NCBC: Sermons: Recent Episodes
New Castle Bible Church
Our salvation is great due to the fact that we are part of a better covenant that provides us with a better heart and a better relationship with God because of the better forgiveness we have received through Jesus.
True strength is not found in ourselves, but in our dependence upon Christ, the perfect priest/king.
God has changed an imperfect priestly system by inaugurating a better covenant through Jesus.
God has changed an imperfect priestly system by introducing a better hope through Jesus.
To welcome means to receive with gladness, with longing and anticipation, and to treat as a brother or sister in the family.
Christ's welcome brings the dead to life, gives strength to the weak, and hope to the desperate.
God desires His people to live out the full assurance of their hope in Jesus to the very end.
Comfort is found not in the successes or prestige of this world, but as we encounter the crucified and risen Christ in our weakness.
We as God's people are so securely guided with Christ as our head that there is no doubt of God's graciousness towards us, even in times of deep distress.
We should live with respect for human life because of our respect for God and the gospel message of life.
The Bible teaches about heaven so that we can be encouraged, strengthened, warned, and invited to partake in it.
Since Jesus is the pioneer of our salvation, we get to share in the glorious path He has paved.
We have been forgiven! We are called to forgive. But forgiveness can be difficult...today we'll talk about six common struggles related to forgiveness.
God’s lavish forgiveness of us in Christ should lead to our willingness to generously forgive others.
The solution to our helplessness and wretchedness is freedom from condemnation because of the Christ and the indwelling Spirit.
God’s will is that every believer continually pursue sexual purity from the inside out.
If you fail to pay close attention to Jesus, you will gradually drift farther away from Him.
We are fully known by our Creator who loves us and is with us as we sojourn in this world.
And, after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Pray that God would cause your faith to remain steadfast as you behold the supremacy of Jesus in Hebrews.
The local church is strengthened when its members are committed to restoring one another when sin becomes evident.
Every Christian has the responsibility to grow in holiness because it is the only evidence we have a saving faith in Jesus.
We care well for others in the church by bearing their burdens, by the grace of the greatest burden bearer, Jesus Christ.
Even in matters of secondary importance where we might disagree, we should never let non-gospel, non-essential, non-sinful matters become barriers to our fellowship.
Corporate worship is the fullest expression of God’s plan for us to enjoy and celebrate Him on earth.
I will generously steward my God-given resources and spiritual gifts for the spread of gospel ministry.
The local church is strengthened when its members are committed to following the leadership of their God-appointed elders.
The local church is strengthened when its members are committed to the authority of God's Holy Scriptures.
Jesus’ Church is strengthened when His followers are formally committed to a local assembly of fellow believers.
Jesus, the greater Jonah, is the ultimate example of God’s grace to rebellious sinners.
The fear of God is when my heart and mind respond solemnly to God and His works with faith, love, and a consuming desire to glorify Him in all that I do.
We, who are far more like Jonah than we think, need a greater Jonah who willingly obeys and lays down his life for our sake.
In order for us to love God and others well, we must begin by listening to the words of Jesus.
Because Jesus is worthy, you can rest securely in His ability to see you through the challenges of your Christian life, and praise Him for accomplishing your full salvation.
Moving forward in faith requires us to frequently pause and reflect on God’s grace in our lives.
Joyful contentment in all circumstances only occurs when we learn to be satisfied in God alone.
Be known for your gentleness and Christlike mind, not for your worrying or stinking thinking.
Paul really loved the folks at Philippi. He wanted their love to abound and prayed for them often. His words, “I have you in my heart” and “I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ” are proof positive.
Our spiritual growth involves imitating other godly people who are pursuing the goal of the resurrected life with Christ.
Christian friendship flows from our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and is built upon a shared commitment to His Lordship.
Confidence for our salvation is found NOT in our failing works but in the finished work of Jesus.
The intercession of Jesus Christ provides us with acceptance, confidence, and blessing.
God uses the ministry of the Gospel to give sight to our souls so that we see God's glory. The soul that sees God, begins to become like Him. The more we see, the more we will grow. The more we grow, the more we will see.
God's children are able to shine as lights to the world because of their conduct and character.
Since God is working in us to fulfill his purposes, we must work hard to live as lights to the watching world.
To walk worthy of the gospel means to live in such a way that the world sees how worthy, precious, and gracious Jesus is.
Obstacles, such as suffering and opponents, are really opportunities for God to advance the gospel.
Times change, circumstances change, emotions change, and people change. If our love is built on the wrong foundation, it will fade. If it is built on the foundation of God’s love, it will stand forever because His love endures forever and nothing can separate us from it (Romans 8:38-39).
We are called and empowered to live as humble, joy-filled citizens of a heavenly kingdom, behaving in a manner worthy of the gospel, demonstrated through our selfless service, unity, and Christlike mind, and manifested in our proclamation of the glorious news of a joy-filled God.
During hard or uncertain times in the life of the church, we need to remember what is true...the church is Christ's, He is in control, and He will be glorified.
I we desire the children in our church to love and worship God, we must worship Him and treat Him as holy.
Having been brought out of darkness, you are now called to reflect the light of Christ.
...to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Understanding our life before Christ helps us better appreciate the greatness of God’s power in salvation.
Give thanks for genuine faith, that grows in the knowledge of God, in submission to the Son.
Evil never thwarts God’s plan; God even intends for human sin to accomplish His good plan.
One of the clearest displays of the gospel is to move towards hard places and broken people, not away from them.
When life gets hard, when things don’t make sense... when you say, “Why God? Why is this happening?” That’s when you find what Jesus is truly worth to you.
As those who haven been forgiven, we must lovingly welcome fellow members of God’s family.
Our bodies and minds are continually under assault and influence to worship anything but God. So respond by putting yourself in a position where you can be compelled by God’s mercy continually.
Jesus' condemnation of religion causes us to question whether we trust in Christ alone.
Jesus silences all challenges to His supremacy
Knowing Jesus is the greatest of all delights! I pray that our worship together continues to fuel and deepen this conviction for every one of our souls this morning.
Let’s continue our worship now by opening God’s Word to Matthew chapter 22. If you do not have a Bible with you, simply raise your hand to receive a Bible this morning.
We are going to take the next two weeks to study Matthew 22 verses 15-46, where Jesus silences all of His religious opponents one final time before the cross.
Since there’s a whole lot for us to consider in these 31 verses, I want to introduce you to the, structure of this passage before we read it together.
This last half of Matthew 22 is like an verbal sparring contest between Jesus and the Jewish leaders. In the first three rounds the religious leaders challenge Jesus with questions intended to discredit him in front of the infatuated crowds. However every time Jesus’ answer leaves them speechless.
Round 4 is the knock-out round, where Jesus Himself goes on the offense and asks the religious leaders a question they cannot answer, thereby cementing His supremacy over the religious leaders and proving for the final time before His death that He indeed is the Son of God, the Christ, who alone is deserving of our worship.
1 Exodus 12:3; c.f. John 1:29
After all, remember where we are in Matthew’s gospel:
In chapter 21 Jesus entered Jerusalem on Lamb- selection day,1 receiving the hosannas and praises from all the Passover pilgrims. Then Jesus cleansed the Temple, completely disrupting the lucrative system of temple commerce the Jewish leaders had placed within God’s house.
Of course these leaders challenged Jesus’ authority, but only to have Jesus respond with three judgment parables: the parable of the two sons, the parable of the wicked tenants, and the parable of the wedding feast, that all previewed God’s judgment against these unbelieving Jewish leaders who refused to recognize Jesus as their long-promised Messiah.
So as we read our passage now, please understand, it’s still Tuesday of Passover week. It’s just three days before these same leaders will turn Jesus over to the Romans to be crucified.
And these Jewish leaders are now nursing their wounds, their pride is still stinging after Jesus just applied three judgment parables to them.2 And so now, they make one last ditch effort to recover themselves in front of the crowds. This is one last ditch attempt to regain any leverage over Jesus.
But of course, Jesus is God. And so Jesus always silences all challenges to His supremacy.
Matthew 21:45
So please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word,
as I now read this fascinating 4-part debate from Matthew 22, verse 15, in the English Standard Version:
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.
23 The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and
having no offspring left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.” 29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching. 34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lordyour God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these twocommandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” 41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,
44 “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet” ’? 45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
This is the reading of God’s Word. Let’s Pray Together.
What competition does Jesus have in your life? What voices or values challenge the Lordship of Jesus over you? What are you most tempted to obey or serve rather than our Glorious Christ?
Matthew 22 reveals that, Jesus silences all challenges to His supremacy, for God has given His Son first place in every expression of reality.
And yet, when we’re honest, we admit that we often challenge Jesus’ supremacy over us. Our devotion to God often gets strong competition from our devotion to our own self, or our devotion to our family, or even our devotion to our nation.
And so what we need to learn from this two-week study is that Jesus deserves and demands our highest devotion that far exceeds all other devotions we may have to our country, our family, or even our own self.
Before we dive into Round 1 of this debate, let’s first
Colossians 1:15-20, especially verse 18.
properly introduce our challengers:
The Pharisees were the Jewish orthodox legalists. Pharisees believed God’s Word but then added layers and layers of man-made tradition onto God’s Word in the name of holiness. There were many Pharisees, and socially they were common people. Of all the Jews, the Pharisees were the most outwardly religious. Politically they despised Rome as they did not believe God’s people should ever submit to a Gentile power.
The Pharisees’ disciples were of course those training to become Pharisees. Just like we have Elders-in- Development and Deacons-in-Development at New Castle Bible Church, the disciples of the Pharisees were the PiDs in Jesus’ day.
The lawyers or scribes were those Pharisees with the greatest expertise in Jewish religion. So when you see the word lawyer in verse 35, don’t think prosecuting attorney or criminal defense. Instead, think seminary professor. The lawyers were the most highly regarded scholarly experts of the Pharisees.
History doesn’t tell us too much about the Herodians, other than this was a group of Jews who were Pro-Herod, hence the name. A Jewish Herodian was considered a traitor, a political sell-out, because the Herodians received political favors and high-ranking positions in Israel’s government as payback for their support for Herod Antipas.
The Pharisees hated the Herodians for selling their soul for the sake of political expediency. But the Pharisees also hated the Sadducees since the Sadducees were the secular liberals who controlled the Sanhedrin, the high priesthood, and all Temple worship. The Sadducees, although fewest in number, therefore had the greatest influence on Israel’s worship. Socially, they were very wealthy from their temple commerce. And politically, they supported Rome since Rome promised financial support as long as they kept the Jews peaceable. Spiritually, the Sadducees rejected all things supernatural, and therefore did not believe in angels nor the afterlife.
Now obviously, the Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees were odd bedfellows. Normally, these Jewish sects would have very little to do with one another. But on this Tuesday before Passover, they united to challenge their common enemy, Jesus.
So with that background, let’s consider Round 1 where the Pharisees send their disciples along with the Herodians to try to trap Jesus with,
4 C.f. Acts 23:6-8 P
The challenge of a competing allegiance.
Verse 15 makes it clear that the Pharisees were trying to get Jesus to condemn Himself either religiously or politically.
In order for this trap to work, the Pharisees enlist some of their own disciples who would not be as well known and suspicious to Jesus, along with the Herodians who have a credibility with Rome the Pharisees don’t have.
And the trap begins with flattery in verse 16, calling Jesus a respected Teacher, saying, We know that you always tell the truth, and you’re not afraid of telling the truth no matter who is listening...
But then here comes the trap in verse 17: Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?
The Pharisees are confident that this question will condemn Jesus with either the Jews or the Romans.
After all, they wrongly believe this question will force Jesus to publicly choose, Either Rome or the Jews.
After all, if Jesus says Jews must pay taxes to Rome, then he’ll lose credibility with the Jewish people who believe the Messiah is coming to deliver God’s people from the Romans. But if Jesus maintains his Jewish allegiance by telling people not to pay the Roman tax, the Herodians can report Jesus as an insurrectionist, and Rome will then take care of Jesus.
No matter how Jesus answers, the Pharisees are confident they can get Jesus in trouble with this question.
But in verse 18, Jesus shows His divine wisdom. He sees right through their flattery, malice, and hypocrisy. And to prove His supremacy, He engages their question to show they have presented him with a false dichotomy, or a false choice. Their riddle is self-defeating the moment it is asked.
For God’s kingdom is never about competing allegiances on earth. Jesus’ followers are never more devoted to one earthly kingdom over another. God’s kingdom is about a supreme vertical devotion that transcends, informs, and makes possible all horizontal loyalties on earth.
So Jesus asks someone for a denarius. This was the small silver coin minted specifically by the Roman emperor, worth one day’s wage.
On the one side of this coin, the emperor would engrave his own image. On the other side was an inscription, often identifying the emperor as god.
Then in verse 20, Jesus asks a question so obvious that even a child could answer correctly:
Whose likeness and inscription is on this coin?
“Caesar’s.” So Jesus concludes,
Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.
Render means to pay back, or to return, or to give back what already belongs to someone.
Jesus says, Give back to the world what it owns and give back to God what He owns.
Caesar made a coin and put his likeness on it, and then asks for you to give it back to him, so give it back to him. After all, the coin is his currency, right?
But don’t miss the genius last part of verse 21, ... but give back to God the things that are God’s.
And what does God own? What did God stamp His image upon?
The human soul, right? According to Genesis, God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them.5
So give all your soul’s worship back to God, but if some earthly king wants his money back, give him back his temporary currency.
5 Genesis 1:26-27, c.f. 5:1 6 Acts 5:29; c.f. Daniel 3:18, 28
In other words, pay your taxes, but only worship God.
Jesus’ followers are first devoted to God’s kingdom before we pledge allegiance to any earthly kingdom. We show that we are worshipping God and trusting Him for all our needs by obeying our earthly emperors and governments – even while they are evil – and giving them whatever they ask, as long as they are not asking for the worship of our soul. For since only God owns the human soul, only God deserves our worship.
So our allegiance to any human government is always secondary to our worship of God. And in fact, it is our worship of God that enables us to be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the [evil] emperor as supreme, or to governors who are sent by him...7 Romans 13 clearly teaches that Christ’s followers eagerly pay whatever our earthly authorities ask us to give them because we recognize that our submission to earthly leaders ultimately demonstrates our submission to God.
1 Peter 2:13 Romans 13:1-7
Church – don’t miss the practical application for us today. Currency minted by human governments won’t go with us into eternity. It is our vertical allegiance to God that empowers our ability to give back to our earthly government whatever they ask... no matter how wicked their intent.
Therefore, Devotion to Jesus makes all other human allegiances better, not worse. After all, our identity comes from God, not government.9 So Christian nationalism has no place in God’s kingdom.10 Racism or ethnic discrimination has no place in God’s kingdom.11 Cultural or tribal superiority has no place in God’s kingdom.12
Jesus’ answer is clear: following Christ is never a choice between any two earthly forms of government. Our choice is never even between the church or the state...but between the worship of God or the worship of this world. God’s kingdom is about giving all of
Philippians 3:20; c.f. 1 Peter 2:11 10 https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-much-patriotism-is-too- much-patriotism ourselves back to God in worship. And it is our worship of God that shrinks our earthly obligations and allegiances to be as small as they truly are.
This vertical reframing of their question silenced these challengers, giving the victory in Round 1 to Jesus.Verse 22 records the Pharisee’s disciples and the Herodians marveled, left him, and went away.
Now, let’s consider, the Sadducees’ challenge from an earthly perspective.
Verse 23 reminds us that these secular liberals refused to believe anything that their science, or their learning, or their personal experience couldn’t explain. Their perspective on life and religion was entirely earthly, or natural. The Sadducees were only religious since religion was a means to their best life now!
So Round 2 is a challenge from liberal skepticism...as
James 2:1-7; c.f. Numbers 12:1 12 Colossians 3:11
these leaders try to trap Jesus in a theological debate about the afterlife.
This exchange between Jesus and the Sadducees will follow a similar format to Round 1 we just considered. The religious leaders will flatter Jesus by honoring Him as a Teacher, then present a false dichotomy, which Jesus will masterfully turn on its head and use to silence his opponents.
Keep in mind the Sadducees believed that only the first 5 books of Moses were authoritative Scripture. So in verse 24, they quote from Deuteronomy 25 where God commanded levirate marriage, where a living brother was obligated to raise offspring for his deceased brother, so that no tribe would be blotted out of Israel’s inheritance.13
Then they give a hypothetical scenario where one woman is sequentially married to seven different brothers before dying childless. And their loaded question is found in verse 28,
In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.
Now again, these Sadducees think they have Jesus over a barrel here. For they wrongly believe their question forces Jesus to,
Either break Moses’ law (by supporting polygamy and saying that this woman will have 7 husbands in the resurrection) or Jesus will have to deny resurrection!
But in verse 29, Jesus exposes just how wrong earth- bound thinking is. Jesus condemns these secular liberals on two charges:
You don’t know the Scriptures, nor do you know the power of God!
Then in reverse order, starting with the power of God, Jesus explains the foolishness of their perspective.
Look at verse 30, For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in
Deuteronomy 25:5-10
marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
In other words, Jesus teaches that, The resurrection changes our nature and our relationships.
God’s resurrection power is so strong that it changes our very nature...so that Jesus’ resurrection body still had flesh and blood that could be touched,14 but could also go through locked doors as a spirit!
God is so powerful, that when He raises us from the dead, He is able to transform what is earthly into what is heavenly. By the power of God, our natural bodies will be transformed into spiritual bodies in the resurrection,16and we will be like angels.
Notice Jesus doesn’t say that we will become angels in the afterlife. That’s not biblical. But He says we will belike the angels... in other words, we will be glorified.
Then in verse 31 Jesus exposes the Sadducees’ biblical ignorance. Knowing their preference for the first 5 books of the Bible He asks,
Matthew 28:9; Luke 24:39-43; John 20:17, 20; 15 Luke 24:31, 36-27; John 20:19
Have you not read Exodus 3:6? Where God reveals the resurrection doctrine to Moses, declaring,
I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
Where were Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when Moses wrote Exodus 3? They were long dead and gone, right? So then why didn’t God say, I was the God of each of these patriarchs?
Notice, God said I am... present tense, ongoing action... still today... I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These men still have an ongoing relationship with me as their God, which proves the resurrection!
God is not a God of the dead, but of the living.
And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at Jesus’ teaching, verses 33 concludes.
1 Corinthians 15:44
So why does Jesus make this point that resurrection changes our nature and our relationships?
Remember, the Sadducees believed this material world is the best it’s ever going to be...so get your best life now, because there’s no existence beyond the grave.
But Jesus’ kingdom is far better! This world now is simply preparing us for an eternity in God’s presence forever! Our resurrection life will be far superior to life on earth... so then stop living as if your highest devotion is to this earth, and your earthly relationships!
Instead, Live in the present, in view of who you will be in Christ in the future. Let an eternal perspective of your future resurrection govern your priorities for your present affections!
Jesus applies this to marriage in a way that can be startling. Verse 30 clearly teaches souls will not be married in heaven.
But loved ones... this makes sense when you understand why God created marriage in Genesis.17 Remember how Ephesians 5:32 teaches the ultimate purpose for marriage refers to Christ and the church?
Marriage is never ultimately about the bride and the groom. Marriage is not ultimately about having children. God says marriage is about picturing the Gospel oneness between Jesus and His redeemed Bride! Marriage is created by God to be a living picture of Jesus in covenant-faithful oneness with sinners!
Genesis 2:24-25
Suppose I showed you my wedding picture:
Wouldn’t it quickly become inappropriate if I lived my entire life obsessed with this picture, talking about and focusing on this picture so much that I actually neglected my real wife living with me? That would be weird, if I loved the photo more than the actual relationship the photo conveyed, right?
Ok. So God created marriage as an imperfect picture of Jesus’ covenant relationship with His church. Right now you and I are separated from the presence of God, and so God creates marriages as constant reminders of what it means for Jesus to be in covenant-faithful oneness with sinners like us.
Revelation 19:7-8
But once we are all in the presence of God, we won’t need the picture of imperfect and earthly human marriage anymore. For we will all be part of the everlasting Bride of Christ, participants in the perfect and heavenly marriage with Christ Himself as our husband.
So can you understand why there’s no marriages in heaven? And while this is perhaps blunt, we need to hear that there’s no sex in heaven either!
Because God’s good gifts of marriage and the marriage bed are simply imperfect earthly pictures of the perfect and everlasting intimacy that we will all experience with God in the resurrection!
The pleasures and eternal joys of our future resurrection state ... when we are set free from our mortal bodies and the sin which clings to us...and we are glorified together as the radiant Bride of Christ,18 all make living for this present world look extremely foolish and short-sighted.
Loved ones, submitting your life to the supremacy of Jesus makes all other human loves better, not worse.
So overcome all earthly competition for the devotion of your soul by focusing on your future resurrection in Christ, which empowers our suffering and sacrifice in the present for the glories which shall soon be revealed!
Jesus exposed the Sadducees as foolish liberals who were missing out on God’s best simply in their refusal to believe God’s Word and trust in His resurrection power.
We’re only half-way through this verbal sparring contest, and Jesus silences all challenges to His supremacy. No earthly allegiance or no human relationship here in this life can compare to the glories of living forever with God as our King!
So today, we have a special opportunity now to respond, by celebrating our resurrection hope by taking communion together.
If you didn’t already get a cup and cracker as you entered, please raise your hands as ushers will come by in a few moments to serve you.
Our elders recently decided that it would serve God’s glory among us if we increased our frequency of celebrating the Lord’s supper together on the first Sunday of every other month, rather than merely just once per quarter. So today is the first time we are benefiting from this new schedule, and of course it is quite fitting for us to celebrate in this meal of remembrance together after just considering Jesus’ teaching about marriage and the resurrection.
After all, when we eat and drink together we remember how Jesus shed His blood, and had His body broken, in our place, to make us His eternal bride. But we also partake with eager expectation...knowing that the day will soon come when we will all feast together in His presence – in our glorified nature of resurrected joy!
1 Peter 1:3-9
So then, if you are not yet engaged in marriage to Jesus by faith, and your heart has not yet been awakened by God’s Spirit to love Him, please just simply observe us as we participate in this ceremony of all that Christ means to us. There’s nothing spiritual about this juice or these crackers. They simply remind us of Christ’s blood and body. There’s no advantage of participating together in the symbol if you haven’t first been united with Jesus’ resurrection through personal faith and repentance.
But for those who are thankful that Jesus’ body was broken so that our sins could be forgiven, please peel back the very top layer of the juice cup to expose the communion cracker.
The cracker or bread symbolizes Christ’s broken body – to remind us that Jesus died so that we could live.
For the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it,and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Now before we take the cup and celebrate Jesus’ promise to remove all the results of our sin and make all things new in the resurrection, we are going to sing about this Wondrous Mystery we call the Gospel.
And as we sing, let’s confess any way that we’ve allowed our love for our country, or our love for our earthly family, or our love for any other earth-bound pleasure to somehow become greater than our love for Jesus Himself. As we sing together, let’s glory in our forgiveness that has been secured through the death and resurrection of Jesus our Lord! Let’s celebrate all that Jesus has done for us – He is the supreme victor who alone deserves our worship and love!
Amen and amen. Now please go ahead and peel back the second layer to expose the juice in the cup.
In the same way also He took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Dothis, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
O Church – let’s celebrate our joyful union with Christ as we long for our resurrection to come soon!
Praise God that His kingdom is so much better than what we tend to think is all-important to us here on earth.
Let’s pray our benediction together as we dismiss and go out into our week of living as God’s kingdomambassadors together in this world.
Does Jesus have authority over me?
It is so good to worship God with you today! If you are joining us online or in our Extra Precautions Chapel, a very special welcome to you as well. For those online, please use the links alongside the livestream for fill-in-the-blank sermon notes, the preaching manuscript, and children’s coloring pages.
Let’s continue our worship now by opening God’s Word to Matthew chapter 21. If you do not have a Bible with you, simply raise your hand to receive a Bible this morning. Today we are focusing on the marvelous authority of Jesus from Matthew chapter 21:23-46.
Since we are going to consider a longer section of Scripture this morning, I want to introduce you to the, structure of this passage, before we read it together.
These entire 23 verses are all about the authority of Jesus Christ, but there’s so much going on here it’s easy to lose the main flow of the argument if you don’t see how this text fits together.
Starting in verse 23, the ruling religious leaders of the Jews challenge Jesus about where His authority comes from. Does His authority come from God or man?
But Jesus turns the tables, asking the leaders where John the Baptist got his authority? And when the leaders refuse to answer, Jesus indirectly answers their question with two stories and a Scripture. So notice: Jesus uses two parables and Psalm 118 as proof that His authority indeed comes from God, and not people. Then in verses 45-46, we see the leaders’ response.
So as I read this passage, notice the question about Jesus’ authority, the three proofs of His authority, and the leaders’ response.
Please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word, as I read from Matthew 21, verse 23, in the English Standard Version:
23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.
33 “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.
This is the reading of God’s Word.
Let’s Pray Together.
The Scripture we’ve just read in Matthew 21 is all about authority. And if we’re honest, most of us here wrestle with some kind of authority issues.
Whether we talk about law enforcement, or bosses at work, or teenagers with their parents, or our expectations for local church elders or political leaders, our relationship with authority is often challenged, isn’t it?
We’re all quick to resist our authorities asking, “What gives you the right to control me?”
After all, authority, by definition, is: The right to exercise one’s power to enforce compliance from others. Notice the three concepts bound into the meaning of authority. Authority is first a right, an authorization or a privilege to exert one’s power or abilities or knowledge in order to enforce obedience or compliance from others.
But none of us like feeling controlled, do we? We value independence and self-rule. So we feel quite justified resisting any authority that gives us any reason at all for disapproval.
For example, check out this popular sign that hangs in work lunchrooms across our nation:
NOTICE: the following rules must be followed at all times: Rule #1, The Boss is always right. Rule #2, If the boss is wrong, see Rule #1.
If you’re like me, you don’t like this sign, right? It grates against us. We think we should never have to obey someone who demands our submission when we don’t agree. No matter if it’s our boss, or our parent, or our pastor, or our doctor, or our governor, or our school board… we take issue with anyone claiming to have the right to Lord over us.
After all, we’ve each been hurt by people who sinfully abused their authority over us for their own selfish purposes. We know the pain of being controlled by people who were very wrong, even when they thought they were right.
But today’s Scripture calls us to go vertical in our consideration of authority. For if you are willing to open your heart today, you will find yourself asking right along with the Jewish leaders in our text, Does Jesus have authority over me? Does Jesus have the right to expect my obedience to Him? Do I relate to Jesus as my Lord?
Remember what’s going on in this account. It’s now Tuesday of Passover week. Jesus is just three days from dying in our place. And in verse 23, the religious authority of the Jews, the Sanhedrin, confront Jesus while He’s teaching in their temple, asking,
By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?
After all, these religious big-wigs had authority over everything that happened in the temple. And obviously they hadn’t given Jesus any authority to cleanse the temple, receive the Hosanna praises, heal the weak, or teach in their house.
So who, or what, gave Jesus the right to exert such power in their house?
You see, there was only two possible answers to this question:
If Jesus’ authority came from other people or just his own self-appointment, then He had no right to be causing such a disruption to their temple worship. But if His authority was from God, then everyone must submit to His teaching and His works.
But the Sanhedrin was convinced that Jesus did not have God’s authority; after all, they were God’s appointed spiritual authority for the nation – or so they thought – and they hadn’t given Jesus permission to do what He was doing and say what he was saying. So these leaders are convinced that their question will publicly expose and discredit Jesus as operating outside of His God-given authority.
Now, pull over the minivan for a moment, and let this sink in. If Jesus is just another good teacher, just another human being with a magnetic personality…then He has no spiritual authority over you, and you need not obey Him.
But if Jesus is God… and His authority is divine… then you and I must obey and submit to Him. Right? If Jesus is our eternal Lord and Master, then He has the right to disrupt our life and worship however He believes best! So in verses 24 and 25, Jesus turns the tables on the Sanhedrin, promising to answer their question if they first answer His.
The baptism of John … from where did it come? … From heaven or from men?
You leaders believe you are the highest spiritual authority in Israel, so answer me this, Was John the Baptist’s ministry the work of man or God?
Now immediately these leaders huddle up, realizing “Houston, we have a problem!”
For if they answer that John’s ministry had God’s authority, they’d publicly condemn themselves…for they had all refused to believe John’s call of repentance.
But if they answer that John’s ministry was merely human, they would lose the people’s respect, for all the people believed John was sent from God.
And so how do the leaders respond in their hard-hearted unbelief and fear of man in verse 27?
“We do not know.”
Don’t miss the significance of this shocking confession. While they claimed to be the spiritual authority for the nation, this answer exposed that they actually possessed no authority from God at all.
The answer to Jesus’ question about John’s ministry was self-evident. Even all the people knew the answer to this soft-ball question. But the leaders’ refusal to publicly acknowledge that John’s authority came from heaven exposed that they were actually willfully opposed to God’s authority.
Their answer exposed that they were not living in submission to God themselves, but instead were living in submission to people’s opinions and their own hardened unbelief, as confessed in verses 25 and 26.
Loved ones… please listen carefully.
The reason people reject Jesus’ authority is never because of a lack of evidence. The reason we refuse to submit to the Lordship of Jesus is because we love ourselves and the praise of other people, more than we love God. We suppress the obvious truth of Jesus’ authority, and we refuse to acknowledge Jesus as Lord, simply because we love ourselves more.
And so Jesus refuses to directly answer their question in verse 27, but instead shares two parables which reveal His authority for those who have hearts to hear.
As we consider this first parable about two sons in verse 28, let’s ask ourselves,
How do I respond to God’s life-changing power? How do I respond when I see God’s authority displayed through the conversion of sinners?
The parable is easy enough to understand, right? A father asked both boys to do the same thing. And each boy does the opposite of what he says he will do.
So the first son disobeys his dad verbally, but afterwards repents and submits. The second son verbally agrees to obey, but then never actually submits to his father’s wishes.
So Jesus asks in verse 31, Which of the two [boys] did the will of his father?
And they give the correct, obvious answer… the first boy actually obeyed his father.
But these leaders don’t realize their answer actually adds to their own guilt! For Jesus explains in verse 31,
Truly I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. What?? Sometimes when we read Scripture today it can be easy for us to miss the shock value of a verse like this.
For the Jews, sinners like tax collectors and prostitutes, who shamelessly sold their own lives to the highest bidder, were the wretched bottom of immorality.
In contrast however, these religious leaders prayed and worshipped faithfully, they were the moral examples in their religious communities.
So perhaps in our modern vernacular we’d say, “Ku Klux Klan leaders and child abusers will be in Jesus’ kingdom before respected pastors and apologists!”
How is this possible? Because the first son represents repentant sinners! In their sin, these sinners rejected the authority of God and refused to obey. But when they heard John the Baptist preach the way of righteousness, they believed, and their lives were converted from law-breakers to law-keepers!
But the religious leaders… who professed to be God’s children, never obeyed John’s call for repentance, and even after they saw the amazing transformation that God’s power brought about in the most wicked of sinners… still they refused to repent and believe!
So listen friends. This parable teaches that humble repentance, not moral religion, is the only way into God’s kingdom. Submission and obedience, not lip-service, is the only proper response to God’s authority in your life.
You are not saved if your relationship with Jesus is only verbal. Any profession of faith that does not bear the fruits of repentance and obedience is a dead faith that cannot save.
After all, only God has the authority to transform the most wicked and vile sinners into children of God! No man has the right to make sinners righteous! Only the resurrection power of God’s Spirit can ever produce the fruits of obedience that please God in any of us!
But even when the Sanhedrin saw the conversion of sinners which clearly proved John’s ministry was from God – they persisted in unbelief.
So let’s get personal, shall we?
How do you respond to God’s life-changing power when you see it in others? When you see sinners supernaturally transformed by the power of God’s gospel, does this motivate you to greater submission to God’s authority?
Or do you simply respond to God’s power with hollow words of unbelief or fear?
Perhaps you might say to others: “I’m so happy for you!” “I’m amazed at how much God has done for you!”
But deep down inside you don’t believe God’s power is strong enough to really change you. You are too scared to surrender any control for your own life. And so you content yourself with hollow words, rather than the heart-felt repentance and the submission of faith.
Will you believe that Jesus is Lord, and only submission to His authority will unleash His life-changing power in your life?
In verse 33, Jesus tells a second parable to highlight, How I respond to God’s patience.
In this parable about a master’s relationship with his wicked tenants, Jesus is making a connection to Isaiah 5 that should have been easily recognized by these Jewish leaders. Because Old Testament prophets often referred to God’s chosen people like a vineyard.
So in this parable, the master represents God, the tenants represent Israel and her leaders, the master’s servants represent the Old Testament prophets, and the master’s son represents the Messiah – who of course is Jesus Himself.
And here’s the point: The history of God’s dealings with Israel is one of grace, but the history of Israel’s response to God is one of rejection! Over and over Israel rejected God’s prophets, spurned God’s authority, and over and over God continued to patiently send more prophets to represent His authority and call them to bear the fruits of repentance!!
When you consider Israel’s horrific persecution of God’s prophets in verse 35, there’s only one word to write down in your Bible beside verse 36, and that’s the word grace!! Supernatural, marvelous, patient grace!
And of course God’s grace is fully revealed when the Master sends His own son in verse 37 saying,
Certainly they will respect my son.
I wonder whether Jesus’ voice cracked, or His tone changed, when He spoke verses 38-39?
But when the tenants saw the Son, they said to themselves, This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance. And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Jesus spoke these words three days before the cross, and He knows Israel’s hearts are hard…their necks are stiff. They would rather kill the Master’s son than submit to the Master’s authority, and give Him the fruit of obedience.
What about you? As you look back over your life, do you see the fingerprints of God’s grace and patience?
How many times have you spurned God’s authority, only for God to send another witness, another conviction, another servant to encourage you to turn from your sin, and experience the joy of obedience to His will?
Loved ones, God has been so patient with us! We are all sinners, and God would have been right to condemn us all to hell the moment we were born! Whether we recognize it or not, every single part of our life story is marked by the historical patience of God.
So how will you respond to God’s patience towards you? With hard-hearted rebellion of self-love, like Israel’s leaders? We must not continue in sin, that grace may abound! Instead, will you respond to God’s patience with the humble fruit of obedient worship?
When Jesus asks these leaders how the master will respond after the tenants kill his son, they immediately give the right answer without realizing again that they are only adding to their guilt.
Verse 41 is a bit of a play on words. The leaders reply,
He will badly destroy those bad men… and he will give his work to others who will give him the fruit he deserves.
Without knowing it, they predict the very judgment of God that will “cut off” Israel and usher in God’s plan of His church.
These leaders should have seen clearly that Jesus had God-given authority over them. The transformation of sinners’ lives was proof that His forerunner was sent from God. The entire history of Israel testified that God’s authority was gracious and patient. And then in verse 42, Scripture itself testifies that even their rejection of Him was a sign of God’s authority.
And so let’s ask ourselves, How do I respond to God’s biblical promises? Because how I respond to God’s Word is a key indicator of whether I’m submitted to God’s authority.
Jesus’ rebuke in verse 42 is sharp: Have you leaders never read Psalm 118?
The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the Lord’s doing… it is so clear! Where did Jesus’ authority come from? From the Lord, not from man! This is the Lord’s doing!
Psalm 118 predicted how the Messiah would be rejected by the very people He was sent to save! The very stone the builders rejected becomes the cornerstone – the chief building block upon which the entire building rests! This is the Lord’s doing…and God’s right to exercise His own power is marvelous to behold!
Then in verse 43 Jesus adds, Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.
So listen carefully church: Our response to Jesus’ authority is the central issue for our lives. Jesus knows that every human soul will either submit to the authority of people, or the authority of God.
Those who serve self and live for the praise of other people, will never enter God’s kingdom, and will ultimately be crushed in judgment when the authority of our Lord Jesus falls upon them at the end of time.
But those who submit to the Lord’s authority, and break their self-reliance by falling upon Jesus in repentance and faith, will receive the kingdom and go on to produce the fruits of righteousness.
So again, How do you respond to God’s Word?
When God’s Word clearly reveals His authoritative design for your gender, or your marriage, or your finances, or when God’s Word commissions you to live as His ambassador for His glory… how do you respond?
Do you respond with unbelief, more concerned about what people think of you, than what God’s Word actually says? Or do you respond to God’s Word with the brokenness that submits to Jesus’ authority?
After all, saving faith is believing the Word of God, and acting upon it no matter how I feel, because I trust God to bring about a good result for His glory in His time.
All of this leads us to the religious leaders’ response in verses 45-46, which again punctuates today’s question, How will I respond to Jesus’ authority over me?
Will I Silence my conviction in willful rejection that leads to condemnation? Because that’s how the religious leaders responded in verse 45, right?
It’s almost like they suddenly realize that Jesus has been talking about them the entire time. All of the sudden it became clear that they were indeed rejecting the very authority of God!
And so did they fall down in repentance and cry out for God’s mercy and grace?
No… they determined they must find a better time to arrest Jesus and put Him to death, for such God-given authority had to be silenced.
So dear friends… it really is true: Jesus has the right to Lord over us. But His authority is far better than any human boss, policeman, pastor, parent, or politician. God’s authority is perfect and good. God’s authority is marvelous in our eyes! God’s authority is true and faithful. God’s authority is gracious and patient. And God’s authority forgives sins and transforms lives. So will you submit every part of your life to the authority of Jesus, our Lord, today? Will you Submit in repentance and faith that leads to salvation?
Jesus died and rose again so that we could have His inheritance. Jesus reigns as Lord and bestows His riches on all who call upon Him in humble dependence.
You’ll never merit His mercy. In fact, it is the very power of God that raised Jesus from the dead, that is enabling you right now to believe, and turn from your sin, and submit to the life-giving authority of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rejoice in the wonder of Jesus' resurrection.
Good morning church! Jesus lives and He reigns as King over everything! He is risen!! Yes, He is risen indeed!!
Jesus is not dead. Jesus is alive and this morning we quiet our hearts to gather around His word. We come to renew our hope in His resurrection. The tomb is empty – and God is worthy of worship from our thankful hearts.
Our Scripture today comes from chapter 20 of John’s gospel. So please open your Bibles and prepare to read from John chapter 20 in just a few moments.
I want to add my special welcome to all our guests today. Whether you are online, or in our Extra Precautions Chapel, or here in this room with us, welcome! New Castle Bible Church is a family of imperfect people who partner together in humble dependence upon our Glorious Christ. So if you desire a safe and loving community where you can truly learn about the God who created you, and rescued you, and has given you an everlasting purpose for His glory, come and worship Jesus with us. Personally, I’d love to meet you today, so please come up and introduce yourself after the service. If there’s any way we can encourage you with God’s love today, we are eager to do so!
Now let’s read God’s Word together. Typically we stand up for the public reading of Scripture, in order to call attention to the privilege it is for us to hear God’s own Words read aloud among us. So please stand now, and follow along as I read from John chapter 20, verse 1, in the English Standard Version:
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
This is God’s Word.
Let’s Pray Together.
The Scripture we’ve read this morning begins and ends with a reference to a woman named Mary from Magdala. She was known as a Magdalene; one who came from the small fishing port on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
But this Mary had a very dark past. Luke chapter 8 reveals that this Mary had once been tormented by seven demons.
Just pause for a moment and consider what Mary must have been experienced as a tormented prisoner to seven demons before she met Jesus.
No doctors could give her relief. No priests could give her relief. She never knew when the demons would cause her to shriek or convulse or rage…and so of course she was considered a lunatic by all of society. The demonic anguish was one of suffocating shame, sin, and squalor. All hope for her had been long ago given up… and she was left mostly alone, as a tormented prisoner of Satan’s demons. No joy, no freedom, no remedy, no comfort…only a perpetual agony of seven different kinds …completely and wholly submerging her life into a pit of darkness which longed for death as the only hope for relief.
Do you know anyone like her? Do you know anyone whose life is controlled by, and enslaved to, darkness? Maybe Mary reminds you of yourself? Do you feel trapped, tormented by demons, enslaved by lies or addictions, or just plain crazy? Maybe you don’t even recognize the person you’ve become…and all hope of living like a “normal” human being seems far out-of-reach for you now.
This Mary understands your darkness. This Mary understands your shame and suffering. And on this Easter morning, it is this Mary who serves as our tour guide in the garden of the empty tomb.
You see, the resurrection of Jesus offers us all reason to hope again. Resurrection light pierces through our darkness today, and gives us reason to,
Rejoice in the wonder of Jesus’ resurrection!
After all, this Mary from Magdala had come to know Jesus personally, and all her sins had been forgiven. The demons had been forced to flee, and her soul had been restored by God’s grace. In recent years she had faithfully followed Jesus, and rejoiced at the life, hope, and freedom that He miraculously brought to others through His power and grace.
Jesus had completely changed Mary’s life! But as we pick up this story in verse 1, we discover that Mary has once again been overcome by darkness. Jesus has been ruthlessly murdered, and hastily buried before the Sabbath. All her hopes and dreams for Jesus had been crushed.
And so we meet up with this grief-stricken woman early on Sunday morning so we can also,
Seek the real significance of Jesus’ resurrection.
After all, Mary Magdalene didn’t yet understand the true significance of the empty tomb, did she?
Her love for her Lord had compelled her to come to the tomb very early…while it was still dark verse 1 says, and as the light began to dawn the first thing she saw was that the large stone had been thrown off its track, and was now lying in the garden! The tomb was open, and Jesus was no longer there!
So Mary quickly concludes someone had stolen Jesus’ body, and in her panic races off to get Peter and John saying,
They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.
You see, I want to remind all of us today that,
Jesus’ resurrection is better than it first appears
At first appearance, Mary made some wrong assumptions about the empty tomb didn’t she? She assumed that the Romans, or the Jewish leaders, or perhaps even other grave robbers, had further disturbed and defiled Jesus by moving His body.
Her profound grief caused her to miss the real significance of the empty tomb. In this first scene she entirely missed the clear proof that Jesus indeed had come back to life by the power of God and done exactly what He had said multiple times He was going to do – to rise from the dead after three days in the tomb!
And so I ask you, what do you make of Jesus’ resurrection today? What significance does His resurrection have on you personally today? After all, Easter is highly commercialized to represent the beginning of spring! In our culture, the empty tomb is just one more symbol of life, just like flowers, or bunnies, or chocolate-covered eggs full of peanut-butter.
For many of us, Easter Sunday could become merely another special holiday, full of traditions like egg hunts, pretty dresses, family photos, large meals, and all attending a church service together.
And of course there’s nothing wrong with any of those traditions in and of themselves…as long as we don’t miss the real significance of Jesus’ resurrection. The true significance of this historical event is life-changing. Jesus of Nazareth was murdered. He died, and was mummified with over 75 pounds of spices, and He was buried. This man claimed to be the Son of God, and repeatedly and publicly demonstrated His Divine power of death, disease, demons, and nature. This Jesus claimed to forgive people’s sins. He repeatedly told people how He was going to die, and that God was going to bring Him back to life exactly three days after His death. So the fact that the stone is laying out in the garden, and the tomb is discovered to be empty exactly 3 days after He was buried is extremely significant! We must not miss the point of Jesus’ resurrection!
The Apostle Paul says it this way in,
1 Corinthians chapter 15,
If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain… If Christ has not been raised your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
Translation: The resurrection of Jesus is what guarantees that Jesus is who He said He was. The resurrection of Jesus is what guarantees that Jesus can do what Jesus said He can do…. Most importantly, the resurrection proves that Jesus can forgive your sins!
Don’t miss the significance of the empty tomb! His resurrection from the dead proves that all who believe and follow Jesus can have their sins forgiven and receive eternal life!
You see dear friends,
His resurrection is for you personally!
What we are celebrating this morning is far greater than the dawn of spring or some special family holiday!
What we are celebrating is that Jesus rose from the dead to prove that everything He said was true, and everything He did was by the power of God, and that all who believe on Him may have their sins forgiven, and dwell forever with God in eternal life!!
Do you believe this morning that all your sins are forgiven by your Holy God…simply because what Jesus did for you, that you could never deserve?
If this sounds too good to be true, then I invite you to run with Peter and John to the tomb in verse 3, and
See the clear evidence of the resurrection.
Peter and John didn’t know what to make of Mary’s report. So they did what all of us need to do whenever we first hear that Jesus’ tomb is empty. We must examine the evidence for ourselves.
And so these grown Jewish men cast off their cultural inhibitions, and both start to run as fast as they can towards the tomb. Verse 4 tells us that John outran Peter, and so he got to the tomb first, and stooped in to look, but didn’t enter the tomb until after Peter arrived huffing and puffing, and barged right into the tomb to check it out for himself.
And once they were both inside the tomb, what evidence did they see?
His undisturbed grave clothes were clear evidence that Jesus in fact had risen from the dead.
You see Jesus’ dead body would have been wrapped around and around with strips of cloth, mixed with sticky aloes and fragrant spices. And now Peter and John are inside the tomb, and they can see all the linen strips lying there, but there’s no body inside them! Jesus’ body had miraculously passed through these strips of cloth…leaving them lying there undisturbed, and the face cloth was now off to the side, carefully folded up in a place by itself.
This was not evidence of a grave robbery. The undisturbed grave clothes lying in the tomb, no longer surrounding a body, with all their spices and sticky myrrh still holding the cloths together was clear evidence that Jesus had in fact supernaturally risen from the dead.
No human being could remove oneself from the grave wrappings and leave it like this. No one could possibly remove a dead body from the grave wrappings and leave it so undisturbed. There was only one explanation for this evidence, and so verse 8 says that when John saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth neatly folded off to the side, he believed that Jesus was alive!
How will you respond to this indisputable evidence that Jesus rose from the grave? Will you join with Peter and John and believe that yes, in fact, Jesus was God’s Son who died and rose again to bring about our forgiveness for sins?
Look carefully at verse 9… why did the disciples believe in the resurrection? They saw the physical evidence, and they believed…but as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead.
So let’s not miss this second and most credible evidence for Jesus’ resurrection.
His fulfilled promises of Scripture are in fact the strongest evidences of His resurrection.
Peter and John believed that Jesus was alive because of the grave clothes…but now that we are 2,000 years removed from this historical event, we have instead the stronger witness of the Holy Scriptures… that tell us about the grave clothes, and tell us about all of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances to more than 500 people at one time, and tell us about the lies the Romans and the Jews had to spread in order to explain what had happened to the physical body of Jesus of Nazareth.
The resurrection of Jesus happened just the way God Himself had said it would happen, in both the Old Testament and the New Testament Scriptures.
And so the prophetic word of Scripture gives us a more certain and sure evidence that you and I can believe. Jesus rose from the dead in perfect and complete fulfillment of all the Holy Scriptures. So will you join with the disciples, and now with Mary herself in verse 11 and, Receive the personal hope of the resurrection?
You see, in verse 11, Mary’s grief had still blinded her from seeing the truth of Jesus’ resurrection. Peter and John must have already left by the time she returned for the tomb the second time that morning, and now she was all alone…weeping and wailing loudly, desperate to find the missing body of her Lord.
Mary loved Jesus, and she had come early this morning to anoint His body in one last painful expression of love and tenderness for Jesus. But of course, His body was not there, and so now, in her despondent grief, all she can think about is how to find the body. Where’s the body… if I can just find His body, then my grief can get some closure by my giving His body a proper anointing.
We know she’s obsessed to find Jesus’ body since even the appearance of angels in verse 12 doesn’t seem to awaken her from her grief. So in verse 13, the angels ask Mary, Woman, why are you weeping?
And she responds consistently… I just need to find Jesus’ body. If I could find His body, then I’ll be happy. But I must have His body. I can’t believe someone has taken His body away from me!!
You see, sometimes we are like Mary, aren’t we? We get so focused on what has been taken from us, that we can’t possibly see what God has instead given to us.
So don’t miss the personal hope of Jesus’ resurrection, friends. Because of His resurrection,
Jesus lives and comes to you!
When your life is the darkest, and your pain is the greatest, who draws near to you but Jesus Himself?!
In verse 14, Mary turns around and sees Jesus, but she doesn’t recognize Him in His resurrected state, and so Jesus gently asks her,
Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?
And she turns away from Jesus in grief, supposing him to be the gardener, and again expresses her obsession with finding the body saying,
Sir, please just show me where his body is. And I will take him away.
She’s distraught. Confused. And hurting deeply. But Jesus is no longer dead. Jesus is now alive. And He comes to Mary personally, and with one word He changes her life!
“Mary”
Instantly her mind is awakened by Jesus calling her name, and she turns and responds,
Rabboni, meaning Teacher or Master! O friends, join with Mary and receive the personal hope of the resurrection today!
Jesus lives and calls your name!
Jesus is alive, and He draws near to you – He wants you to personally know Him and find life in His resurrection power.
And if anyone here believes that Jesus doesn’t have time for you, or doesn’t love or care for you… consider afresh what caused Jesus to reveal Himself first to Mary.
After all, Mary the Magdelene is the very first human being to see the resurrected Christ! Let that soak in for a moment.
If Jesus’ resurrection was like an action movie, who would you expect Jesus to show Himself to first? Probably Pilate right? Hey Pilate…remember me? Or Caiaphas the high Priest. Hey Caiaphas…boo! Surprised to see me? Or Herod Himself… Hey do you have any more purple robes?
That’s what we’d expect from Jesus’ triumphant resurrection according to Hollywood, right?
But that’s the very opposite of who Jesus chooses to reveal Himself to first. Not one of the twelve. Not His own mother. But a weeping distraught woman who had a very dark and demonic past. This is the one Jesus comes to. This is the name Jesus first calls.
Don’t miss the hope of this, dear broken and hurting soul. Jesus is alive today, and He lives to come to you…yes to you…and He calls your name so that you might recognize Him as your Savior and Lord, and that you might receive the life that comes from believing on His name. Receive the personal hope of Jesus’ resurrection. Turn from your pursuit of whatever you believe you must have in order to be happy, and see that Jesus Himself is calling your name today.
He knows you, He died for you. He rose from the dead so that you could live with Him forever. You don’t need to weep. He has defeated and abolished death itself, and He now lives as the triumphant victor over sin and the grave! Will you turn and see Jesus as your Savior and Lord?
Of course Mary fell down and immediately grabbed ahold of Jesus’ feet with a grip that said, “I’m never letting you out of my sight again!” I lost you once, but I’m never going to lose you again!!
But Jesus gently corrects her misunderstanding, and in the process calls all of us to,
Respond to the spiritual benefits of the resurrection.
Do not cling to me, Mary, for I have not yet ascended to the Father… Mary, I know you’re glad to see me in person. I’m glad to see you too.
But my resurrection changes our relationship. You and I no longer need to relate to one another through a physical relationship, but now through a spiritual relationship.
Through my Spirit, I will now always be with you. Through my resurrection and ascension, My Spirit will come so that you will never be apart from me. So let go of my physical body right now Mary, and instead, go and tell my brothers….my disciples…that, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.
In other words, go tell my followers that I’m alive, and that I’m returning to be with God…but notice Jesus’ careful distinction here.
Jesus doesn’t say I’m going to our Father and our God. For Jesus rightly recognizes that He relates differently to God Himself than any of His followers. For only Jesus Himself is One with God in His very being.
And yet, through the resurrection, all of His followers’ relationship with God has been changed…so that,
His resurrection secures our adoption.
Now Jesus’ Father is also our Heavenly Father, and Jesus’ God is also our God.
O believer – do not race past this glorious benefit of Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus lives, and the tomb is empty, so that anyone who turns from their sin and answers the call of Jesus to follow Him, will have God Himself as your Father!
It doesn’t matter how dark or demonic or confused your past has been. It doesn’t matter what you have done, or how far you have gone. Today is a day of salvation for anyone who believes that Jesus died to pay for our sins and rose again to bring us to God!!
Dear friends, Rejoice in the wonder of Jesus’ resurrection! Join with Mary and go announce this good news that Jesus is alive, and all who believe on Him might have their sins forgiven!
Jesus died to pay the penalty that our sins deserved. He rose again to prove that the penalty was paid in full, so all who believe on Him might receive eternal life. And He has now ascended into heaven, where He constantly lives to make intercession for all of God’s children.
Will you believe that Jesus rose from the dead for you?
Jesus gave His life so you could follow Him instead of your self-serving desires.
We can be so thankful that our inheritance is Christ alone! Please continue your worship now by opening God’s Word to Matthew chapter 20.
I again welcome those worshipping online or in our Extra Precautions Chapel. For those online, please use the links alongside the livestream for fill-in-the-blank sermon notes, the preaching manuscript, and children’s coloring pages.
As we enter into this Easter week together, it is fitting for us to consider this last part of Jesus’ teaching to his disciples as he’s walking towards the cross and preparing to enter Jerusalem during Passover week. Today is Part 4 of our message entitled, Better than the American Dream, for ever since Jesus left Galilee in Matthew 19 verse 1, Jesus has been teaching His followers that life in His kingdom is far greater than any earthly ambitions they have for themselves.
Chapter 19 started with strong teaching about no fault divorce and singleness…emphasizing that the kingdom of heaven is far greater than any dream of a big family and fulfilling marriage. Then Jesus taught His kingdom is superior to any dreams of independence, self-sufficiency, financial wealth, or religious respect. Living under Christ’s rule is far better than getting ahead of others in this life.
So notice what Jesus is doing as He’s walking to His death. He’s calling His disciples to set their minds on things above, not things of this earth. He’s calling His disciples away from selfishness, and towards a worship of His supremacy. And as we learn today, Jesus is calling us to desire God Himself more than anything else, and see that life in His kingdom is far better than merely using God as a means to our own ends.
Do you ever do this? Do you ever try to use God to help you get what you want outside of Him? Do you ever try to get God to work for you? O dear friends…may God’s Spirit use His Word this morning to help us all, Behold King Jesus! Living in submission to His Lordship is far better than any American Dream!
So please stand as I read Matthew 20:17-34, in the English Standard Version:
17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.
This is the reading of God’s Word.
Let’s Pray Together.
What do you want from Jesus? What do you pray for when you pray? What do you find yourself asking God for more than anything else in your life? What do you want from King Jesus?
I ask, since this exact question was repeated twice in today’s Scripture. In both verses 21 and 32, Jesus asks the same question, “What do you want?”
The first time Jesus asks this question, he asks it to a mom and two men who are spiritually blinded by selfish ambition. The second time Jesus asks, “What do you want me to do for you?”, he asks two men who are physically blinded by sin’s curse.
The first request is left unanswered, but the second is immediately answered in Jesus’ compassion and power.
Which causes us to wonder, “What do I want from Jesus?” Or more specifically, “Am I wanting what I should be wanting from Jesus?”
You see, here’s Jesus main point:
Jesus gave His life so you could follow Him, instead of your self-serving desires. Jesus is not simply a means to our own selfish ends.
This text makes it clear: Jesus and His disciples were all walking towards Jerusalem together, but with two conflicting obsessions. Jesus was walking towards a sacrificial death that would set us free from sin’s curse so we could joyfully follow Him. But the disciples thought they were walking towards a glorious throne where all their self-serving desires would be fulfilled by God on their behalf.
Loved ones, we must learn from both sets of blind men in this passage today. Has our selfish ambition blinded and intoxicated us to think that God is somehow our servant?
Do you want something from Jesus more than you want to know and follow Him?
As we walk through this Scripture, we’ll see 5 counter-cultural reasons Jesus gave His life for us. And in the process, I’m praying God’s Spirit will align our desires with His kingdom priorities for our greatest eternal joy!
First in verse 17, Jesus gave His life to fulfill God’s rescue plan, not our earthly dreams.
Never forget this church – even though you and I certainly benefit from God’s rescue plan, salvation is about God and His glory before it is ever about us!
So here’s Jesus going up…meaning they’re walking uphill towards Jerusalem, and the closer they get to Judea the more excited Passover pilgrims join them, and so in verse 17 Jesus pulls his disciples aside, and gives the most detailed prediction of His upcoming death and resurrection.
Look, don’t forget what’s going to happen when we get to Jerusalem.,
The Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes ….that’s the ruling Jewish court of the Sanhedrin…and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles …that referred to Pilate and the Roman Government who alone had the authority to carry out capital punishment at this time… to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and then He will be raised on the third day.
Jesus is staring His destiny squarely in the face. He’s fully aware of every painful detail of His pending sacrifice. He knows when His death will happen, and He knows how it will happen with shame, torture, piercing and suffocation, and He uses the language of necessity here:
The Son of Man will be delivered. It must happen. Because it is God’s sovereign will to rescue many sinners through His substitutionary ransom payment.
If you write in your Bible, you might underline the title, “Son of Man” in both verse 18 and verse 28. Son of Man comes from Daniel 7:13-14 as the victorious title for God’s King sent to reign over the earth at the end of time.
“Son of Man” is a victorious title for Jesus being fully God and fully man who reigns from a glorious throne, just like was mentioned in chapter 19:28, who will be served by everyone. So when the disciples hear the title “Son of Man” they are thinking about the One everyone serves.
But Jesus radically says in verse 28, the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve… and so I ask you, who was Jesus serving when He gave His life for sinners? Yes, Jesus served sinners by dying in their place. But the first object of His service was God Himself, was it not? Jesus gave His life first to serve His Father, in glad submission to His eternal plan to bring Himself glory through the merciful salvation of undeserving sinners like you and me.
Therefore, please remember, Jesus gave His life to serve God’s rescue plan, not our earthly dreams. Your salvation is first about God, before it is ever about you. God is the one who required, planned, and executed Jesus’ sacrifice, and God is the one who raised Jesus from the dead three days later as our eternal Savior and Lord!
Now as Jesus is reminding his disciples what He is going to do for them in Jerusalem, verse 20 introduces us to some Momma Drama, as we learn that,
Jesus gave His life to trade cups with us, not serve our upward mobility (20-23)
It seems Momma Salome, who is also an aunt to Jesus, heard nothing after the “Son of Man” reference. Mark 10:35 makes it clear James and John were behind this whole thing… but in verse 20 Momma asks Jesus for a favor.
Jesus had just finished telling His disciples all that He was going to do for them in verses 18-19, but in His divine patience, He asks her plainly in verse 21,
What do you want?
And she answers, Remember that part about 12 twelve thrones back in 19:28? Well, I have two boys – one named “Lightning” and one named “Thunder” and I simply want you to promote them to the seats of highest honor in your kingdom.
Jesus replies in bewilderment in verse 22,
You do not know what you are asking. You’re out of your mind. You’re so intoxicated by selfishness that you’re blind to the spiritual reality at hand.
And so He looks right at James and John and asks,
Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?
To “share a cup” in Jewish thinking means to share one’s life or destiny.
So the boys reply, Sure, we are able to share in your destiny! Crowns…thrones…servants…honor…sign us up!
And Jesus responds, You will drink my cup… but you’re asking for something the Father only gives to the ones He has prepared.
Now pull the bus over. We need to understand the rich Old Testament background behind these two cups here.
You see, in verse 22, Jesus is referring to:
The cup of God’s wrath against sin. Throughout the Old Testament, God describes His righteous anger against the wicked as a cup that sinners will be required to drink for all of eternity. Sin’s destiny is always judgment!
So picture a cup that is boiling over with the holy fury of God against your sin…and you notice this cup has your name on it. It’s your destiny to drink! A cup of God’s just anger that all your own sins have stored up for you to drink for all of eternity.
Now picture the second cup that is mentioned in the Old Testament:
The cup of God’s salvation. Psalm 116:13 speaks of drinking from the cup of salvation and calling on the name of the Lord.
So don’t miss this: Our sins filled our cup, or destiny, with God’s wrath. But Jesus is going to give His own life as a sacrificial substitute to ransom souls.
In other words, Jesus gave His life to trade cups with us! Jesus went to Jerusalem’s cross to drink my cup, and give me His destiny of perfect shalom or righteousness with God forever!
Verse 22 - James and John, are you able to drink the cup of God’s wrath against your sins? No. But verse 23 - by my doing, you will indeed drink my cup – the cup of salvation – for I’m giving my life in order to trade destinies with you!
Isn’t this wonderful, church? What more could we want from Jesus than His trading destinies, or cups, with us? Jesus drinks our death, and we in turn get to drink deeply and freely from His life! This is amazing grace!!
O sinner, wake up from your selfishness! Stop seeing Jesus as merely a path for your own upward mobility!
Those of us who love Christian ministry please listen. Following Jesus is never a means to self-promotion. If you are trying to use Christian ministry to stroke your ego, or build a business, or secure your future – repent! Put the glory of God back into the center of God’s salvation, rather than your own selfish ambitions.
Repent of believing that your selfishness will eventually satisfy you if you just keep drinking from its broken cistern long enough. Jesus gave His life to trade cups with us, not serve our upward mobility.
Now verse 24 makes it clear the 10 were very upset that James and John thought of asking for a higher honor first, and so in verse 25 Jesus gathers all 12 disciples around him again to emphasize,
He gives His life to model servanthood, not worldly greatness.
Jesus says in verse 25,
You know what greatness looks like in the world:
Roman rulers and great people in the world’s eyes are those who control others and have lots of people available to serve their every whim.
It other words, the world says the more people serving you, the greater person you are.
But it shall not be so among you. Not in my kingdom, Jesus says.
But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you, must be your slave.
This is simply a restatement of the first shall be last, and the last shall be first.
Servanthood is the only path to greatness in God’s kingdom. It’s not about how much you take from others… spiritual greatness is about how much you give to others.
Don’t race past the strong words Jesus uses here. Can you think of a more lowly position than a slave?
Jesus is saying, if you disciples really want to be great… become a slave to your brothers and sisters. Follow Jesus’ example… for Jesus gave His life to model servanthood, not worldly greatness!
Dear Christian… we may be used to God calling us servants or slaves. But how do we react when someone “below us on the org chart” dares to treat us like one?
Jesus words here are strong and life-giving if you are humble enough to receive them. Give your life away for others’ eternal good… for this is the essence of kingdom life and eternal joy which is modeled by our King Himself.
Now in verse 29 the scene changes as they begin traveling west through Jericho, on their final approach up the last few miles of elevation towards Jerusalem. By this time in their journey, the Passover pilgrims had swelled to a large crowd traveling together with Jesus. And in this scene, we learn another surprising reason Jesus was going to Jerusalem to die.
Jesus gave His life to give mercy to the desperate, not thrones to the greedy.
Now whenever large festivals like Passover drew near, it was common for beggars to sit along the highways and take advantage of the increased traffic.
So notice in verse 30… there’s two blind men begging by the roadside, when all of the sudden they hear that Jesus is in the crowd that is passing by them!
So they immediately cry out, Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!
“Son of David” was a Messianic title… it was an expression of faith that Jesus indeed was the promised Messiah in fulfillment of God’s promises to King David.
Although these two men were physically blind by sin’s curse, they had the eyes of faith to see Jesus as God in human flesh – the One who alone had power to heal blindness and remove iniquity.
And so they cried out for mercy!
But all the religious pilgrims…on the way to the holy city with their Messiah… they rebuked these two men. Shush! Jesus can’t be bothered right now by you good-for-nothing sorts. He’s going up to Jerusalem to be installed as King! He doesn’t have time for those who have been cursed by blindness.
O church…are we like the crowds here? John Calvin said that “it is often the case that those who should be helping us to Jesus are instead blocking us from Him.” After all, the crowds thought Jesus was about to give them their ultimate desire: freedom from the Romans, and a restoration of the Jewish state.
But listen friends, Jesus gave His life to bring undeserved mercy to the desperate, not thrones to the greedy.
So in verse 32 Jesus stops and asks,
What do you want me to do for you?
And they didn’t ask for power, or for privilege… but simply for mercy. They knew they didn’t deserve to be set free from sin’s curse of blindness. But they believed it was good and right to call upon the mercy of the Lord.
Are you desperate for God’s mercy? Repent from any lie of your self-reliance that believes somehow you’ve been able to make God your servant, and that He now owes you anything. Jesus came to save sinners… will you admit you need His mercy today?
Some here might say well, I needed God’s mercy years ago when I first got saved…but now that I’ve matured into such a grand specimen of Christianity, I think I’m doing just fine for myself. Fool!
Stop trusting your works or your ministry or earthly prosperity… and cry out today for Jesus’ mercy!
Jesus gave His life to meet our greatest need, not our self-serving desires. Our greatest need is for God’s mercy, not some realization of our own selfish ambition!
Now it’s interesting to compare the request of the two blind men in verse 33 with the request of the two blind men in verse 21, isn’t it?
The two men in verse 21 wanted an honorable seat, while the two men in verse 33 wanted a healed sight.
The first wanted God to make them great…the second just wanted God to make them whole. The first wanted God to remove the competition, the second the curse of sin.
What do you want from Jesus?
The first believed that they deserved such an honor. The second knew they could never deserve to see…but they called upon the mercy of the Son of David, for God’s Word had promised that the Messiah was touched by our infirmities, and able to bring sight to the blind!
Can you see the contrast between how these two groups of men answered the same question from Jesus?
What do you want me to do for you?
The spiritually blind boys back in verse 21 asked, and did not receive, because they asked wrongly, to try to get their own self-serving desires.
The physically blind asked God for their greatest need – that they would be cured from sin’s curse of blindness. (After all, remember the Jews commonly believed physical blindness was a Divine curse for sin.) And we know they were sincere in their cry for mercy and freedom from sin’s curse, for after our Lord mercifully healed them, what did they do? They followed Jesus!
In other words, Jesus gave His life so you could follow Him, instead of your self-serving desires. Obedient submission to His Lordship is the only way a human soul can be satisfied for eternity.
So let me close our meditation on this Scripture by urging each of us to,
Ask Jesus for what you need most—His death and resurrection applied to you!
Every single one of us here today is truly desperate for God’s mercy in our life – whether we are conscious of it or not! And the one thing that is most needful for us to ask of God…and yet is the most unlikely thing that we would ever ask…is that Jesus would die in our place. That His sacrifice would count for me.
O friend…ask God to drink the cup of wrath that your sins have stored up for your eternal destiny…and cry out for God’s mercy that you might drink deeply today from His cup of salvation!
Today Jesus asks, what do you want me to do for you?
And may the humble cry of all of our hearts be, “Lord, please have mercy upon me!” Please let the benefits of your cross be mine. Please give me what I could never earn or deserve… for only when I drink of your cup will my soul ever be satisfied in the fullness of joy forever!
Receiving God’s grace is far better than getting ahead of others
Make my heart Your royal throne. – King Jesus come and rule in my heart. My heart will never be more satisfied than when it is living in complete submission to Your good Lordship over me. Amen!
Let’s continue our worship by opening God’s Word to Matthew chapter 20.
I again welcome those worshipping online or in our Extra Precautions Chapel. For those online, please use the links alongside the livestream for fill-in-the-blank sermon notes, the preaching manuscript, and children’s coloring pages.
For those in our chapel, we are so thankful you’re making the extra effort to regather with us for weekly worship. It is quite easy these days to find reasons to wait just one more week before rejoining in-person worship. But you have chosen to come today, and we thank God for your in-person worship with us!
God created us to be relational, and so extended isolation—although selfishly comfortable—is actually harmful to our souls. So thank you. Thank you for making the extra effort to prioritize your spiritual relationships with others even while you appropriately steward your physical well-being.
We praise God for everyone who is returning to our weekly worship gatherings. May we all stay humble, compassionate, and full of faith, hope, and love in this unique season of ministry together.
Today I have some really good news to share! Here’s the great news: God’s grace is far better than we imagine! God’s grace is far better than we know.
Each of us are far more sinful and broken than we even realize today. Sometimes when we assemble to worship Jesus on Sunday, we are only aware of our own distress, weakness, and failures. But behold King Jesus!!
In Christ, we are far more loved, welcomed, cherished and accepted by our Holy God than we could ever dare to dream or hope to imagine! This is really good news!! Our God is a God of grace who chooses to relate with us based on His promises, rather than our performance! Hear this good news and rejoice today: Eternal life comes through mercy instead of merit!
This is so contrary to how we think and live, isn’t it?
And that’s why Matthew 18-20 repeatedly emphasizes the Topsy-turvy priorities of God’s kingdom. When Jesus reigns in our hearts the way up, is down. We truly live only when we die to self. The humble are exalted, the first are last, and our future is secured by God’s grace rather than our own sacrifices!
You see these verses in Matthew 20 complete Jesus’ answer to Peter’s question in verse 27 above. The chapter break here is unfortunate.
Remember, Jesus had just blown the disciples’ minds by teaching that no amount of earthly wealth or religious standing can possibly save our souls. Then in 19:27, Peter replied, “See, we have left everything and followed you, What then will we have?”
And Jesus assures Peter that God will always take care of His followers. No sacrifice for Jesus will ever be wasted. But following Jesus is far better than any pursuit of upward mobility. Following Jesus is far better than the American Dream. For in Jesus’ kingdom, many who are first will be last, and the last first.
God’s kingdom doesn’t operate on the worldly basis of merit and comparison. God’s kingdom operates on the basis of grace. And to help make sure we understand His marvelous grace, Jesus tells this parable.
So please stand to honor the public reading of God’s Word, as I read Matthew 20:1-16, in the English Standard Version:
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”
This is the reading of God’s Word.
Let’s Pray Together.
Why would anyone give their life away to follow Jesus? What would ever motivate a person to leave everything – their wealth, their social standing, their dreams for a perfect marriage and family – simply to follow Jesus?
The parable in Matthew 20 answers this question, but in a way that makes us squirm. This story purposefully makes us uncomfortable.
After all, when we read how the master rewarded the last workers who worked 1 hour the same as the first workers who worked 12 hours… it doesn’t seem fair to us, does it? As we read, our hearts resonate with the expectations of the first workers in verse 10, and we affirm their complaint in verse 12. This master seems unfair, (or at least unwise), in how he treats his employees.
How does this master help us better understand the kingdom of heaven, as introduced in verse 1?
Well first, we must resist the urge to press every fine point in a parable to some theological conclusion. Remember, parables are teaching stories. They are stories laid alongside the truth in order to help illustrate the main truth principle that is being taught. Most often, each parable practically illustrates one central truth for the teacher.
And so carefully consider the context. Peter’s question in verse 27 betrayed He was still operating on a basis of merit, or conditional exchange, or equivalency:
Since he had left everything and followed Jesus, then what reward did he earn?
Underneath Peter’s question was a conditional ethic of merit and justice. Peter assumes that God will give small rewards for small sacrifices, and great rewards for great sacrifices. Since he and the rest of the disciples had sacrificed more than others to follow Jesus, it seemed justified that they would be ahead of others at the end of time. This only seems fair, right?
But this is not how God’s kingdom operates. Even the greatest possible sacrifice we could ever make for God will never put God in our debt. Jesus wants to make crystal clear that His kingdom doesn’t operate on a basis of fairness or conditional reward…but on the basis of something far better: His generous grace.
The main point of this parable is simply this: Receiving God’s grace is far better than getting ahead of others. Christ-followers are rewarded for bringing our neediness to God, not our performance.
Church, God rewards your repentance, not your resume! Your entrance into kingdom life is never about what you have done…but about what He has done on your behalf!
Therefore, we must trust God’s grace, not our own efforts, for all of our future kingdom rewards. For whenever we accuse God of being unfair, we are adopting a conditional, works-based ethic which only condemns ourselves before our Holy God, and betrays that we have set our minds on the things of man, rather than the things of God.
Let’s walk through the story now to see if we can trace this main point through,
The Parable.
This parable has four scenes. Verses 1-7 contain the first scene of various groups of workers,
Entering into the Master’s service.
Remember what we’ve learned the last couple of weeks from Matthew 19. Jesus taught you must be dependent, like a child, to enter His kingdom. Then a rich synagogue ruler asked a question of what work was required to enter His kingdom. So Jesus described how difficult it was for financially independent people to enter His kingdom. In fact, Jesus taught that it is impossible for anyone to enter the kingdom apart from God making it possible for them.
And now, in verses 1-7, Jesus describes how a large grape farmer recruits 5 different groups of laborers to enter his service and help bring in his harvest.
The first group enters the master’s service at 6am – early in the morning according to verse 1. By Jewish custom, the harvest workday went from 6am to 6pm, and so this first group of laborers only enter the master’s service after they negotiate for themselves a fair, perhaps even slightly generous, wage of 1 denarius for the day.
One denarius was the going-rate of daily pay for a Roman soldier, and these day laborers were unskilled, so we understand these workers entered the Master’s service with joy – knowing that they have 12 hours of hard labor ahead of them, but thankful to be employed and thankful to have negotiated a more than fair compensation for all their hard work. This was a good day!!
In verses 3-5, the master returns to the marketplace around 9am, 12noon, and 3pm, and each time we see more workers entering the master’s service.
However, notice the distinction between these later workers and the first group of workers. The workers hired at 6am negotiated their own wage for the day, didn’t they? But the later groups simply trusted the master to pay them what was right under the circumstances. They trusted the master’s character and were satisfied when the master promised in verse 4,
Whatever is right I will give you.
Finally in verses 6-7, the master goes to the marketplace again around 5pm. There’s only one more hour left in the workday, but when he sees there are still workers who need to be hired if they are going to provide for their families that day… he compassionately recruits them into His service as well.
So throughout the day, this master has called 5 different groups of servants into His service – the first for an agreed upon wage, and the last for “whatever he deemed right.”
The curtain now falls on scene 1.
In verses 8-10 we observe scene 2 which is,
The Rewarding of the Master’s servants. In verse 8 the master gives his foreman specific instructions.
Pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.
This is unexpected. All the workers are together in one group…and most of them are sweaty, dirty, smelly, and hangry. It’s been a long hot day of manual labor, and they’re itching to get paid and go home.
So the foreman calls those who started working at 5pm. They hadn’t even broken a sweat. They had barely got started before the day was over. And the foreman gives each of these last workers a denarius!
A full-day’s wage! They only worked one hour – they certainly didn’t earn this. What an amazing gift!
Of course such generosity is not lost on the rest of the workers still waiting for their paychecks. So verse 10 says,
When those hired first came, they thought they would receive more…
Let’s see… since that person only worked one hour and received 1 denarius…and since I worked 12 hours, I should get 12 denarii! Cha-Ching! I’m definitely getting ahead today!!
But look at the end of verse 10, …but each of them also received a denarius.
Curtain falls, end of scene 2.
Now in verses 11-12, we find The Grumbling of the Master’s servants. Scene 3.
They were sorely disappointed as they compared their unequal sacrifices with their equal pay. Their comparison led to coveting which led to complaining.
And so verse 12 they keep on grumbling,
These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.
Notice the first workers have two complaints: unequal time, and unequal sacrifice. When they compared themselves among themselves, they concluded they had served the master longer, and in harsher conditions, and therefore were entitled to a greater reward.
But as the curtain falls and rises for the last time, verses 13-15 reorient our thinking with,
The Rebuking of the Master’s servants.
The master’s rebuke is gentle, as he answers,
Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?
I’ve upheld my end of our contract. I’ve kept my promise. There’s no injustice here. The fact that I’ve decided to be generous to others does not change your rights. Your complaint is not due to injustice, but envy.
Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you.
You first workers got what is fair by our legal agreement. But I sovereignly choose to be generous to these last workers.
Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me, he asks in verse 15? The master clearly has the right to extend grace to whomever He chooses.
Or do you begrudge my generosity?
Literally, this could be translated, Is your eye evil because I am good? Are you envious because I am generous?
This final question exposes the root problem. Their perspective was wrong. They related only to their master on the basis of conditional law-keeping. They viewed God’s grace as something that they had earned, and now deserved. They in fact despised anyone receiving what they did not earn…unless of course it was their self. Their performance-oriented perspective didn’t allow for grace, and so they accused the master of injustice and attacked his character.
This is the parable.
Now let’s make sure we get,
The Point (19:30, 20:16)
Verse 16 repeats verse 19:30, thereby serving to bookend this story, and clearly indicate that this principle is the point of the parable:
The last will be first, and the first last.
In other words, this parable teaches that,
God’s kingdom reverses all values of man-centered comparisons. Those who are first in this world’s way of thinking, may in fact be last in God’s kingdom. And those who seem to have the greatest needs and inabilities now on earth, may find themselves most greatly rewarded by God’s grace throughout eternity.
After all, this world operates entirely on the basis of merit: “The early bird gets the worm.” “Those who work the hardest, get rewarded the most.” In this world, success is always measured in comparison to how far ahead you can get in comparison with others.
But all the comparative rankings of this world are meaningless in God’s kingdom. Because God’s kingdom is based on mercy, not merit.
Church, this is counterintuitive, isn’t it? It exposes the wrong motivations behind the hard work ethic that has been infused into our midwestern “Christian” subculture.
Many of us actually believe some form of a prosperity gospel. We foolishly believe that our earthly success is somehow connected to our godliness. So when we are making lots of sacrifices for Jesus, we’re quick to think like Peter that we deserve better health, more wealth, and greater eternal rewards than others. After all, we’ve paid our dues, and we’ve earned it, right?
Or from the other perspective, when our marriage crumbles, or our child dies, or we lose our job or our health, we are quick to conclude these losses are the consequences for our lack of faith or sin.
This is the heretical lie of the prosperity gospel. That God prospers those who obey, and God punishes those who disobey. But the prosperity gospel comes from the pit of hell, loved ones! It is the stinking thinking of this world.
So let’s not miss the point! God’s kingdom is a reign of grace, not law-keeping! Grace is undeserved blessing…not conditional rewards of merit and justice! This world claims to value justice, fairness, and rights. But in reality, every person only wants others to be treated with justice, while we demand others treat us with mercy.
So don’t miss this good news today friends! Life in God’s kingdom is far better than anything the American Dream can offer you! Like we’ve learned the last few weeks, Kingdom life is far better than your dream of a big family and a happy marriage. Submission to Jesus is far better than your dream of independence and self-sufficiency. Sacrificing everything for the sake of Jesus is far greater than your dream of financial wealth and/or religious respect.
And now today, living as an undeserving recipient of God’s grace is far better than your dream of getting ahead and doing better than others in this life.
God’s grace always puts us in a better position than our own efforts at upward mobility ever will. So stop judging yourself based on how your own life matches up with others.
Remember, Receiving God’s grace is far better than getting ahead of others. Grace, by its definition, is God’s undeserved favor to sinners like you and me who only deserve God’s judgment. God’s grace is the only reason any of us can enter into God’s kingdom.
So then, let’s apply the point of this parable to our lives by considering,
Application: The Practice
And of course, the first way we must apply Jesus’ teaching is to,
Humbly receive God’s grace and rejoice in it.
Too many of us are like the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. We despise God’s rescuing grace because we are ultimately trusting in our own works for our standing with the Father. We accuse God of wrongdoing when those who we deem to be the most vile of sinners are completely and freely pardoned and forgiven by God’s grace.
So… today, if you find it difficult to swallow God’s undeserved generosity towards other sinners… can I just remind you of some great news?
Cheer up – you yourself are far more sinful than you even know…but because of Jesus’ death and resurrection on your behalf, you are far more loved, welcomed, cherished, and accepted than you could ever dare to dream or hope to imagine!
You are always with God, and all that is His has been given to you! Nothing on this earth can ever satisfy your soul like living forever in God’s kingdom.
So acknowledge your need for grace. Admit that you aren’t strong enough to bargain with God. Some of us today really need to have our pride humbled. All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. So stop justifying yourself through comparisons with other sinners.
Justice condemns every single one of us. And entirely apart from your own doing, God today offers you His saving grace! You can’t earn it, you’ll never ever deserve it…but you must receive it and rejoice in God’s grace if you will ever enter into His eternal kingdom!
And when you repent of your self-reliance and receive God’s grace, then Humbly refuse to compare yourself with others. Because pride is the root of all envy and covetousness, and pride opposes God’s grace.
Let’s anchor our identity in the finished work of Jesus, rather than our own meager efforts at obedience. Let’s anchor our assurance in the promises of God, rather than the compliments or comparisons of others.
Those who compare themselves among themselves are not wise, and in John chapter 21 Peter had to learn this lesson again. After Jesus predicted Peter’s martyr death, Peter tried to change the subject by asking, well, what about John? And Jesus answered, “What is that to you? You follow me!”
In other words, measure your success as a Christ-follower by your dependence upon Christ’s work, rather than how your head, heart, hands, or home measures up with other Christians. Faith alone in Christ alone is the only metric for success in God’s kingdom.
Then finally, put this parable to practice this week and Humbly replace grumbling covetousness with grateful contentment. Gratitude has such a purifying power in our hearts! The worship of thanksgiving drives out all idolatry and starves the root of covetousness.
So practice the spiritual discipline of gratitude this week. Thank God for all the expressions of His undeserved grace in your own life.
Thank God for the forgiveness of your sins. We never deserved such grace! Thank God for entrance into His kingdom! We never deserved such grace! Thank God for your ability to serve Him in His harvest. We never deserved such grace!
And then – and this is so important – thank God for how you see Him blessing others with His grace. Praise God when you see evidence of God’s kindness and mercy in others’ lives.
It is only our own pride that makes it difficult to rejoice with those who rejoice. So when following Jesus seems to require greater sacrifice from you than others, rejoice that God has showered them with such mercy. Learn contentment, and let your life be without covetousness; be content with whatever you have, For God Himself has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you.
And when God Himself is our inheritance, what could we possibly lack in this life?
So remember the topsy-turvy priorities of Jesus’ kingdom today, and reflect upon the wonder that,
Receiving God’s grace is far better than getting ahead of others. The only way up is by acknowledging your inadequacy and your own neediness. The only path to eternal life is through dying to your self-reliance and pride. For under the rule of God’s grace, many who are first in this world will be last in eternity, and many who are last will be first.
Jesus’ kingdom will be in this world, but it will not be of this world
When Jesus was brought before Pilate, He said in John 18:36...
My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But My kingdom is not from the world.
Jesus’ kingdom will be in this world, but it will not be of this world. It isn’t worldly. In other words:
Pilate, My kingdom will look nothing like your kingdom. My rule will look nothing like Caesar’s rule. All that defines and symbolizes your kingdom has nothing to do with Mine.
Pilate knew a world held in the balance by brute force. Historically, Pilate was a cruel man who kept order through fear. He was no different than most of the Caesars—cruel, sadistic men who ensured order at all cost. The people throughout that vast empire did not love Caesar, but they feared him. Most were either slaves, or like the Jews, subjugated by military force.
Physical strength was valued, achievement was rewarded, wealth was desirable. But... My kingdom isn’t anything like this. My kingdom rejoices when lost sheep are found. My kingdom welcomes the weak more than the strong, is home for the oppressed, and cares nothing about your wealth.
Rome wasn’t alone, however. Man-made kingdoms are all much the same, and all have values that reject the values of Jesus and His kingdom. Throughout Matthew chapters 19 and 20 we see a clash of values. Sacrificial Devotion, Childlike Dependence, Eternal Life, Grace & Generosity...
These are not the values of this world. In fact, as a general principle, those who are first in God’s kingdom tend to be last in the eyes of the world... and those who are last in His kingdom tend to be the people whom the world esteems.
As Americans, we value freedom, hard work, and the ability to get ahead. The American Dream is fundamentally about getting ahead—a dream of upward mobility, hope that I can improve my social and economic position. Those who rise, perhaps from rags to riches, inspire us. They’ve done it. Wow! That’s success!
While I don’t want to diminish anyone with a “rags to riches” story, that kind of success isn’t kingdom success. It seems from our passage today that the more wins you acquire in this world, the harder it becomes to enter God’s kingdom at all.
Success and riches may not prevent you from being saved... but they might. So, Jesus warns us today not to mistake worldly success with kingdom success. That’s the main point of our passage. Do not mistake your worldly success as kingdom success. What gets you ahead in America simply doesn’t get you ahead in God’s kingdom. Sadly, what gets you ahead in America may draw your heart away from God and cost you eternal life.
God values the kind of people that the world doesn’t: Dependent, helpless, broken people... the kind who come to Him with nothing to offer, just a heart ready to mold. What we will see is that...
Humble dependence delights the heart of God Self-Sufficiency (though valued here) shuts the kingdom of God Total devotion (to Christ is costly) but it will be rewarded in the presence of God
If you’re able, please stand as we read God’s Word for us today...
Matthew 19:13-30 1 3Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 1 4 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 1 5 And he laid his hands on them and went away.
16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 1 7 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 1 8 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 1 9 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 2 0 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 2 1 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 2 2 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 2 4 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 2 5 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 2 6 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 2 7 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 2 8 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 twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 2 9 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. 3 0 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
I. Humble Dependence Delights the Heart of God (v. 19:13-15)
You can’t read far into the Gospels without seeing Jesus embrace someone who’s weak. John’s Gospel devotes a whole chapter to a Samaritan woman—5% of the whole book! She was an outcast to Jews and even to her own people, but she wasn’t any of that to Jesus.
And if you extend your study to the entirely of Scripture, you will see many times over where God embraced the weak.
I think of Hagar who had been humiliated, and yet God was there. Joseph who had been betrayed by his brothers, and yet God didn’t leave him. Rahab who had been shamed by countless men, and yet God saved her.
In each of these accounts and many more, God’s heart is drawn like a magnet to weakness. In Psalm 68:5, the Lord tells us He is “Father to the fatherless and protector of widows.” If you know the pain of shame and betrayal, feel cast out, abused, and broken, you’ve come to the right place. God delights to help the weak. He doesn’t notice the strong and independent, but the exact opposite. God loves dependent people.
If dependence actually delights the heart of God, it shouldn’t surprise us to Him draw near to children... and that’s what we see in verses 13-15 of today’s passage. Humble dependence delights the heart of God.
Jesus had just entered Judea and taught to a large crowd (Matt 19:2). They watched his interaction with the Pharisees on the question of divorce, and He handled Himself very well against them. That interaction was over, and the disciples were ready to depart the area (Matt 19:15). But parents started to bring their children to Jesus for a blessing.
I’ve read that parents brought their children to a rabbi on the Day of Atonement each year. I’m not sure how often they did this or how many did it, but there was some precedent to the practice. Rabbis would pray a blessing upon children.
The disciples, however, didn’t like it. Verse 15 tells us they departed after Jesus blessed the children, which means they would have left sooner. If it weren’t for all these parents bringing their kids to Jesus, we would have been on road by now. A nd so, they “rebuked” the parents.
C’mon folks, we’ve got to get going. Jesus isn’t some simple rabbi—this is Israel’s messiah! As the disciples “rebuked” the parents, Jesus rebuked His disciples. Mark 10:14 says the Lord became indignant. How dare you keep the children from Me! “Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them!” Such an amazing statement—that God
Almighty would bend so low as to enjoy our children.
“...for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus loved children for the simple fact that they’re needy. They need help all the time. They need direction.
Daddy, can you tie my shoes? Mommy, can you help me put on my shirt?
So highly dependent. Children enter this world with nothing but their neediness. I remember back when my children were newborns how I longed for the day they would just sleep through the night. And then constantly for the days to come they needed us minute by minute. It can wear you down.
What drains us as parents is what delights the heart of God. That neediness is exactly what Jesus loves about children... and that’s why the kingdom of Heaven belongs to all who are like this.
Dependence isn’t a nuisance to God. As adults we become independent, which is appropriate in ways. But age and experience do not mean we need God less. Parents, think back on the days when your children needed you, sometimes, minute by minute... and be like that with God.
Whatever burdens you carry today, no matter how great or how small, go to Jesus with it... and keep going to Him. Not only does God Almighty hear you, He delights most in you when you most depend upon Him.
II. Self-Sufficiency Shuts the Kingdom of God (v. 19:16-22)
Humble dependence delights the heart of God, but self-sufficiency does not. Self-sufficiency is the opposite of childlike dependence, and it shuts the kingdom of God.
Wealth is not sinful. Abraham was a wealthy man known as the father of all who have faith. David was a wealthy man known as a man after God’s own heart. There is nothing wrong with being wealthy, just as there’s nothing wrong with drinking wine. Whether wine or wealth, neither is inherently wrong, but both can be intoxicating and dangerous.
Before us in verses 16-22 is a rich man. He’s young—in his 20s or 30s—and Luke’s Gospel adds that this man was a ruler. A religious ruler. Young men rarely presided over a local synagogue, but some did at times. Apparently, this is one of those times. Here’s a young man who is so zealous for the Law that the elders in his town appointed him to serve.
This man is devout, wealthy, prominent. “And behold” this rich young man came to speak with Jesus. Mark’s Gospel says he “ran up and knelt before” Jesus (Mark 10:17). That’s pretty unexpected—a rich, young, Jewish ruler running out to catch Jesus and kneeling before Him. Wow!
Foxes and birds had more of a home than Jesus did, and yet, this man at the top of the Jewish social strata had to speak with Jesus. This man wasn’t trying to corner Jesus—he’s sincere, desperate for an answer about salvation.
I’ve got to know! I must know the answer, and maybe Jesus can help me?!
“Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” It’s a great question. It was thought that righteousness and riches went hand-in-hand. So, if you were a wealthy Jew, it meant God approved of you.
Wealth was a stamp of God’s approval. Poverty was not. Worse, disease and disability were considered a curse. Remember the blind man in John 9? The disciples looked at him and thought someone must have sinned horribly for this to have happened.
The rich young ruler ran up to Jesus with an urgent question: What good deed must I do to be saved? Wait... “Why do you ask Me about what is good? There is only one who is good.”
In other words: Why are you asking Me this question? You know that God is good, and God has told you all you need to know about this question. You’ve read the Torah. You know what God has said.
“If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”
Since riches are a sign of God’s approval, and this man is rich. That must mean he’s keeping the commandments.
Jesus, you know I’m rich... clearly, I’ve kept the commandments. God must be pleased with me. Right?
This man, along with Jesus’ disciples, had mistaken worldly success for kingdom success. Riches come from God’s hand, but riches are no sign of God’s approval. We really struggle with that as Americans, don’t we?
We’re the wealthiest nation on earth, so clearly God has favored us, right? We’re the largest church in town, so clearly God is pleased with us, right?
If God prospers you, thank Him; and if He does not, praise His Name all the same. The measure of kingdom success isn’t wealth and material blessings. Worldly success is a blessing, but it is not a sign. The measure of kingdom success is purely how well you follow Jesus.
Let the results be as they may, but success in God’s kingdom is a function of following.
So, what did the young ruler want? Certainty of his salvation. He had learned God’s Law as a young child, likely had much of it memorized. The stuff I learned in Sunday School is good, but there must be something more. How can I know I’m saved?
Out of breath and on his knees before Jesus: “What do I still lack?” Jesus, tell me! I must know! T hose Sunday School truths just weren’t enough. It’s like believing the gospel is all well and good, but I’m beyond that now. I believe it, but I need something more now.
I’m reminded of the most influential theologian of last century was the Swiss-German theologian, Karl Barth. He wrote a famous commentary on Romans in 1919 that rocked the world of German liberalism. Towards the end of his life, April of 1962, the University of Chicago invited Barth to speak. One of the students asked him to summarize his theology in a sentence.
He said, “In the words of a song I learned at my mother’s knee: ‘Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.’”
Sunday School truths we learn as children are so simple. Following God does not take us beyond them, only deeper into understanding them.
And Mark 10:21 says that “Jesus, looking at [the man], loved him...” He loved this man’s sincerity, loved the man’s zeal and eagerness. He knew the young who knelt before Him was in turmoil.
What must I do to be saved from hell? What more must I do? What more is it? Jesus’ answer comes at the end of verse 21. You must follow Me. Do you want to be saved? Follow Jesus. Do you want certainty of your salvation? Keep following Jesus.
The young man had thought his wealth meant God’s approval. Thus, wealth should make me certain I’m in the kingdom... but it doesn’t. He had been clinging to worldly success, working hard to acquire more of it... the more success I find, the more it means God must be pleased with me.
Jesus loved the young man, and said, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.”
God had asked Abraham to follow Him, and in order to follow Abraham gave up his homeland, his security in life, his wealth, family members. He was even ready to give up Isaac. True, saving faith follows God to whatever end.
God asked this rich young ruler to follow Him. The young man was devout and zealous, so eager to be saved... but success was his god. Faced with the prospect of losing it, he went away sorrowful that day. He wept. Not all who desire to be saved are saved.
The thing that made this man feel godly was the very thing that kept him from God. “Sell what you possess and give to the poor.” Repent of pursuing worldly success! You think it means God is smiling upon you, but rather, all that unused wealth is a truckload of evidence to be presented against you on Judgement Day that you never loved God or love others. You loved only yourself.
Jesus laments in verses 23-24 how difficult it is for successful people to be saved. Riches remove dependency from our lives. So, the less we need others, the less we will see our need of God and turn to Him.
It’s so hard for the rich and successful to enter into eternal life, but “with God” it isn’t impossible. This text is not here that we would despair and give up. It’s here as a warning. Don’t let wealth keep you from the kingdom. Strive to see yourself as a child in constant need of God, and be willing to follow Him to whatever end he takes you.
Humble dependence delights the heart of God. That helplessness of a small child is such a treasure to the King. Self-sufficiency is esteemed in this life, but it shuts the kingdom of God.
Jesus urged the young man to give all and follow. What does it mean to follow, and is it worth it to follow Jesus? Yes, because verses 23-30 tell us that total devotion to Jesus will be rewarded. No sacrifice made for Christ goes unnoticed.
III. Total Devotion Rewarded in the Presence of God (v. 23-30)
As the disciples watched the young man go away in tears, they had some questions of their own.
So, riches do not equal God’s approval?
They were “greatly astonished” (v. 19:25). They weren’t just a little bit surprised. This would have been like finding out you’ve been wrong about something your entire life. If riches aren’t a sign of God’s approval, then who has God’s approval? “Who then can be saved?”
And before Jesus responded, verse 26 says He “looked at them.” The look on Jesus’ face must have spoke volumes. He gave them a look. We’ve been together for three years, and you still don’t understand? Rich or poor, financial status proves nothing about heaven or hell. “With man [salvation] is impossible.”
The young man had worked hard, and God had blessed his hard work with riches. That only means God is gracious, not that He is pleased. So, who can be saved? Who gets into God’s kingdom? Answer: No one. It’s impossible for any man to keep the commandments well enough.
The only reason God’s kingdom will have anyone in it is because God sent His Son to pursue the lost. Like throwing a banquet that no one wants to attend, God sent His Son into the streets to gather people to be there. It’s only “with God” even because of God that the impossibility of salvation becomes possible and that His kingdom actually has people in it.
With God’s help, that rich young ruler could have received a new heart, a heart like Abraham, the father of faith, who followed God to whatever end.
You can imagine gasp when the disciples hear this. So, what have we been doing the past three years with you, Jesus?! “ See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” After all we’ve sacrificed, is there anything in it for us? Is it worth it, Jesus?
If you’ve never wondered whether it’s worth the cost to follow Jesus, it’s probably because you’ve never begun to follow Jesus. The journey of faith can be difficult, and it may cost you every worldly success.
Peter knew this. He could have stayed back in Galilee and lived a simple life with his family as a fisherman. No persecution or poverty... just a normal life. But then Jesus called him, and the cost of following Jesus kept mounting.
We’ve given up so much. What’s in it for us, Jesus? Why should we keep going?
I had lunch with a missionary couple a few years back. The two had spent their lives ministering to a remote village in Asia. Decades of work met with physical and emotional hardships. They were discouraged. The husband confessed he’s wondered at times if he’s wasted his life. They had seen very little fruit, hardly a small church after all those years. What hope would you give to this couple? The same hope that Jesus gave to Peter.
Total devotion to Jesus is costly, but in the end, it pays. “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 twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
When Christ returns, He will physically reign on this earth. He will sit upon David’s throne (2 Sam 7). A whole new world order, and as for the disciples? They get to share in Jesus’ glory.
Incredible, because when kings conquer a realm, they consolidated power. Not so with Christ. When He returns to overthrow the old, He will delegate His power and authority to much lesser creatures... and the apostles will reign over a new Israel. An Israel in the land God long ago had promised Abraham. An Israel at the epi-center of the world, not subjugated by anyone but gloriously blessing all the nations of the world.
And to us? Revelation 5:10 says that “we shall reign on the earth. 1 Cor 5:2 says that “the saints will judge the world.”
I don’t know what part of the new world that you or I will preside over, but I do know that the new world will be governed by the redeemed. Some of us will receive more than others, but all of us will share in Christ’s reign. His reign becomes our reign; His glory becomes our glory.
“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.” Following Jesus isn’t a waste. Total devotion to Him may cost you everything. But the kingdom is like the man in Matthew 13 who found treasure in a field, and joyfully, eagerly sold everything he had because he had to have it.
The cost to buy the field wasn’t even worth comparing to the treasure it contained!
No sacrifice for Jesus goes unnoticed. The reward in His presence is a hundred-fold greater than anything we might have lost, but not just the reward, eternal life itself. And what exactly is that?
John 17:3 — “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
Reuniting with friends, inheriting a resurrected body, enjoying streets of gold, reigning in the new world—such incredible blessings! But none of these can sustain our joy for an eternity. What makes heaven, heaven is none of this. Heaven is heaven because God is there. He is the sun that will shine endless rays of blessing and delight forever and ever upon us.
And though we will know God a little more with each moment of eternity, He’s inexhaustible. We will find after a thousand years we haven’t even scratched the surface of the Trinity. There’s always be more to know about God, more to love, which will forever give us more and more reasons to fall in worship.
EXHORTATION So, what is the American Dream compared to Christ’s kingdom? It’s not all that much. That doesn’t mean we must now take a vow of poverty—that’s not the point here.
The point is not to mistake true success. Please do not ever think that because you are successful here, God must be pleased with you. Praise Him if He has prospered you, but depend upon Him to keep you from becoming intoxicated with your success.
God delights in the humble dependence of children. Strive not for greater independence; rather, strive to remember you are just a child before the King. Like children, keep going to your Father in prayer—daily, hourly, minute by minute—keep going to Him.
Humble dependence delights the heart of God. Self-sufficiency shuts the kingdom of God. Total devotion is rewarded in the presence of God.
With this in mind, I would like to close with a prayer from Proverbs 30:8-9...
God, please give us neither poverty nor riches; feed us with the food that is needful, lest we become full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest we become poor and steal and profane Your Name.
Lord, give us neither too much nor too little that we would not be tempted by great wealth or great poverty. Give us just enough each day that we could more easily set our eyes upon You and see the greatness of Your kingdom.