Jesus said, don’t fret the loss of your wealth
For “you will have treasure in heaven”

• Jesus wasn’t going to cheat this guy.
• Jesus wasn’t going to ruin him.
• Jesus was going to give him eternal life and let him keep his treasure,
• He was just going to transfer it from here to there.

But the idea is that this young man needed to make a decision based upon eternity, not today.

And this is how we are called to live our lives.
We are all called to make decisions based upon eternity not today.

Listen to Paul’s perspective:
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

He wasn’t looking for earthly treasure,
He was looking for heavenly treasure.

And that is really what we are talking about.
The notion of compensation.

Well that was certainly the notion on Peter’s mind last week
As he watched the Rich Young Ruler walk away.

He was grieving, but he was still wealthy, and it got Peter to thinking.

Matthew 19:27 “Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”

Peter was just being honest.
Is it worth it?

And that is what Jesus answered.
Matthew 19:28-30 “And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life. “But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.”

Jesus said that you will be compensated:
• IMPERIALLY – judging the twelve tribes
• IMMEDIATELY – many times as much
• IMPARTIALLY – “many who are first will be last; and the last, first.”

And it was that final statement that stoked our curiosity.

What did He mean by that?
It certainly is a statement that goes against logic.

And in all honesty we were doing good as Jesus explained compensation
Until He threw in that strange statement at the end.

Apparently it confused the disciples as well,
Because it prompted Jesus to give an entire parable
Dedicated to explaining what He meant.

This morning we get a better look at exactly how impartial God is
When it comes to compensating those who follow Jesus.

5 things
#1 THE CALL
Matthew 20:1-7

Now, just some basics to ensure proper understanding…
This is a parable about “the kingdom of heaven”

While we did talk some last week about immediate compensation
For those who leave houses or family or farms, this is not talking about that.

This is talking about eternity.

“the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.”

Not only do we have another parable, but another vineyard parable.

In fact the vineyard makes a good base for an illustration.
• Vineyards had an owner
• Vineyards needed workers
• Owners expected fruit

That is really the basis for using them.
Matthew 9:36-38 “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

Even later in Matthew’s gospel we see a vineyard again.
• In one parable about two sons, one who says he will work the vineyard and then doesn’t, one who says he won’t and then does.

• We then get the unfaithful stewards who refuse to give the vineyard owner the produce they were supposed to produce and instead kill the slaves and ultimately the son.
Of course all of these parables get their root from Isaiah 5
Where God first uses it to express the fruitlessness of the nation of Israel.

But vineyards are often used and Jesus does so here as well.

And here we see the primary focus is on the fact that vineyards needed workers, and they are compensated for that work.

And so here we have a landowner out looking for help.

And just by way of understanding
NOTE that he goes to those who are otherwise unemployed.
Those who should be the most grateful to get a job.

And so he goes early to hire laborers.
(2) “When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.”

Now, understand that a “denarius” was a days wages,
But it was the wage of a Roman soldier.
It is highly likely that these men had often worked for far less.

But none the less, the vineyard owner agrees and the men are hired.
(3-4) “And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went.”

We don’t know what time the vineyard owner first went out,
But we do know that here at 9am he goes again.

(5) “Again he went out about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, and did the same thing.”

So he returns again at noon and again at 3pm
And again hires more men to work his vineyard.

(6-7) “And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ “They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’”

And so then he returns at 5pm and once again hires men.

Now this time he is perplexed as to why they have been idle,
But notice their answer.

“Because no one hired us”
And so he hires them as well even at 5pm and sends them to work.

Now we must stop here for just a second
And recognize what this part of the parable represents.
• Obviously the vineyard owner is Christ.
• Obviously the workers are His followers.

And it is important that you notice that
Even the opportunity to be a worker was a gracious thing.

• None of these men applied for the job.
• These men did not choose the vineyard owner, he chose them.
• The only reason they were allowed to work was because he allowed them to.

That is the point of those still hanging around at the eleventh hour.
They weren’t working because no one hired them.

They couldn’t make it happen, the vineyard owner had to call them.

And this is a very accurate picture of salvation.
John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Even often times we have read those amazing verses in Ephesians.

Ephesians 2:1-5 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ ( by grace you have been saved),”

We had no ability on our own to even to come to Him.
We most certainly could not put ourselves to work in His vineyard
Until He hired us to.

It was up to the gracious call of the vineyard operator.

So it is with salvation.
Christ must call you to it.

Now the beauty of that is that we also see that
Christ continues to make the call.
He kept going back seeking those who needed work.

Early, 9am, noon, 3pm, and even again at 5pm.
He wasn’t giving up, He kept looking for those to work in His vineyard.

So Christ must call, but He does so continually.

We also recognize that those He calls are expected to work the vineyard.
Some work it longer than others, but all are expected to work it.

John 4:35-38 “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. “Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. “For in this case the saying is true, ‘ One sows and another reaps.’ “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”

So the opportunity must be given, but if it is given
It is expected that you seize it and go to work in the vineyard.

Not like the son who said he would and then didn’t.

There is an expectation that comes with salvation.
If you said you would follow then go to the vineyard and get to work.

That is all clear from these first 7 verses.
The Call
#2 THE COMPENSATION
Matthew 20:8-10

Here we come to the point of payment.

It was Jewish Law that if you worked a man you gave him his wages that night, you were not allowed to hold it.

So “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’”
“evening” was 6pm
And so we understand what has happened.

• Some worked more than 9 hours
• Some worked 9
• Some worked 6
• Some worked 3
• Some worked only 1

And he starts paying the 1 hr workers first.

And what a pleasant surprise in verse 9, “When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius.”

And you can imagine what that did
To those who had worked at least 8 hours more.

(10) “When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more…”
WHY?
Because they worked longer.

I mean, that’s only fair.
“but each of them also received a denarius.”

WHY IS THAT ALL THEY GOT?
Verse 2, “When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.”

He gave them what they agreed upon.
He gave them the compensation they had signed up for.
Now that seems unfair.

But listen, compensation is never based upon quantity.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15 “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”

Paul was clear, it wasn’t quantity it was quality.

But in this parable, even the quality of labor is not mentioned.
It is just an even compensation regardless of merit.

WHAT IS THE POINT TO THAT?

Salvation and compensation are not based upon merit.
When you come to Christ, just as sin separated you, Christ reunites you.

There are no tiers in Christianity.
Hinduism has the cast system of those who rank higher and higher and you are constantly trying to work yourself up the system by your efforts in this life.

In fact, even a person in a low cast wouldn’t dare try to make their life better for fear of losing ground in their next life.

But Christianity knows no such tiers.

Salvation is equal for all.
Galatians 3:26-29 “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”

Romans 8:16-17 “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

It is to all believers that Paul writes:
Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”

Salvation is equal for all.
The thief on the cross who was saved in his final hour
Received the same salvation as the child who is saved at the age of 5.

And that is clearly typified here in this parable
When all receive the same compensation.

The Call, The Compensation
#3 THE COMPLAINT
Matthew 20:11-12

And of course we had to see this coming.
• Despite the agreement…
• Despite the blessing of even having a job…
• All of a sudden we hear the cries of “That’s not fair”

(11) “When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner,”

Had they been the only workers, that denarius would have looked great,
But it didn’t look so good now, because they thought he was being unfair.

(12) “saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’”

We worked longer…
The conditions were tougher…
You should not have made us equal.

And we talked about this last week.
There are many nations in the world who would seem to have
A legitimate complaint against America in regard to rewards handed out.

Take a believer from Russia or China or a believer from the Sudan.

It’s not fair that American’s be rewarded like us.
• It’s legal for them be a Christian…
• It’s legal for them to share the gospel…
• They have nice churches with air conditioning…
• None of them had to lose their families to be saved…
• None of them had to lose their jobs to be saved…
• They aren’t beaten in the streets for Jesus…
They could easily argue with God that we don’t deserve what they got.

Or even in a simpler sense.
Those who are saved as children could complain that
It isn’t fair that one saved as an adult gets the same reward.

“That’s not fair they didn’t have to be a Christian in high school, or college”

And you can understand the complaint.
That is what is given here.

#4 THE CORRECTION
Matthew 20:13-15

(13) “But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?”

And so the first question to those who think they are getting cheated is,
“Have I wronged you?”

• Did I wrong you by choosing you when no one else would?
• Did I wrong you by paying you more than anyone else would have?
• Did I wrong you by giving you what you agreed on?

And of course the answer is no.

(14) “Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.”

The second issue is that I can do what “I wish”

Or do we forget that it is all a matter of grace?
We can’t desire for us to be treated with grace
And everyone to be treated with justice.

(15) “Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own?”

In other words, I am totally innocent in this matter.

And then comes the issue.
(15b) “Or is your eye envious because I am generous?”

The issue wasn’t the corruption of the vineyard owner,
It was the envy of the worker.

This man did no wrong, the person in the wrong
Was the one who held envy in their heart.

This vineyard owner had every right to reward however he wanted.
He didn’t call based on works and he didn’t reward based on works.
He called based on grace and he rewarded based on grace.

Dad won “closest to the pin” at the pastor’s masters.

“Grace is always better than works”

And that is the point.

#5 THE CONCLUSION
Matthew 20:16

And now Jesus makes it full circle.
Did it sound strange that Jesus would reverse who got what?

Sure it did, because when we really get down to it,
We all think we deserve something.
AND THE REALITY IS WE DON’T.

We don’t even deserve salvation let alone reward,
And yet because God is gracious He gives both.

Now go back to Peter’s question last week.
Matthew 19:27 “Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”

Peter actually thought he deserved something.

What Jesus should have said was “Big deal, you left everything. Let’s go see what all you left Peter; a bunch of broken nets. And you expect Me to reward you for that?”

He could have said, “Peter you wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for Me, how dare you be so greedy.”

But He didn’t did He?
Instead He promised Peter that he would indeed get a reward
And a great one and eternal life to boot.

But He also instructed Peter not to be surprised
When other, less deserving people got just as much.

And friend I want to give you some perspective this morning too.

If you walk around on a high horse
Like you are so important and so worthy of some great reward.

If you are so sure that you are one of the “greatest in the kingdom”.
Let me remind you that you wouldn’t even be in the kingdom
If it weren’t for Christ calling you.

And you wouldn’t even get a reward if He weren’t gracious.

That is why it is always ridiculous to me when I hear someone
Talk about someone else deserving to go to heaven.

“Oh, they were a good person,
And if there’s a heaven, then I know they’re going.”

We have this mindset that people deserve it.
• We think we deserve to be saved.
• We think we deserve to go to heaven.

No we don’t.
Apart from Him we are all nothing.
And don’t for one second look down on one of these little ones
And assume you are more valuable than them,
For it just might shock you in eternity when they get the same reward.

This is in reality the beauty of God’s grace.
The flip side is this.
• I don’t care what you’ve done.
• I don’t care if you missed your opportunity at the 3rd, 6th, and 9th hour.
• Come during the 11th hour and Christ will give you the same salvation
that He did to me.

He will make you an heir to the kingdom and grant you eternal life.

He will because He is gracious!
And we wouldn’t want salvation any other way!

Matthew 18:1-4 “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Is Following Worth It?
Matthew 19:27-30
April 15, 2012

This morning we come across a story
That reminds us of the honesty of Scripture.

It is clear from stories like this
That the disciples were not trying to give us a tainted view of things.

There was no “spin” going on.
The disciples were real people with real concerns.

And one of those concerns, believe it or not,
Was a desire for happiness.

The disciples were concerned about their futures
And they wanted to be happy.

Surely that is a basic human desire.

We even have in The Declaration of Independence
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”

Now of course that is a man-made document and not Scripture,
But even those men recognized that it was self-evident
That God instilled in man a desire and a right to be happy.

The question is “Should Christians be happy?”

I mean, let’s digest for a moment what we have talked about
Over the course of the last two weeks.

We were confronted with a man we called “The Rich Young Ruler”
And I think it is obvious that were it not for his concerns about eternity,
This man would have been happy.

He had money
He had success
He had power
He had morality
He had high reputation

Those things aren’t the secret to happiness,
But I never saw them making people sad either.

And when he came face to face with Jesus his happiness went away.

Remember he wanted to know how to go to heaven,
And he thought the secret was in being good.

Jesus busted his bubble in a big way.
First, “You aren’t good”
Second, “You love sin”

Matthew 19:21 “Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

But you remember the story.
Matthew 19:22 “But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.”

Let me ask you a question.
Did Jesus make that man happy?

No, that man was grieving when he left.
Luke 18:23 “But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.”

And even then, Jesus let him leave.
Beyond that Jesus turned to the disciples and revealed
How hard it is for rich people to enter the kingdom.

He said “it is easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

And you will even remember that at that the disciples were appalled.
They thought then that salvation must in fact be impossible.

To which Jesus agreed.
Matthew 19:26 “And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

And so we know the story.
That was not a happy scene.

But go ahead and picture the scene with me for a moment.
• Here we are, the rich young man is walking away.
• He is grieving because he isn’t going to heaven,
• But he does still have all his money.

• Peter then takes inventory of his own life, and that of his traveling
companions who are with Jesus, but who don’t have any money.

And you can see Peter’s wheels turning can’t you?

No more games, no more pretend, this incident
Causes the disciples to go to Jesus seeking straight answers.
It is almost as if to say, “Jesus, You are asking people to give up everything they’ve ever worked for, everything that makes them happy, are You sure You know what You’re doing?”

That is the basis for this text.

And perhaps that very thought has been on your mind.
The call and the cost of the kingdom are enormous.
The question is, “Is Following Jesus Worth It?”

If I’m going to lose my money, my home, my family, even my life,
I want to know if that is a good decision.

There are two main things we see.
#1 THE CONCERN
Matthew 19:27

There is exactly what we just talked about.

Peter sees the young man walk away, and walk away rich.
It is then as though he looks at what they have
And Peter begins to show a little concern.

“Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”

Now it does help to bring some perspective to the statement.

What Peter left and what the Rich man had to leave
Were two very different things.

We have serious doubt that Peter walked away from anywhere close
To the same fortune the rich man amassed.

We recall him leaving a few tattered nets.
But, Peter did leave them.

What Peter is struggling with here is the curiosity of
Rather or not he should try to get some back.

See, here is the deal.
Peter did leave everything, but it is not as though
The everything he left couldn’t be replaced.

Not like the rich young man who would have had much greater difficulty
Replacing what he was about to have to leave.

So in one since Peter is not just referencing what he left,
But curious about the permanence of the decision.
Picture it like this.
If Jesus came in this morning and said “Everyone in here must sell their house.”

Well obviously that’s a bigger cost for you than it is me,
I don’t even own the house I live in.
And so that decision for me would be much easier for me than you.

But suppose Jesus said, “Everyone in here must sell their house and never live in one again.”

That would push me into the same boat as you.
We would not be facing the loss of a house, but the loss of lifestyle.

And that is where Peter is.
Sure he left everything, but his decision
Was not nearly as permanent as the rich young man’s.

However, after hearing what Jesus said,
Peter realizes that Jesus is playing for keeps.
Jesus was not talking about them ever going back.

Earlier Peter made a decision to give Jesus a try,
Now he is staring the same permanent life change in the face
That the rich young man just faced.

This is getting as real for him as it has ever been.
And so Peter’s question makes sense.
He wants to know “what then will there be for us?”

Now, this is where we commend Peter over the rich young man.
The rich young man didn’t even concern himself with whether or not it was worth it, he just immediately assumed it wasn’t.

But Peter is at least willing to find out what the offer is.

But you can hear the concern.

The Concern
#2 THE COMPENSATION
Matthew 19:28-30

You ask Jesus an honest question, you get an honest answer.

And, by the way, please notice that
Jesus was not angry with Peter for the question.

Peter knew what it was to be rebuked by Jesus, but he didn’t get one here
Jesus fully understood the concern in Peter’s heart.
And so Jesus answers.

That there is in fact compensation.

In fact, there are three types of compensation.
1) YOU WILL BE COMPENSATED IMPERIALLY (28)

In other words, you will be part of the kingdom.

Now we do recognize that this promise is for the twelve, not everyone.
These were those who were the first to believe.

“Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

Now let’s talk about this.

We recognize the timing of this thing.
“in the regeneration”

What is “the regeneration”?

If you’ve been with us on Sunday nights,
We talked about this two weeks ago.
It was the time that every Jew was looking for.

It was the time when Israel would be restored.
Acts 1:6 “So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

Peter even preached about it after Pentecost.
Acts 3:19-21 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.”

Most specifically it was the time when Messiah comes
To reign upon the earth, destroy His foes and redeem the earth from sin.

Isaiah 65:17-25 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. “But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing And her people for gladness. “I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the sound of crying. “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed. “They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. “They will not build and another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands. “They will not labor in vain, Or bear children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the LORD, And their descendants with them. “It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. “The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the LORD.”

We call it the millennial reign of Christ.
It is the 1,000 year reign in which Satan is bound and Christ reigns.

It is “when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne”

Adrian Rogers once said, that “Now all things are out of place.
The King isn’t on the throne, the Bride isn’t with the Groom, and the Criminal isn’t in prison. But on that day when the Criminal is in prison and the Bride is with the Groom, and the King is on the throne, then life will be the way it was intended.”

We long for that day, that is why we long for the return of Jesus.
And it is that day Jesus speaks of.

On that day, Jesus says to His disciples, “you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

In short, I’ll give you authority in My kingdom.

Revelation 20:1-4 “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”

Jesus told the twelve they would reign and judge Israel.
In the millennium there will be no sin curse, nor will there be an enemy,
Nor will Jesus be tolerant of it.

Sin will quickly and instantly be snuffed out,
And the disciples will be His judges.

Incidentally we who are the church are also promised to reign with Christ.
Revelation 3:21 “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

But you get the picture that Jesus gives to Peter.

Peter, for following Me and leaving it all,
I will give you the right to reign in the coming kingdom.
You will be compensated Imperially.
2) YOU WILL BE COMPENSATED IMMEDIATELY (29)

Now this is where Jesus goes the extra mile.

He uses the word “And”

I would think that verse 28 should have been enough, but Jesus isn’t finished.

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.”

WHY DO WE SAY IMMEDIATELY?

Listen to Mark’s gospel.
Mark 10:29-30 “Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.”

I am certainly not one who holds to the prosperity gospel,
But if a promise is in Scripture, then I don’t want to overlook it either.

And what is clear in Mark’s gospel is that
Not only does Jesus reward, He also reimburses.

“he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age”

This second promise that Jesus is making to Peter is not some distant,
Only to be fulfilled later, sort of promise.

In short, Jesus is saying I did not come to ruin this life.

We know that about Jesus don’t we?
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

• The enemy comes to steal, not Jesus.
• The enemy comes to kill, not Jesus.
• Jesus came to give you life and good life.

And so it stands to reason that Jesus’ goal
Is not simply to make this life as baron and miserable as possible.

In fact listen to what Jesus says in Luke’s gospel about reimbursement.
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure — pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

Jesus wants to make you happy.
Jesus wants to give you a good life.

And according to Mark’s gospel He intends to give that good life
Both in this age and in the age to come.

Remember what we learned about the value of the kingdom?
Matthew 13:44-46 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

Did those men give all they had?
Yes.

But the important thing to notice is they both thought
They were getting a good deal in doing so.

We had on one hand a treasure hunter.
• We know he was a hunter because he was looking in a field he didn’t own.
• And when he found a treasure he reasoned that its value was greater than
what he owned so he bought the field.

Then we have a pearl merchant.
• A man who knew what pearls were worth.
• And he knew that one pearl was worth more than all he owned.

Neither saw the sacrifice as a bad deal.
It was a good deal.

And that is the point we are still making.
Being in the kingdom is a valuable thing, even in this life!

Now many of us at this point would say, “Absolutely, if you make a physical sacrifice you get spiritual reward. What I gave physically Jesus repays with joy and peace and love, et.”

But look again at what Mark said.

Mark 10:30 “but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.”

Mark makes it very clear that those who follow Jesus would get “houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms”

He also throws in “persecutions”

Mark doesn’t take a physical cost and say there is only a spiritual reward. In Mark’s gospel Jesus says there is a physical reward
For the physical cost and he is very specific about it.
Now, here is the issue with what Mark’s gospel said.
• We all know believers who gave all they had and still died poor.
• We all know believers who sacrificed greatly but never got rich.

I mean let’s take it in Peter’s case.
Peter left his nets to follow Jesus. We’ll assume there were at least 2.

That means according to Jesus Peter should have gotten 200 nets,
A grand a glorious fishing business. And yet Peter never did.

WHAT DO WE MAKE OF THAT?

It really isn’t that difficult.

These men did not leave their nets or their families
In order to gain more nets or a bigger family.

These men did not leave their farms in order to gain more farms.

WHY DID THEY LEAVE THOSE THINGS?
To gain Christ.

Philippians 3:7-11 “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
Now listen to Paul.
I left all that stuff, but it was “rubbish”.

If Paul called it “rubbish”
Do you really think his main goal was to get 100x more of it?

And that is the point here.
I believe Jesus.

• And I believe when He said 100x as much physically He meant it.
• And I believe that had Peter truly wanted 200 fishing nets Jesus would have given it.

But Peter didn’t want that, Peter wanted Christ.
He left that to gain Christ.

Let me give you a text that explains it better.
Hebrews 11:13-16 “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”

These people didn’t want more farms, they wanted Christ,
And that is what they got.

But the point to what Jesus is saying is this:
HAPPINESS CAN BE HAD NOW AS WELL

The call of Jesus is not to get men to lose life entirely.
The call of Jesus is to get men to seek life in a different place.

Quit seeking life in possessions…
Quit seeking life in power…
Quit seeking life according to the world…
Seek life in Me, and I’ll give it to you.

And in addition to that, I’ll give you “eternal life”

Peter wants to know if it is worth it.
And Jesus says, “I’ll compensate you Imperially” and “I’ll compensate you Immediately”

3) YOU WILL BE COMPENSATED IMPARTIALLY (30)

Now we will really get into this one more next time we meet.

But I want you to notice that Jesus only begins the thought here.

(19:30) “But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.”

Then in chapter 20 we get a story
About landowner impartially rewarding his slaves.

That story ends in (20:16)
Matthew 20:16 “So the last shall be first, and the first last.”

Obviously Jesus has more to say about it
Than just what we read here, but we still get the point.

The compensation of Jesus is not done based upon merit.
The compensation of Jesus is done based upon grace.

And it is important that Peter and the 12 and all of us understand that.

When God rewards He doesn’t weigh it out according to what we’ve done,
But according to His great generosity.
You’ll see next week, that
It didn’t make sense to those who worked all day why they got a denarius
When those who only worked an hour got one too.

In fact, this is what they say:
Matthew 20:12 “saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’”

They didn’t think it was fair.
But the compensation of God is not about what is fair
(none of us want that) it is about Him being gracious.

And I can illustrate that to you quite easily.

Here in America Christianity is easy.
At the present time we suffer very little for our faith
We don’t really know persecution.

We have committed to follow Jesus,
But thus far the cost has been relatively small.
We have not “borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day”
Like some have.

Should God reward us like He rewards them?
No, not if it’s by merit.

But God doesn’t reward that way.
He rewards by grace and those who follow Him get rewarded,
No matter if it is hot or cool on the day they work the vineyard.

So those who follow Jesus are compensated
Imperially, Immediately, and Impartially.

Now, let’s get back to the question.
Is Following Jesus Worth It?

I can’t answer that for you.
I can only answer it for me.

And I can tell you how others have answered.

The Rich Young Ruler said no.
See Jesus promised him “treasure in heaven”
But he didn’t think that was a good trade.

And he isn’t alone.
Hebrews 6 tells of those who weighed the decision and walked away.

Hebrews 6:4-6 “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

They decided that the cost was too high and rejected Christ.

And many decide that way still.
Their heart is full of weeds which choke out the word
And it becomes unfruitful.

However Peter apparently thought it was.
Because he chose to stay with Jesus.

Even in John 6 when all the crowds were leaving.
John 6:66-69 “As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. “We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

Peter decided that following Jesus was worth it.

I’ve always like the quote of Jim Elliot, one of the four missionaries who was speared to death in South America.

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep
To gain what he cannot lose.”

Jesus asked it like this:
Matthew 16:26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

And you have to decide for yourself.

I’m not saying the cost to following Jesus isn’t severe.
From Jesus’ own mouth it costs you everything.

But Jesus also says that the compensation is worth it.

You have to choose what to do with it, as do I.

John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”

Why You Must Follow Jesus – part 2
Matthew 19:16-26 (22-26)
April 8, 2012

I realize this being Easter, we likely have folks here from out of town,
And I know getting in on part 2 of any sermon seems to be a little strange.

So to kind of bring you up to speed, as we have studied through Matthew’s gospel last week we came upon a very interesting individual.

We call him “The Rich Young Ruler”
Most of heard of him as he proves to be a continually relevant illustration.

The purpose of this account in Matthew’s gospel is
To reinforce a very important truth that Jesus has revealed to us.

Back in Matthew 16 Jesus began to talk about the concept of the church.

Matthew 16:18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

Jesus had a vision of a grand fellowship; a church,
One built upon Himself as the Messiah,
And one that even death could not destroy.

Jesus then revealed the means by which the church would come into existence.

Matthew 16:21 “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.”

The church that Jesus built could only come into existence
Through the sacrifice of the Savior.
Jesus had to suffer and die and rise from the dead.

And then Jesus revealed what was required in order for someone to become a part of His church.

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

And it is this truth that Matthew is reemphasizing here
In this story of the Rich Young Ruler

The decision to be a Christian is not as easy as
Simply deciding that you want to go to heaven when you die.

Nor is the decision to be a Christian
As simple as just trying to be a good person.
• The only way a person is saved is by having their sins forgiven through the atonement which is in Jesus Christ.
• And the only way to have Jesus forgive your sins is to “follow” Him.
• And the only way to “follow” Him is to completely deny yourself.

Jesus taught that back in chapter 16 and He reiterates it once again here.
And so we began to look at this story of this rich young ruler.

Last week we saw three things that we can quickly revisit.
#1 A FUTILE ATTEMPT (16)

We call this a futile attempt because here is a man
That when you link the gospel accounts together we find:

• He was “rich”
• He was a “ruler” (most likely a synagogue ruler)
• He was “young”
• He was moral – (keeping most commandments)

He seemingly had conquered life, and yet this man
Had come across something he couldn’t conquer; DEATH.

Despite all his accomplishments
Despite all his successes
He comes asking “Teacher, what good things shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?”
Despite all that he had done,
Even he knew it was not enough to earn eternal life.

Thus far, his entire life had been a lesson in futility.

It almost echoes the complaint of Solomon in Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 9:2-6 “It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid to swear. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead. For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun.”

This was a mentality he also summed up in:
Ecclesiastes 2:17 “So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.”

While he might not have been that angry about it,
The Rich Young Ruler was having similar thoughts.
Thus far all that he had done had managed to give him a good life,
But they had failed to do anything about his death.
Thus far his whole life had been a FUTILE ATTEMPT.

#2 A FALSE ASSUMPTION (16-20)

We even recognized that his futile life
Was directly linked to his bad theology.

He thought that eternal life was something he could “obtain” on his own.
And he thought he could obtain it by doing something “good”.

Jesus of course balked at this notion saying, (17) “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good;”

Jesus was almost appalled that the young man
Thought he could be good enough to earn life.
And Jesus quickly reminds him that being good isn’t within his ability.

No one can on their own be good enough to satisfy God.

But Jesus did humor the man.
(17b) “but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

And this makes sense, for the Law reveals the righteous standard of God.

If you want to be good enough to go to heaven,
Simply keep all of God’s commandments without ever breaking one.
If you do that you will go to heaven.

Of course this man knew that keeping all the commandments
Wasn’t possible so he asked, (18) “Which ones?”

We do that too by the way.
There are many people that think most of God’s commands are suggestions,
But that there are in reality only a few things that really determine whether or not you go to heaven.

• As long as I don’t kill anybody.
• As long as I don’t steal from people.
• As long as I don’t cheat on my spouse.
• As long as I go to church occasionally
• As long as I’m patriotic
• As long as I remember the Alamo

Then surely I’m good enough.

That is what this man wanted to know. Which ones really matter?

And so Jesus gives him 5 of the 10 and the second greatest.
And initially the young man was ecstatic!
(20) “The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?”

See, when he assessed himself he thought he was good enough.
That is often how we assess ourselves as well.

But that is a FALSE ASSUMPTION.

And Jesus revealed why.

A Futile Attempt, A False Assumption
#3 A FAIR ASSESSMENT (21)

When the young man assessed himself he found himself to be good.
When Jesus assessed him, he found him deficient.

“If you wish to be complete”

The word in the Greek is TELEIOS
It means perfect.

And it is what God demands.
Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

And this man still lacked perfection.
“If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

Don’t misunderstand:
Selling his possessions wouldn’t make him perfect,
Jesus would make him perfect,
He just couldn’t follow Jesus without selling all his possessions.

AND THERE WE GOT TO THE POINT OF THE STORY.
If you want to go to heaven, then you must be perfect,
Which requires following Jesus, which requires denying self.

You cannot keep your sin and follow Jesus.
You cannot keep your idols and follow Jesus.
You must fully surrender your entire life in order to follow Him.
And that is what Jesus told this young man.

A Futile Attempt, A False Assumption, A Fair Assessment
#4 A FOOLISH ANSWER
Matthew 19:22
“But when the young man heard this statement he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.”
His answer?
“he went away”

Jesus said “follow Me”, this young man said, “no”.

Now we do notice that he was “grieving”,
But don’t confuse that with repentance.

When talking about Esau’s sin of selling his birthright, the writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 12:17 “For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.”

We even know that Judas later felt remorse for betraying Jesus
And threw the money back and hanged himself,
But the book of Acts makes it clear that he did not inherit eternal life.

See, “grieving” or feeling remorse or even crying
DOES NOT EQUAL REPENTANCE.

• Jesus’ goal was not to get this man to grieve…
• Jesus’ goal was not to get this man to cry…
• Jesus’ goal was not to get this man to feel remorse…

WHAT WAS JESUS GOAL?
To get this man to leave his sin and follow Him.

And this man would not.
He grieved because he knew he was not going to heaven.

The question is why would he not just go ahead and follow Jesus?
“for he was one who owned much property.”

HE LOVED HIS SIN!

WHY WOULD HE NOT DENY SELF AND FOLLOW JESUS?
Because he had a lot to lose.

(or so he thought)
Jesus had said, if you do that “you will have treasure in heaven”,
But I’m not sure the young man ever even heard that.

All he heard was the word “sell” and he never got past it.

You see Jesus came right up against the idol of his heart.
And Jesus always does this.
• With the woman at the well it was her love life.
• With Peter and Andrew it was their fishing business.
• With James and John it was their father.
Jesus will not let you keep your idols and follow Him at the same time.
God is a jealous God.

He is happy to have you follow Him,
But you must be solely devoted to Him.

And this man said no.
It is the most foolish decision recorded in Scripture.

Matthew 16:26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

A FOOLISH ANSWER.

A Futile Attempt, A False Assumption, A Fair Assessment, A Foolish Answer
#5 A FRIGHTENING ANALOGY
Matthew 19:23-24

Now the first thing I would want you to notice is
That Jesus did not go after the young man.

Jesus didn’t say, “Oh, it’s ok, we’ll work on it, your good everywhere else, why don’t you stick around.”

This man had to choose between sin and Jesus and he chose sin,
There really wasn’t anything else to talk about.

So Jesus turns from the young man and addresses the disciples
And His point is shocking.

(23) “And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Now please understand this is not a statement about money
So much as it is a reminder that everyone must pay the same price.

In order to enter the kingdom, everyone must give all they have.
Everyone must deny self,
So logically we know that some pay more than others.

And those with the biggest cost have the toughest time entering.

I used to teach college students and loved it
Because they had nothing to lose, and easily followed.

And so Jesus said it is “hard” for a rich man “to enter” the kingdom.
People with much to lose don’t easily go to heaven.

And then comes the real shocking statement.
• Perhaps the disciples weren’t really paying attention…
• Perhaps they were just letting the lesson go…

So Jesus says it again in terms to grab their attention:
(24) “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

WHAT!?
How hard is it?
“easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Ever try to push thread through the eye of a sewing needle?
(some are good, others of us not so much)

Now imagine trying to push a camel through there.
When He says it is hard to get people to leave everything and follow Him, He means it.

And yet we know Jesus means it, because if you look up
You can see the young man walking away having failed to enter.

That moral, successful, young man didn’t enter.
And if you want to know why, Jesus says, “because it is hard; really hard!”

WHY IS IT SO HARD?
Because people don’t like to part with their riches.

Now, please understand money is not the problem.
1 Timothy 6:9-10 “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

It isn’t necessarily money that is the problem,
It is just that money is really easy to love, and really hard to let go of.

In fact, when you study the Scripture (which says a lot about money)
The Bible seems to always ask the same three questions.

HOW DID YOU GET IT?

Exodus 20:15 “You shall not steal.”

Psalms 15:5 “He does not put out his money at interest, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.”

And so if you got your money through deceptive means
Then there is obviously a problem.

Some say, “No, I worked hard for my money.”

Ok, well the Bible has another question.
WHY DO YOU STILL HAVE IT?

The Bible is clear that money is to be used to further the kingdom,
Not to be hoarded to make this life better.

Luke 16:9 “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.”

Furthermore James indicates that the reason some still have their money
Is because they have overlooked the needs of the poor.

James 5:1-5 “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.”

So if you have money Scripture wants to know how you got it,
And why you still have it instead of using it for the kingdom.

And if you are on the up and up with both of those questions,
Then Scripture has one more question for you.
WOULD YOU LEAVE IT?

That is what Jesus asked this young man.

Remember Zaccheus?
Luke 19:8-9 “Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.”

And we will all admit those are tough questions to answer.

But Jesus is clear if you won’t leave it, you can’t enter heaven.
Because love of money is idolatry, and Jesus won’t rest in 2nd place.

And money isn’t the only idol
• You also can’t love fame
• You also can’t love family more than Him
• You also can’t love comfort
• You also can’t love power

Jesus won’t let you have anything before Him,
And if you won’t deny yourself and leave it then you can’t follow.

You’d have better luck trying to force a camel through a needle.

IS THAT SHOCKING?
Does it surprise you that it is that hard to go to heaven?

We live in a day when people act like going to heaven is easy.
We even have the ABC’s of salvation.
We make it easy.

Walk a carpeted aisle,
Sign a simple card,
Get in our heated Jacuzzi style baptistery.

And you will go to heaven.
Here we thought it was easy.

And Jesus said, no it isn’t.
Going to heaven is very, very hard.

It is a narrow gate, and it is a narrow way,
And in reality there are only a few people who actually make it.

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Does that shock you that most people who think they are going to heaven aren’t?
Does it shock you that it is so hard to go to heaven?

You aren’t alone.
(25) “When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?”

“astonished” translates EKPLESSO

It is a compound word “plesso” = “to strike”
“ek” = is an intensifying word that literally means “out”

• The disciples were struck hard in their mind.
• They were dumbfounded
• They were blown away
• They were heavily shocked
They could not believe what Jesus was saying.

They looked at that young man walking away with all his credentials.
• A synagogue ruler
• A wealthy man
• A moral man
• A young man full of potential and promise
And yet a man Jesus said was not going to heaven and it would very hard (if not impossible) for him to ever do so.

And the disciples can’t believe what they’ve just heard.
And they ask a question, “Then who can be saved?”

• You almost get the idea that the disciples are angry.
• You almost get the idea that they are afraid.
• You certainly get the idea that their whole mindset on salvation just got heavily damaged.

If this is the way it is, then no one can be saved.

“Who can be saved?”

Let’s see the answer.
#6 A FINAL ALTERNATIVE
Matthew 19:26

Now please notice Jesus did not say, “I’m just kidding, I wanted to see what you would say.”

When Jesus said it was hard He meant it and He did not retreat from it.

In fact the disciples understanding was dead on.
“With people [salvation] is impossible.”

Listen, there is not a thing you can do to be saved.
You can’t live good enough…
You can’t be pleasing enough…
You can’t sacrifice enough…

So you go to church…
So you read your Bible…
So you never killed anybody…
SO WHAT!
That is not enough, not even close.

Salvation is impossible.
“BUT with God all things are possible.”

Here is the point,
Salvation is something that only God can accomplish in you.

Can you save yourself? No
But you can’t even deny yourself and follow Jesus on your own.

Who can honestly pay that high of a price to follow Jesus?
No one – unless God does it in you.
Can I remind you of an overlooked passage?
John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

On their own no one can come to Jesus, the cost is too high,
Yet through God it can be done.

In fact, look down to verse 27, “Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”

The disciples recognized it as impossible, and yet they had done it.
HOW?
God did it in them.

With God salvation is possible.

He is by nature a Savior.
And He can move in your life and give you the grace
To deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Jesus.

But you have to come to Him for it.

If you come to him like the rich young man did and say, “What good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?”

You’ll never enter it.

But if you come in brokenness and humility
Throwing yourself on the mercy and grace of God,
He can do it for you.

Romans 3:19-24 “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”

Friend, Jesus can save you.
And God can draw you to Him.

Now at this point one could easily say, “So why bother?”
If I can’t do it anyway, and only God can,
I guess I’ll just go about my business.

That misses the point.

The command to you is this:
Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

You must turn from your sin and commit your life to Christ.
Just know that if you do that, it is only because God did it in you.
And this morning I invite you to do that very thing.

The reason you must follow Jesus
Is because He is the only way to be saved.

On your own you will never be good enough to go to heaven.

There was only ever One who satisfied the righteousness of God,
And that is Jesus Christ.

• He lived a sinless life.
• And He gave that life on a cross as a payment for sin.
• He then rose from the dead proving His sacrifice was effective.

And now salvation is offered to all
Who will turn from their sin and fully trust in Him.

• He doesn’t want church attenders…
• He doesn’t want Bible readers…
• He doesn’t want moral people…
(even though His followers do all that)

What He wants is followers.
He wants self-sacrificing, super committed, no matter the cost followers.

Those are the ones He grants salvation to.
This morning let me encourage you to commit your life to Christ.

Matthew 19:21 “Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

Why You Must Follow Jesus – part 1
Matthew 19:16-26 (16-21)
April 1, 2012

As we study through the gospel of Matthew,
This morning we come to a very interesting story.

We have often talked about this man we call “The Rich Young Ruler”.

Indeed, he may be one of the most tragic
And yet relevant illustrations in all of Scripture.

It is a text that can easily be preached independent of its context,
Simply because there is so much to learn about true salvation
As well as true evangelism.

However, when studied in context
It only serves to strengthen the point
That Matthew has been driving home to u.

I told you when we studied it, but in Matthew 16
We really hit a turning point in the gospel of Matthew.

Matthew moved away from stories that introduced Jesus as God’s Son
And began focusing in on what Jesus was teaching the twelve.

And if you will remember Jesus revealed three main things in that chapter
That Matthew has been reemphasizing ever sense.

1) THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH
It was there that we learned that Jesus is the Christ
The Son of the Living God and to that Jesus said:

Matthew 16:17-18 “And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

2) THE FORMATION OF THE CHURCH
In other words we learned how the church would rise to existence.
How the church would be formed.
And that would be through the sacrifice of the Savior.

Matthew 16:21 “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.”

3) THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE CHURCH
We have begun to learn what it means to be a part of Christ’s church.
Everything from how to enter to how to act once we do.
And the initial statement of entrance was very penetrating.
Matthew 16:24-27 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILLTHEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

And that was all very clear to us.

Since that time Matthew has carefully selected for us stories
That sort of solidify those truths into our minds.

JESUS AS HEAD
• First in Ch. 16 – “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”
• Ch. 17 – we saw Him transfigured “This is My beloved Son…”

JESUS MUST SUFFER (formation of church)
• First in Ch. 16 – “must suffer”
• Ch. 17 – on the way down the mountain
• Ch. 17 – after the demon was cast out
• Ch. 19 – under attack by the Pharisees in regard to divorce

FOLLOWING AND FELLOWSHIPPING WITH JESUS
• First in Ch. 16 – “deny self, take up the cross, follow Me”
• Ch. 17 – Peter was rebuked to “Listen to Him”
• Ch. 18 – Teaching on humility, stumbling blocks, discipline, forgiveness

And so you can see that after revealing those pivotal truths in Ch. 16th
Jesus has been reemphasizing them ever since.

THAT IS TRUE AGAIN THIS MORNING.
This morning we are once again confronted with the truths of
Denying self, taking the cross, and following Jesus

It is true that in our world we have sort of developed
A much lighter version of Christianity.

It has been often taught and believed that there is some sort of salvation
That does not require denial of self, or cross bearing, or following Jesus.

• A little church attendance will surely suffice…
• A little church involvement will surely suffice…
• A general morality is certainly good enough…

It is basically salvation without the cost of discipleship.

And it shouldn’t surprise anyone that such a theology has emerged,
After all Jesus said it would. He even gave it a name.

He called “the wide gate”

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

And from there He warned us to watch out for the prophets
Who tell you wide gate will work.

But because we are so prone to such a way of thinking
Jesus not only introduced true salvation,
But here this morning focuses on it again.

You see, it is not just us who needed it.
Even the disciples needed to have this truth driven into their minds.

Somewhere in the back of their minds they were still clinging to a belief
That following Jesus would only result in fame, comfort and riches.

Jesus is systematically changing their thinking.

And this morning He takes a drastic step in changing their thinking
Through the entrance of a man we call “The Rich Young Ruler”.

And so if you want the point of the story
It is because the Holy Spirit is using him to reemphasize
The necessity of denying self and following Jesus.

So let’s look at our text.
#1 A FUTILE ATTEMPT
Matthew 19:16

Now I suppose we could call this entire story a futile attempt,
But that is not yet what I want you to notice.

I would first like you to notice all of the accolades
That this man has achieved.

Matthew’s gospel is very unspecific simply saying “And someone came”

But Luke’s gospel helps us out a little.
Luke 18:18 “A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

And so from Luke we find out that this man was “a ruler”,
It is highly possible that he was a synagogue ruler.

Definitely someone who was successful in his relation with people
And obviously a gifted leader.

We certainly find him to have been a very religious and moral man.

When Jesus lists the commandments here in a minute, his response is:
“All these things I have kept;”

Luke’s gospel says, “All these things I have kept from my youth”

And so this guy was not only a gifted leader, but a golden example.
He was a model of morality and success.

Not only that but we know he was wealthy.
(22) “he was one who owned much property.”

And so not only did he excel in the spiritual arena,
But he also excelled in the financial one.

And beyond all that, he had done it all at a relatively young age.

For in verse 22 it says, “But when the young man heard this statement”

Now take it all in.
A rich, young, ruler.

Not to say that he is like the rich young ruler,
But if you need a mental image, think of Tim Tebow.

We are talking about the model citizen here.

This guy had it all.
He had taken life on and conquered it.

OR HAD HE?
Because this young man, despite all his success only found futility.

DO YOU KNOW WHY?
Because he didn’t know what to do with death.
He had obtained much in this life but he had not obtained eternal life.

Thus far all that he had done was nothing but a futile attempt.

BUT IT ALSO SOLIDIFIES FOR US ONE VERY IMPORTANT THING.
THIS IS A STORY ABOUT SALVATION

• This is not a story about rededication
• This is not a story about being an “extreme” follower
• This is not a story about some “additional” calling

This man, despite all his credentials, wants to know how to be saved.

A Futile Attempt
#2 A FALSE ASSUMPTION
Matthew 19:16-20

Now back to the 16th verse we find out that
This young man also had some bad theology.

For he asks, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?”

It is obvious he wants to go to heaven,
But it is also obvious that he doesn’t understand the first thing
About how to make it happen.

He thought that he could do something “good” to make it happen.

You see, this man was already living under a false assumption.
• He assumed that righteous living was within his grasp,
• He assumed that he was able to live good enough to please God.

THERE ARE MANY LIKE THAT IN OUR WORLD TODAY.

Our world is convinced that man at his core is good
(many in the church are as well)

Go to a funeral of a non-believer this week.
You’ll probably hear the preacher explain
how they were a good person and in heaven because of it.

I mean don’t we believe that man at his very center is pretty good?

Look at our nation today.
Even if someone does wrong, it is not because they are a sinner,
It is because they are a victim of circumstance.

John MacArthur gives some examples of this in, “The Vanishing Conscience.”

“In two separate cases in England, a barmaid who stabbed another woman to death in a barroom brawl, and a woman who angrily drove her car into her lover were both acquitted of murder after they claimed acute pre-menstrual syndrome addled their thinking and caused them to act in ways they could not control. Both received therapy rather than punishment.

A San Francisco city supervisor claimed he murdered a fellow supervisor and Mayor George Moscone because too much junk food – especially Hostess Twinkies – made him act irrationally. Thus the famous “Twinkie” defense was born. “A lenient jury bought the line and produced a verdict of voluntary manslaughter rather than murder.” They ruled that the junk food resulted in “diminished mental capacity,” which mitigated the killer’s guilt. He was out of prison before the mayor’s next term would have been complete.

Rioting gang members in Los Angeles beat truck driver Reginald Denny almost to death before live television cameras. A jury acquitted them of all but the most minor charges, deciding that they were caught up in the mayhem of the moment and therefore not responsible for their actions.

A drug dealer and cocaine addict from the Bronx was acquitted of murder after killing eight children and two women whom he shot in the head at point-blank range. His crime was the largest mass killing in the New York area since 1949. But jurors decided that drugs and stress “were a reasonable explanation for his actions.” They said the man “had acted under extreme emotional distress and the influence of drugs” – so they found him guilty on a lesser charge that brought only a light sentence.”
(MacArthur John, “The Vanishing Conscience” 1994; pg.22-23)

NO ONE IS BAD IN OUR SOCIETY
And all bad behavior is someone else’s fault.

We live in a society that believes we are basically good,
and deserving of eternal life.

But Scripture does not teach that.
Ephesians 2:1 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,”

Ephesians 2:3 “Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”

This concept is called, “Total Depravity”
It means that man at his very center is sinful, and in need of a savior.

It doesn’t mean he is as sinful as he could be,
Or that he doesn’t do moral things, or that he can’t appreciate good things,
But that his goodness can never measure up to that of Gods.

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned”

And I’m not talking about people who simply break the rules.
The Law came through Moses, until then, there weren’t any rules, but

Romans 5:14 “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.”

Mankind is “totally depraved”.
We are not innocent until proven guilty, we are guilty until granted pardon.

That is where Scripture differs from the world.
The world says man is basically good.

You see the rich young ruler had this same theology.
He assumed that he, at his center of being,
Was capable of doing good enough things to get to heaven.
The rich ruler asked, “What good thing must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Because he lived under the misconception
That he was capable of enough good to inherit eternal life.

We see he had a false assumption.

And Jesus calls him on it.
“Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good;”

Why are you even talking about what is good?
Good is beyond you.
There is only One who is good.

“good” is another word we throw out there pretty loose today,
But in reality nothing measures up.

DO YOU REMEMBER THE LAST TIME THINGS WERE GOOD?
Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

After that the fall occurred and things were no longer good.

God even says:
Romans 3:10-12 “as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

And Jesus wants to know on what basis
This man would call himself good.

But it is as though Jesus decides to humor the man

So Jesus answers him and says,
“but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

Notice Jesus did not say “If you want to be good…”
He said, “if you wish to enter into life”

Good was beyond this guys ability.

But if heaven is what you want, “keep the commandments”

And that is obvious.
The Law reveals the perfect righteousness of God.
All you have to do is keep it flawlessly and you will go to heaven.

But this man is looking for a loophole.
He said, “Which ones?”

DO I HAVE TO KEEP THEM ALL (impossible) OR ARE THERE SOME REAL IMPORANT ONES?

And we know all about that.

Without saying as much we know that if you want to go to heaven
• Then you need to not be a homosexual,
• And you need to not have an abortion,
• And you shouldn’t kill somebody,
• And you need to be patriotic,
• And you need to be hard working,
• And you need to remember the Alamo

And if you do all that, then you’ll probably go to heaven.

It reflects a belief that there is a standard
We can attain that is good enough.
It may not be all the commands, but surely it is good enough

WE THINK WE ARE GOOD ENOUGH
BECAUSE WE DON’T THINK GOD CARES THAT MUCH.

This man obviously didn’t think total obedience was required,
So he asked “which ones?”

And Jesus answered:
(18-19) “And Jesus said, “You shall not commit murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus lists commandments number 6,7,8,9 and the second greatest
Which by the way typifies the whole law.

And initially the man is thrilled.
(20) “All these things I have kept;”

Then he asks
“What am I still lacking?”

The question indicates that this man thought:
• Either there is part of the Law I have not heard about
• Or maybe there is something to do in addition to the Law

But either way, you can hear his admonition that he was good enough.

A Futile Attempt A False Assumption
#3 A FAIR ASSESSMENT
Matthew 19:21

And now comes the evaluation of Jesus.

You see, by his own evaluation he was a good person,
Just needing to double check everything.

But he needed the evaluation of Jesus.
And that is what he gets here.

“Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete…”

“complete” translates TELEIOS
“having reached its end, finished, complete, perfect”

Want to know where else it is used?
Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

When Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount
He didn’t just promote general obedience.

He didn’t just push for “goodness”.
He didn’t just want you to obey half of the Ten Commandments.
Jesus said that God demands perfection.

A form of that same word is used in John 19:30
John 19:30 “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”

There of course the word meant that Jesus did all that needed to be done.
There was nothing left to do.

That is the word

That is what He told this man.
“If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

Now understand what Jesus just told this man.

We know perfection is required
And Jesus told this man that the way to get it
Was by selling everything and following Jesus.

“Timeout preacher! Are you saying that to go to heaven I have to sell everything and give it to the poor and then I can go to heaven?”

No, I’m not.
In reality that isn’t nearly enough.

Jesus is saying the same thing here
That He told the disciples back in chapter 16.

Matthew 16:24-27 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

Everyone must “deny self” in order to follow Jesus.
• For the Rich Young Ruler it was his money.
• For Matthew it was his tax booth
• For Peter and Andrew it was their fishing business
• For James and John it was their father

You could sell everything and give it to the poor,
But that isn’t near enough to get into heaven.
What Jesus requires is all of you.

The gospel message does not begin with the word “sell”
As though heaven could be purchased for a sum.

The gospel message begins with the word “repent”
Because you must remove every single heart idol
That would take the place of God in your life.

You cannot keep this life and follow Christ.
And I could literally take up the rest of your afternoon
Showing more Scriptures that support this.

Matthew 13:44-46 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

TURN TO: Luke 14:15-27

And I hope you see the point.
• Which of the disciples kept their old manner of life?
• Which of the disciples spent the rest of his days focused on the world?
• Which of the disciples returned to their former manner of life after Jesus left?

None did (I guess you could make a case for Judas)

Peter will even say later in verse 27, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You…”
And that is what Jesus is telling this man.

“If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

Obviously we are not going to make it through the rest of this text this morning, but let me wrap it up and make sure you see what is going on.

What did this young man come asking about?
How to go to heaven.

What is the answer Jesus gave?
“follow Me”

And what was necessary if this man was to follow Jesus?
“sell your possessions and give to the poor”

Listen clearly to me here.
The invitations of Jesus were so different
From the invitations that are often given today.

Jesus didn’t go around asking people
If they wanted abundant life or if they wanted to go to heaven.

Jesus went around telling people they needed righteousness
And explaining how to get it.

And the answer with Jesus was always the same, “follow Me”

 

Folks, don’t count on your own goodness
To accomplish anything for you.

Don’t assume that God doesn’t care about perfection.

And don’t think that Jesus will let you keep your sin
And save you anyway.

 

“If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow Me.”

This was the invitation of Jesus, and it is the same today.