Amen. Please be seated. If you have a Bible, let me invite you to turn with me to Matthew chapter 19. We've come to the end of the chapter verses 27 to 30 and here at the end, the question is put to us, is it worth it to follow Jesus?
The question is raised because a rich young ruler had rejected him. He had a position of authority, he had an abundance of wealth, presumably anticipating as a youth, a young man, a long life ahead of onward and upward. The potential in his condition was enormous, but he would not serve Jesus in his youth. His position in life and his possessions in this world had captured his heart and had become a kind of God to him and he wouldn't repent.
He wouldn't give up as Jesus called him to do. He wouldn't give up his false gods to have Jesus be his God. And Jesus said to his disciples, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. And the disciples are astonished by that.
They ask the questions we've seen. Who then can be saved? I mean, think of the guy himself. He came up to Jesus asking a spiritual question, what do I need to do, Jesus, to have eternal life?
And he was a wealthy man and for them, they just assumed that God had richly blessed him. And if he's a blessed man and interested in spiritual things, asking spiritual questions, and yet he turns his back and walks away. And Jesus says, you know, it's harder for a camel to go through the eye of an eagle than it is for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples are thinking, well, then I mean, if this man can't be saved, who then can be saved?
And Jesus says with man, it's impossible. But with God, all things are possible. You remember, he said that and we noted, we can't save ourselves. Jesus is saying, it's not in us to save ourselves with man.
It's impossible. But God can save rich or poor. We can't save ourselves, but God can save us. And when he does save us, when he pardons all of our sins, when he accepts us as righteous in his eyes because of Christ, he also turns our hearts.
And he turns them away from trusting in the things of this world, trusting in these false gods of riches or power and position, trusting in the good things of this life as proof we have eternal life. And we find it in Jesus, not in this world. There's so many lessons, of course, in the story of the rich young ruler. But his story is the connection to this closing passage before us where the disciples want to know, is it worth it to follow Jesus?
What does Jesus have to say? Let me invite you to consider Matthew chapter 19, verses 27 through 30. Then Peter said in reply, see, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?
Jesus said to them, truly I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on 12, 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for my name's sake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last and the last first. Amen.
May God write this on our hearts. Let's look to him in prayer. Our Father in heaven, teach us your word. Show us Christ, draw our hearts to him and help us to know what is the riches of your glorious inheritance in the saints, what it is to belong to you and to be a co-air with Christ.
In his name we pray. Amen. One of the great messages of the story of the rich young ruler, as we've been saying, is that Christ separates us from the world or the world separates us from Christ. There are basically two kinds of people in this world.
There are those who have been separated by Christ from the world and those who are separated by the world from Christ. And it's a question of the heart. Whether we're rich and powerful, have high positions and name recognition, whether we have an abundance of the good things of this life and all the prospects of this world or whether we're poor and powerless in low positions and unknown have very little of the good things of this life and very little prospects in it. The question is what has captured our heart?
Where is our heart? Is it with this world or is it in Christ and with Christ? For every believer in Jesus then who has given up making this world and the things of this world their God, their deity, their greatest passion and pleasure and desire. The question arises is it worth it to follow Jesus in this world?
And the passage has a met encouragement for every believer. Peter asks verse 27, see he says we left everything and followed you, what then will we have? And Jesus says let me tell you what my followers receive from me. They receive the highest authority under heaven itself.
They receive a hundred times what they leave behind. They receive the best life, eternal life that lasts forever. No person says J.C. Ryle will ever be a real loser by following Christ.
The believer may seem to suffer loss for a time when he first begins the life of a decided Christian. He may be much cast down by the afflictions that are brought upon him on account of his religion. But let him rest assured that he will never find himself a loser in the long run. Christ can raise up friends for us who shall more than compensate for those we lose.
Christ can open hearts and homes to us far more warm and hospitable than those that are closed against us. And above all, Christ can give us peace of conscience and inward joy and bright hopes and happy feelings which shall far outweigh every pleasure or pleasant earthly thing that we have cast away for his sake. He has pledged his royal word that it shall be so. None ever found that word to fail.
Let us trust it and not be afraid. Peter is trying to figure out can I trust Jesus? And with what do I trust Jesus? And when Jesus told the rich young ruler, leave all that behind, come follow me and you will have treasure in heaven.
Jesus raised the issue first. Peter is an immersory here just trying to figure out how he can get his hands on the goods. But Jesus raised the issue of treasure to the rich young ruler. And Peter following up on that wants to know, tell us some more about that.
So I mean is Peter concerned that Jesus is going to be unfair to the 12? I don't think so. Is Peter speaking here with pride? Look, look, it's all we've done for you Jesus.
In contrast to that rich young ruler, I mean some think so. And the hearts of God's people have very mixed motives. Maybe there's some of that here. Well, maybe there's some of this.
Lord Jesus, I have an encouraging word for you. I know, as Mark told us, Jesus loved the rich young ruler who turned his back and went away. And maybe Peter here is cheering him up in a manner of speaking. You know, Lord, the rich young ruler, we all saw him leave to keep his own possessions to follow you.
But we love you. Do you believe in you? I mean, Peter had left a prosperous fishing business with his brother Andrew. James and John likewise, and we know it's prosperous because they own their own boats.
They had servants who helped them fish. They had the prospects of inheriting that business if their father was gone. Matthew himself had left the tax collecting business, which was very profitable. They had all spent a great deal of time far away from their own homes in service to following Jesus.
And Peter may be here seeking a bit of reassurance. Is it truly worth it to follow you, Lord? And Jesus says, your commitment to follow me will never finally impoverish you. Because God does not call upon his people ultimately to serve him without blessing.
He does not call us to serve him without reward. And everything that God calls us to give up in this life for the sake of Jesus, he is prepared to compensate in blessing. This whole issue of God's rewards in the call to discipleship is vital for each of us because there are times you are called to give up certain relationships, property, money, reputation, all manner of things. And it's tempting to be bitter that you had to give that up to follow Jesus though you've done it.
And the Lord Jesus says, do not believe that what you give to God outweighs what God gives to you. No, we need this motivation to walk faithfully with Jesus and he gives it. I mean, what does he promise his people here in answer to this question? Notice he promises the future possession of ruling authority, verse 28, the possession of a hundredfold of what we give up now, verse 29, the inheritance of life that never ends end of verse 29 and even the blessings of God to those who are last in verse 30.
Let's think about these four things. Jesus promises the future possession of ruling authority, verse 28. Jesus said to them, truly, I say to you, listen up, he says, pay attention, don't overlook what I'm about to tell you. What's that in the new world when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on 12 thrones.
Jesus is looking forward to his heavenly rule, right? He's going to sit on a glorious throne or a throne of glory. So Jesus here is thinking not so much of the inauguration of his kingdom. He's not even thinking of the expansion of his kingdom in this world, but he's thinking of that consummated kingdom of grace in glory where he will sit on his throne.
We are in this world encouraged to think of that throne as a throne of grace and we are invited as Hebrews says to come boldly to the throne of grace to receive mercy and help in our time of need. But we are also invited to consider that one day in the new world Jesus calls it or the regeneration he calls it. When God makes all things new in the new heavens and new earth, Christ will descend and Christ will rule and Christ will reign visibly in every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And Jesus says, you know what?
In that day I will share my rule with you who have followed me. You, he tells them you who have followed me will sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. At least we get the idea of 12 thrones in the 12 although Judas of course betrayed him and won't be on one of those. I think that's why Jesus uses the language of you who have followed me.
It excludes Judas who hasn't yet abandoned him. He says they'll judge the 12 tribes of Israel at Luke 22 28. Jesus says you are those who stayed with me in my trials and I assigned to you as my father assigned to me a kingdom that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. His faithful followers are promised ruling authority.
Now the theologians are divided over what he means by the 12 tribes of Israel here. Does he mean these Jewish men who are now his disciples? They embrace him as Messiah will will one day judge the people of Israel who ultimately reject Jesus the Messiah? Does he mean that?
Does he mean differently? That note they will shepherd the people the tribes of Israel. Like an Old Testament judge was raised up to lead or govern or rule or shepherd the people of God. Does he mean that's what they're going to do in the new heavens and new earth?
Or does he mean the 12 tribes language here is a stand in for the whole world of believers because as we discover more and more and over time the Gentiles will be brought in and saved and grafted into Israel and become one body together over which Jesus will rule and does he mean they too? Well we don't have to kind of pursue all that today. There's a lot more in the Bible about those matters but let me just encourage us all. All of God's people will share in the ruling authority of Jesus over the entire universe.
Why did I say that? First Corinthians chapter 6 verse 20 says it in the midst of believers pursuing one another which was not a credit to them. Paul says do you not know that the saints will judge the world and if the world is to be judged by you are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge the angels?
How much more than matters pertain to this life? Or think of Jesus as promised to the church at Thyatira, one of those seven churches in Revelation chapter 2 at the end. Jesus says the one who conquers and keeps my works to the end to him I will give authority over the nations and he will rule them with a rod of iron as when earthen potter broken in pieces even as I myself have received authority from my father. I have received authority to rule and you will rule with me.
He'll say the church at Laodicea the seventh of those letters in Revelation 3 21. The one who conquers I will by the way the conqueror is not some super Christian it's not some saint and all the rest of us are just Christians but not saints. The conqueror is the one who through faith in Christ persevered to the end and all true Christians persevered. He says I will grant him to sit with me on my throne as I also conquered and sat down with my father on his throne.
This gives us a moment to think about heaven doesn't it? I mean contrary to some popular conceptions right the Bible doesn't say when we enter heaven we become like angels float on clouds and play harps all day. When Jesus renews all things he recreates heaven and earth the regeneration our resurrected body will dwell in a restored creation and we will worship God absolutely yes but there's no reason to deny that we will also fulfill the mandate God gave us in the original beginning. What were we made for but to have dominion over the earth to be lords and ladies kings and queens of Narnia right I mean to be under God the authoritative governors of having dominion over for the glory of God and for the good and the well-being not for the exploitation and suffering of everything God has made and while many familiar activities will be gone in heaven I mean things that address the sorrows of sin the miseries of this life many occupations will no longer exist in heaven we praise God for those occupations now because they they establish justice or alleviate misery but there will be in heaven no soldiers no surgeons no prison guards no ambulance drivers but we will be able to fulfill the kinds of work God originally intended for humanity God made us for rule for dominion for authority and we will be we will co reign with Christ over all things the rich young ruler was unwilling to give up his life of rule which selling all of his possessions and walking away from his job and he may have been a ruler in the synagogue that be the common way to look at that expression and he was going to give all that up to follow Jesus and Jesus tells his own disciples you may have left everything to follow me but the rich young ruler made a bad choice because I'm the true king of kings I'm the true Lord of lords and I will share my rule with my people that's the first thing what else does he give us well the possession of a hundredfold of what we give up even now verse 29 and everyone verse 29 who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for my name's sake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life now you never give God Jesus to say you never give more than what God returns to you a hundred fold now you are called to give up things you've got to give up your idols we are called to turn from our love and trust in the stuff of this world even even the people we love and care for as ultimate priorities and put our love and trust in Jesus first as the true God and use all of the rest of it in service to him or he be used by him in service of the rest of it but it may be we give up money some of us may give up homes others lands some of us certain family relationships by simply the fact of trusting in Jesus being rejected by father or mother or a brother or a sister or by your adult children you may be mocked laughed at ridicule ostracized you may in following Jesus have left behind family inheritances and been uninvited to family gatherings in this life the world and the devil will get their pound of flesh and you for the sake of loving Christ will give up idolatrous things yet you receive back more from the Lord than you ever give up is what Jesus says because God is no man's debtor Romans 11 who has ever given to God that he should repay that God should be in your debt he will never be in your debt he will so out give you it'll just blow your mind and how great his gift his gifts are to you that you don't deserve you don't purchase them you don't earn them but you you turn by the grace of Christ and live a new kind of life and that means turning away from certain things and if one of Jesus disciples has for the sake of Christ left father behind the father who rejects Christ maybe rejects their own son who's become a believer he will find within the church within the family of God a hundred fathers who will love and care and be interested in and encourage him in his spiritual life and if not a father maybe it's a mother or it's a brother or it's a sister if the door to your earthly family home is close to you you will find a hundred doors open to you in the family of God when well Matthew here says you'll receive a hundred fold and then eternal life or and also eternal life the question is is he saying we'll get a hundred fold in heaven and heaven only or will we get any of this here and now Mark chapter 10 verse 30 is explicit he says in this time in this present age you will receive back a hundred fold the mark also adds and with them persecutions so it's not all heaven on earth here folks you read the whole Bible in its totality in fact God does give generously to you here and now and yet the world will stand opposed to you they'll try to take it away they'll walk away you'll lose at times and so Calvin notes his promise of a hundred fold recompense does not seem to square with experience or we might say with the experience of some anyway for usually those as Calvin who for the testimony of Christ are deprived of parents or children or other relatives or of their marriage partners or have lost all their money do not recover but struggle out their life in lonely and deserted exile and in poverty but I reply that if anyone rightly assesses God's present grace by which he alleviates the miseries of his children he will confess that it is to be preferred to all the riches of this world Matthew Henry noting that Jesus again does not promise us heaven on earth says as long as our master's glory is delayed it is fit that ours should be so too yet the Lord will provide for our needs he will supply not all of our desires not all the things we imagine we want but don't need or that would be bad for us but but he has promised and pledged himself that he will never leave us and never forsake us and that he will meet the needs and cares of his people until he takes us home to that glory where the hundred fold cannot be overlooked or misunderstood Jeff Thomas tells a story of a missionary who failed to receive her check one month and and was impoverished by that for the month and also very very ill and and since she had no money she she had to survive for the month on a diet of oatmeal and tins of condensed milk and the following month her check arrived on time she recovered from her illness and returned to Britain a few months later for furlough and she made a check up with her doctor and mentioned what had happened and he said well what was wrong with you and and she described her intestinal syndrome and he thought for a moment and said well if you had gone on eating what you normally ate you wouldn't be here today the best treatment for that condition is a 30 day diet of oatmeal got himself as the best judge of what we need and he will supply those needs at their proper time as wisdom dictates but the point is you and I will never out give God we may be prepared to suffer the loss of all things in this world for the privilege of serving God in this world we may have to but but and we may have to lose a promotion get turned down for a raise be fired at work because we follow the Lord Jesus and stand for him that may be part of the cost of following Christ for us in this world but God as another put it doesn't pay out every Friday but he always pays and he always pays extremely well if you serve Jesus he will see to it that you are blessed beyond your wildest dreams many times a hundredfold what you have given up for him in this life that's the second thing the third promise of course is and you will inherit eternal life and to verse 29 the inheritance of life that never ends he says now again not that you're purchasing eternal life not that you're deserving eternal life you inherit it and inheritance is a gift that's given by one who possesses it and can bestow it God's eternal life is a gift from our Father and you won't get everything here and now and in eternal life was the very thing that rich young ruler had asked about how can I have it and Jesus says well you can inherit it if you follow me you will have the true life that never ends if you follow me you will be a co-air with Christ of all things and you will co-rain with Christ over all things the apostle Paul says first Corinthians three all things are yours all things are yours whether Paul or Paul or Cephas or the world or life or death or the presence or the future all are yours and you are Christ's and Christ is God's Christ belongs to God you belong to Christ everything belongs to you he says because it all belongs to God so Jim Elliot was was correct when he quoted the Puritans he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose notice this fourth and last one the blessings of God even to those who are last verse 30 verse 30 but many of your first will be last and the last or at first this is one of those proverbial sayings that pops up on a number of occasions throughout the scripture Jesus says there's a great reversal of expectations in my kingdom Jesus says you know those who have the most here in this context will not necessarily have the most there in that those who have or seem to have it all here may in fact have nothing for themselves if in the end they go to hell and not heaven and those here who have nothing at all into the poorest of the poor may in fact be fabulously rich in heaven there are a lot of surprises coming because many who are first first here will be last there and the last here first there John Newton the converted slave trader the writer of that wonderful hymn Amazing Grace he said this you know if I ever reach heaven and he wasn't doubtful that he was in Christ but he said you know if I ever reach heaven I expect to find three wonders there first to meet some I had not thought to see there second to miss some I thought to meet there and third the greatest wonder of all to find myself there many the religious will be barred from the kingdom because they're too righteous to put their hopes in Christ but text collectors and prostitutes will be welcomed and those are the last in this world size one thing that keeps people from following Jesus is the feeling that the cost of following Jesus is too high we give away too much those who have high positions and significant authority in this world don't lose but gain if they follow Christ and those who have great wealth and possessions in this world don't lose but gain if they follow Christ and those who have decades yet ahead of them in this life don't lose by investing their youthfulness in service to but gain for an eternity of ennobling responsibility and happy health and vigor in authority and dominion over the universe in this world any of the things of this world can be taken from you at any moment you could be fired from high positions voted out of office defeated in battle as a commander or private in battle you could be stripped of your wealth by corruption by inflation by taxation your health can turn on a dime to be here today and gone tomorrow but no good is ultimately lost if you trust in Jesus and follow him as a disciple so is it worth it?
absolutely the rich young ruler feared to give up his position of authority his possession of wealth and his youth in service of self and Jesus says to Peter and all of us you follow me and you'll have everlasting ruling authority the return of a hundredfold of what you give up now the inheritance of a life that never ends and these blessings God says are even for those who are last in this world so put your hope in Jesus let's pray father thank you for your son our Savior the friend of sinners thank you for his ruling and reigning now and the coming exalted glory and father thank you that you made us for that you made us to be a kingdom and priest to God in Christ you redeem us to that and so we pray that you would redeem each of us and help us to know the hope that we have in following you in Jesus name I pray amen let's stay together and sing