A Foolish Question Graciously Answered

Something that seemed constantly to be a matter of prominent concern to these disciples, a foolish concern, but a real prominent subject of conversation was the matter of rewards and positions of prominence in heaven. If you go back to chapter 18 and verse 1, they came to him, the disciples did, saying, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And they seemed to just have this constantly on their mind.

After you get into chapter 20, Our Lord gave the parable concerning the householder, we may look at that tomorrow night, but down in the end of the parable at verse 20, just after he got done declaring how that God makes all his saints to be equal in the kingdom of heaven. Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshiping him and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, what wilt thou? She saith unto him, grant these my two sons. May sit the one on thy right hand and the other on the left in thy kingdom.

Now, it looks like they would have learned, but they were like us. They were kind of slow to learn anything. And they kept this constantly a matter of discussion. And so when the rich man was gone away and our savior said to this rich young ruler, they heard him.

He said, now you go and sell all that you have. Give it to the poor. Come follow me. And he went away sorrowful because he was determined to hold to his possessions And he would not relinquish himself to the rule of Christ. Well, the disciples got together and had a discussion. They said, well, we've done that. We've forsaken all. Now listen to what they said. Look in verse 27. Here's our text.

Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all and followed thee. What shall we have therefore? Now don't get too hard on Peter's case because he was talking for all of them. Jesus answered and said unto them, you see that? So Peter was just the spokesman. He was the one who came with the question.

Verily, I say unto you that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my namesake shall receive an hundredfold and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first. Now it is as though Peter were saying, behold, we have indeed done that which the rich young ruler refused to do. What shall be our reward then for forsaking all and following you?

And our Lord answers the question. It was a foolish question, but our Lord graciously answers the question And I want to show you the instruction that's given by our Lord in this passage. Now, though the cost of following Christ may appear to be very high, and it does at times appear to be a very great cost, the reward of following him is infinite beyond measure, both in this life and in the life to come. Now, as we look at these verses of scripture together, I want to show you five obvious lessons from this passage, five things clearly taught in the word of God that we need to be aware of, things about which much instruction needs to be given and very little is given.

First, understand this. Those who follow Christ must forsake all and follow him. Now, that may sound a bit strange to you, but it shouldn't. Don't ever try to fit the scriptures into your puny mind and say well now if the scriptures teach salvation is totally by grace and totally by faith in Christ and totally the gift of God then we have no responsibilities. We do have some responsibilities and faith in Christ answers those responsibilities. Those who follow Christ must forsake all and follow him. Faith in Christ is such a trust in him, such a confidence in him, that those who are born of God, those who are true believers, are in the totality of their lives. Now understand that. In the totality of their lives, they are committed to Christ. Faith in Christ surrenders all to Christ. He is the pearl of great price for which a person gladly sells all that he has in order to get that pearl.

Hold your hands here and turn to Matthew chapter 13. Matthew chapter 13. Verse 44. Our Lord is giving the parables of the kingdom. Verse 45, rather. Again, the kingdom of heaven is likened to a merchantman seeking goodly pearls. Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, there's only one, the Lord Jesus Christ, went and sold all that he had and bought that pearl so that Christ is to be had by a considerable consideration and a considerable thought of his value and of us giving ourselves for him in the totality of our beings. Turn to Matthew chapter 7, Matthew 7 and verse 34. I'm sorry, it's Mark, Mark's gospel. Mark, the I'm not sure what the 7th or 8th chapter, I'll find it here in a minute. Mark chapter 8, verse 34.

When he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it. But whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Now, the issue that we're confronted with in conversion is not whether or not we want to be saved. It is not whether or not we want to go to heaven when we die. It is not whether or not we want to have our sins forgiven. I've never met anyone in my life who wanted to go to hell. I've never met anyone in my life who did not want to go to heaven when they die. That's not the issue at all.

The issue is who's going to rule my life. That's what faith comes to. That's where faith is confronted and where faith deals with God Almighty. Faith surrenders life to Christ. Faith is the surrender, the commitment of myself to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not believing in him, but believing him. Now, I want you to understand the difference. Faith in Christ is not believing facts about Christ, but believing Christ. It is not trusting that he will save you, but trusting him.

It is the surrender of my life to the rule and dominion and disposal of the Son of God. Until we can truthfully say what Peter says here with his disciples, we have forsaken all, and followed thee, we have not yet come to Christ. We are yet lost, without life, without faith, without hope, and under the wrath of God, unless, like these disciples, we forsake all and follow him. Turn to Luke's gospel, if you will. I want you to see this in the scriptures, and I want you to see that it is clearly the teaching of our Lord. Luke chapter 14.

God's servants, like the Lord Jesus, are not nose counters. They're not interested in getting up a certain number of statistics and sending them off to the papers or sending them off to the denominational headquarters and look how many baptisms we had or how many folks made professions of faith. God's servants aren't interested in that. God's servants are interested in your soul.

I'm here tonight because I'm interested in you knowing, following, and worshiping the Son of God. That's my purpose here. For the glory of God, I want to show you the way of life. And consequently, we deal honestly with men. Our Lord Jesus did. Look in verse 25, Luke 14, 25. There went great multitudes with him, and he turned and said to them, If any man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also, He cannot be my disciple.

Now, what does that mean? Does that mean that Jim Wilson must look at Penny and Lindsay and despise them? No, no, no, no, not at all. Not at all. What that means is that in following Christ, in following Christ, as you seek to worship him, as you seek to follow him as dearly as you love those two ladies, you cannot give consideration to them.

You must follow Christ. Our Lord, when he said, Jacob, have I loved, but Esau, have I hated? The word is simply he didn't give any consideration to Esau. His heart, his attention, his care was focused on Jacob. Even so, we must not consider husband or wife or brother or sister, mother or father. Not even our own lives must be taken into consideration, but rather the will of God, the glory of God and the purpose of God, if we would follow him. Now read on. Verse 27. and whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

Now I know a lot of you folks have been in various religious organizations. Southern Baptist I know and the Methodist I know have periods of time when they will have lessons on discipleship and they will talk a lot about discipleship and their teaching is this.

Their teaching is that when you're a little boy or little girl you make a profession of faith but you're not really a disciple. You haven't really come to surrender to the Lordship of Christ. You're saved, but you're not really following Christ. And so they're going to teach you how to be a disciple.

When our Lord speaks of a disciple, he's talking about one who is saved. He's talking about a person being a believer or not being a believer. If you don't follow Christ, if I don't follow Christ, I'm not a believer. Those who do not follow him, no matter what they profess, are not believers. And a disciple is one who follows his master.

So our Lord says, whosoever does not bear his cross, and come after me cannot be my disciple. Now, bearing your cross is not having gout and having to live with it. That's not it. Bearing your cross is taking up Christ's calls, having counted the cost, and doing so regardless of cost. Let's read on.

For which of you, intending to build a tower, setteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply After he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, setteth not them first, and consulteth, whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

So likewise, whosoever he be of you, that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. He cannot follow me. He cannot be a child of God. He cannot be a believer. Now this matter of forsaking all and following Christ is exactly what was exemplified by the disciples. In Luke chapter 5 and verse 11, when our Lord called his disciples, These things are not written by accident, they're written deliberately by inspiration for our learning and admonition. When they had said, or when they had brought their ships to the land after our Lord called them, they forsook all and followed him. They dropped their nets, they dropped their boats, they dropped their business and they followed the master. Look in chapter four of Matthew's gospel. Matthew chapter four. Matthew's recording the same thing and he records it the same way. In verse 18.

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. He called them to be preachers of the gospel. In this occasion, he calls them to be his servants. And they straightway left their nets and followed him. exactly what a man must do who would follow Christ in the work of the ministry. But that's also what a man must do, a woman must do, who would forsake all and follow Christ in the way of faith, walking with him in the newness of life.

Mr. Spurgeon made this statement. I forgot where I got it. I wrote it down years and years ago, but it says what I want to say in this message as clearly as I can possibly put it. No man has truly given himself to Christ Unless he has said, my Lord, I give thee this day my body, my soul, my powers, my talents, my goods, my house, my children, and all that I have. Henceforth, I hold them at thy will as a steward under thee. They are thine. As for me, I have nothing. I surrender it all to thee. They're yours. I've committed this to you, my life and everything concerning my life.

That's what faith involves. The old writers used to say faith involves three essential things. And I think these are important. Faith involves knowledge, assent and commitment. That is faith. In order for a person to believe on Christ, in order for you and I to savingly trust the son of God, we must have knowledge of him. We must know who he is and what he did. That's the reason for the necessity of preaching the gospel. You can't trust an unknown savior. And so I come and others come and we preach to you the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, declaring how that Jesus Christ, by his obedience to God, by his sacrifice on the behalf of his people, has satisfied justice and brought in everlasting righteousness and put away sin.

You can't trust him until you've heard about it. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. But merely hearing is not faith. There's also a matter of assent or agreement. That is, we give our assent to that which God has revealed. The person hearing the gospel hears and God gives him understanding. He says, that's it. I believe. I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God. He agrees with the testimony that God has given concerning his son.

Merely acknowledging that what God says is true is not faith. The devils believe in tremble, don't they? The devils believe in tremble. Most everybody confronted with truths in scripture will in one degree or another at least acknowledge something concerning the truth of God with regard to his son. So merely acknowledging truth is not faith.

There's also the matter of commitment. Commitment. Faith, I'm stressing this now, faith is not, I believe in Jesus, it's believing him. You understand the difference? Let me see if I can illustrate it for you. Somebody asked my daughter if she has faith in me.

Well, they're not asking, do you believe that he's six foot three and weighs 300 pounds? They're not asking, do you believe he's pastor of Grace Badger Church in Danville? They're not asking, do you believe that he's your father? Do you believe he was born in North Carolina, raised and educated in a certain way? That's not what they're asking at all. They're not asking, do you believe all the facts relating to your father? They're asking, do you trust him? Do you trust him?

Now, I hope she does. I believe she does. I've given her reason to trust me. This is what faith is. It's believing the Son of God. It's commitment of myself to Jesus Christ. It is that confident acceptance of God's revelation concerning him that causes me to commit myself to him. Give you an illustration. I read years ago about a young man who, during the Chicago fire, was trapped in a third or fourth story building. I don't remember exactly where.

But he was trapped in the building and the fire had engulfed the building. And there was no way for that young man to ever escape that building alive except for him to jump into the net that the firemen were holding below. And they were coaxing him, trying to get him to jump into the fire, or jump into the net. The fire was engulfing him. He knew the fire was there. He knew the net was there. And he knew those folks were prepared to catch him. But he was terrified at the thought of jumping. At last, he fell into the net.

That's the commitment I'm talking about. I'm talking about a man, a woman committing himself with knowledge of what he's doing into the hands of Jesus Christ as Lord. It's not a matter of trusting Christ to save me. It's a matter of trusting Christ as my Lord, surrendering to him as my Lord. Let me give you an example of it in the scriptures. John chapter 2. In John chapter 2.

And verse 23, when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name when they saw the miracles which he did. But this man had turned water into wine. This man had performed notable miracles. And folks saw that and said, I believe in him. I believe in him. Many believed in his name. But notice verse 24, but Jesus did not commit himself unto them. because he knew all. He knew what was in them. He did not believe them. That's the word that's used here for commit. He did not believe them. He did not trust them. He did not commit himself unto them because they weren't true.

Now this is what faith is. It is committing myself to the Son of God. All right, that's the first thing. Faith in Christ is the surrender of myself to Christ. Secondly, that which most effectually keeps people from this commitment of faith to Christ is the love of the world. That which most effectually keeps men and women from this commitment of faith in Christ is the love of this world.

Look in chapter 19 of Matthew's Gospel again. Jesus saith unto them, verse 23, saith unto his disciples, verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again, I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

In James chapter four, the apostle James says, don't you know, if any man loved the world, The love of the Father is not in him. He says the friendship of the world, I'm sorry, is enmity with God. For whosoever will be the friend of the world is the enemy of God. In 1 John 2, the Apostle John says, if a man loves the world, the love of God is not in him. Now what he's talking about is the love of this world and the things of this world. Our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 6, no man can serve two masters, For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Nothing on this earth is more dangerous to a man's soul than material riches and the things of this world. Nothing's more dangerous. Turn to Matthew chapter 13. Matthew chapter 13.

I listened to Jim talking a minute ago about Lindsey, she's starting school this year? Starting school, boy, that's a care. That's a care. Oh, what times you got ahead of you. That's a care. But listen to this. He also, Matthew 13, 22. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word and the care of this world. The care of raising that little girl. Legitimate care. Legitimate care. The care of feeding and clothing your family. Legitimate care. But the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke out the word and he becometh unproofful.

Back home in our garden we have a weed called a wild sweet potato vine. I don't know whether y'all got them down here or not. That little old sweet potato vine, not much bigger than a thread. But if I leave it go in my garden for two weeks, it'll get around the corn. And first thing you know, be right on top of that corn. And it'll soon choke the life out of that stalk of corn so that the seed sown bears no fruit.

That's the care of this world. The care of this world among those who receive the word as in thorny places. That is, they're not truly converted, but they've had some reception of the word. They've acknowledged the truth of the word, and they've at least professed faith in the Lord Jesus. They receive the word, but then the care of the world.

My soul, I have seen it so many, many, many times in my life. The care of the world chokes out the word. and the seed that appeared at once to be so flourishing becomes unfruitful at last because it's received among thorns. Our Lord speaks plainly to us and warns us repeatedly. Back here in our text in Matthew chapter 19, he told his disciples that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Now the riches he's talking about are not just money and property, that's not all. It's the things of this world, the things that men seek in this world, the things that men grovel after in this world. Some men are attracted to material wealth and property and power in that regard. Others are attracted to another kind of power, another kind of position, another kind of position of recognition. It's what he's talking about. It is that which gets its hold upon the heart of a man in this world.

Whether he's talking about wealth or whether he's talking about fame or notoriety, whether he's talking about a position of power. You take our current president. He has been wanting to be president by his own acknowledgment since he was 14 years old. That's a pretty good indication that you don't want him for president. Forgive me, but that's just a pretty good indication.

That's a man who has sought all his life a position. All his life he's set his heart on that one thing. Now I use that for an illustration and I beg your forgiveness for using that illustration but it's prominent and you can understand what I'm talking about. The same thing is true of all things in this world upon which men set their lives and set their hearts.

This world will keep you from Christ if you let him. It'll do it. J.C. Ryle, in commenting on this statement by our Lord, it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. J.C. Ryle made this observation. He said, few of our Lord's sayings sound more startling than this. Few run more counter to the opinions and prejudices of mankind. Few are so little believed. And yet this saying is true and worthy of all acceptation. riches which all of us desire to obtain, riches for which men labor and toil, riches are the most perilous of possessions.

George Whitefield, that preacher whom God used so much around the country, traveled here and there and was sponsored by people who cared for him and ministered to his needs. He had one of the young men who assisted him in his labors, who traveled with him, got a cable one day, and the wire informed this young man that a very wealthy relative had died and left him a large inheritance. Whitfield's response was, he got in the pulpit that night, and when he called for the folks to pray, he said, I want you to pray for this young man. He had just received a wire indicating that he has come into substantial wealth.

This young man has come into substantial trial and temptation. Pray for him. If anything will ruin him, this will. I was down at Brother Shank's last year. One of the young men there, Brother Walter Gruber's grandson, good football player. He's really good and seems to have a genuine interest in the gospel. I've known him since he was just a tot and seems to have a genuine interest in it. And he's one of those fellas that's got a lot of charisma and a lot of personality. And I said to him, I said, Eric, I hope you play football just good enough that you can enjoy your college and play all the way through college and just bad enough that you never get on a professional team. And he looked at me kind of funny. Why is that? Because it's going to be almost impossible for you to worship God and serve that God. You can't do it. You can't do it.

Brother Mayhem was talking to a friend of his, Brother Drew Garner's son. Henry's known Drew since he was just a baby. And Phil played for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Y'all are familiar with him. Henry's known him all his life. He asked him one day about his interest in things of God and Phil responded very candidly.

He said, Brother Mahan, it's impossible for a man to do what I do and worship God. It's impossible. You can't spend all your life seeking the things of this world without regard to the worship of God, the glory of God and the will of God and worship Him. It can't be done. And so this is a very great danger.

Riches bind the soul. Riches lead to temptation. Riches engross the affection. Riches feed greed. Riches bind heavy burdens upon the heart and make the way to heaven more difficult than it already is. So I say to you, beware of the love of money. I say that to you who are comfortable and I say that to you who are very uncomfortable financially. You don't have to be wealthy to love money. Poor folks can be just as full of greed as rich folks and rich folks can be just as full of greed as poor folks.

It's impossible, impossible to serve God and mammon. It is possible to use wealth and position wisely for much good for the glory of God. That is possible. I have friends literally around the world and traveling like I do, I meet people from all walks of life. I have some Some friends who are very poor who generously support the cause of Christ, and I have friends who are very wealthy who generously support the cause of Christ. I recognize that it is possible for men and women to use that which God puts in their hands for much good if they will.

But I recognize also that very few people do. Very few do. For everyone that uses wealth for the glory of God and the good of men's souls, There are thousands who make of God out of their gold and service. So make sure, make sure my friends, that you have treasure in heaven. Many, many have forsaken all things with regard to the glory of God and the gospel of God and their responsibilities seeking wealth. I've watched men, I've watched men say, well, you know, I'm going to do this. And I just, once I get established, this is what I'm going to do. I've watched over the years. I have yet to see it happen. I have yet to see it happen.

I've known men move away from the gospel. They'd be in a local church where they're worshiping God and the family of God, and they have opportunity to get a promotion and move up a little bit, move up in ranks a little bit. And boy, when I get settled here, this is what I'm going to do. I could name them till I run out of fingers.

I have yet to see it happen. I have yet to see it happen. I've known fellas well up. I'm going to make a million dollars, I'll buy a jet and I'm going to fly you around preaching the gospel. You won't have to worry about expenses anywhere. I have yet to see it happen. Now, I've heard all of those things, but I have yet to see it happen.

What I'm saying is that money is a real temptation. Position is a real temptation. Fame is a real temptation. Don't seek those things. Money does not make a man good. Position does not make a man good. Power Money does not make a man good. Position does not make a man good. Power does not make a man good. Only the grace of God can do that. God doesn't measure a man by the money he has in the bank, and we ought not to.

I just began reading today a very interesting biography by a friend of mine, George Ella. He wrote a biography of of William Cowper, who wrote many of our hymns. Cowper was from a very wealthy, very, very wealthy, wealthy family. He was one of those fellows who had never had contact with poor people in his life. I mean, he he had never sat down across the table from a man who was just an ordinary Joe and talked to him until after God saved him. And after God saved him, the man did not become impoverished.

That would be foolish. But the man used what God had put in his hands for much good in the interest of God's kingdom. That's wisely using what God puts in your hand. Now, this is what I'm saying. Make certain, make certain that you don't measure yourself or measure others by what you possess or by the name or the reputation or the influence or the power that you have.

People in positions of wealth and prominence and power are not to be envied, but they're to be prayed for. Pray for them, for they have great difficulty, great difficulty. Matthew Henry said there are two problems with riches. The first problem is getting it, the second is keeping it. And that's just about so.

Make certain that you don't set your heart on a thing on this earth. And yet, thirdly, we must never presume that the rich must be lost. We must never presume that the powerful cannot be saved. We must never presume that the influential and the mighty of this world must be neglected with the gospel because they must be reprobate.

Our Lord speaks plainly to this in our text as well. Look at verse 25, Matthew 19, 25. When his disciples heard, they saw this rich young ruler. The Lord Jesus said, now you want to be saved by your works. This is what you got to do. And he went away sorrowful because he had much possession. And these disciples said, well, who then can be saved? You see that in verse 25? If this fella can't be saved, this man who's moral, this man who lived by the Ten Commandments, this man who has come to you seeking to know what he must do to have eternal life, if he can't be saved, who can? And Jesus beheld them and said unto them, verse 26, with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

You see, God's grace is sufficient, just as sufficient for the wealthy as it is for the poor, just as sufficient for the person of preeminence and prominence in society as for the person who is of no significance at all in society. God, the Holy Spirit, can use even the richest men of the world to seek treasure in heaven and cause them to do so. He can cause kings to cast down their crowns before the King of kings, the Lord Jesus Christ. He can compel even rich men to count all things but loss for Christ's sake. We have example after example, after example in the New Testament, as well as in the old.

Abraham was a rich man. He was a rich man. Yet he was the father of all who believed. Job was the richest man in all the East. And Job worshipped God. He worshipped God with all that he had. David and Solomon Jehoshaphat and Josiah, Hezekiah, all of them were mighty kings and they stand as monuments to God's sovereign grace. They forsook all and followed Christ, though they were themselves very wealthy men.

Moses was a rich, rich man. He was a man who was in line to be the Pharaoh after his adopted grandfather died. He was in line for the throne of Egypt. And Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ to be greater riches than the riches of Egypt and of the house of Pharaoh, and he forsook all to follow the Savior.

These men, though they were rich, God gave them riches and they recognized it. They didn't set their heart upon their wealth, but rather they used what God put in their hands for his glory. And when God called for sacrifices, they made the sacrifices willingly. Give an example. Abraham possessed everything God promised him. He possessed it all. His cattle multiplied, his servants multiplied. He was a, he was. I mean, he had everything heart could desire as far as wealth is concerned.

And there began to be a strife between his herdsmen and Lot's herdsmen. And Abraham knew that he couldn't go on like this. We can't live in strife. God's people can't live fussing and fighting. And so he said, now Lot, I'll tell you what you do. You choose whatever you want. You take these cattle and you take these servants and you take whatever direction you want, you can have it. And I'll take what's left.

And he did it for God's glory. He didn't have to. Nothing compelled him to do so except concern for the glory of God. And God prospered him in his decision. When God took the wealth of these men away, we have particularly the example of Job. And the example of David, when God took their wealth away, they didn't murmur and complain against him, but they worshipped him. Job lost his sons, his daughters, his health, his wife, his wealth, his name, his reputation, his honor, everything. And yet Job bowed his head and worshipped God.

He said the Lord gave and the Lord took away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. When David was driven from his throne by his son Absalom, And it looked like everything was gone. It looked like the kingdom was gone. His throne was gone. Everything was gone.

Shemai came out and cursed David, and his servant Abishah said, why don't you let me go over and kill that man? And David said, leave him alone. This is God's doing. He could not cuss me, except the Lord had said, go cuss David. He said, perhaps the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day.

We must recognize that God in his grace and providence has his elect scattered among every rank in society. So I'm stressing this somewhat to you because I want you, you who have financial stability and prosperity, don't neglect those who don't, carry the gospel to them. And you who struggle to make ends meet, don't neglect the wealthy, carry the gospel to them. God has his elect everywhere, and we must minister the gospel of Christ everywhere, seeking out the Lord's own.

If God gives you this world's goods, use it for his glory. I won't, let me change that, not yet. As God gives you this world's goods, use it for his glory. The Apostle Paul said to the Corinthians, let every man on the first day of the week lay by as the Lord has prospered him and deal. Give according to your ability to the cause of Christ. Support the ministry of the gospel around the world.

Make it your business to do so. I realize that here you have no regularly established ministry. You don't have a local assembly that's in the general sense of the term, an organized church. But don't let that keep you from involving yourself in the ministry of the gospel.

We support missionaries around the world. We support preachers and pastors If you want to support whatever you call me, I'll see to it that whatever you want to give them goes to them or you can send it to them. And see to it that you do so with regular consistency, supporting the calls of Christ, because this is number one priority in our lives. Not the things of this world, but the kingdom of our God. So support the furtherance of the gospel as God gives you opportunity and ability to do so. It doesn't matter whether you have much or whether you have little, use what God puts in your hands for his glory.

Now, fourthly, those who forsake all and follow Christ shall lose nothing for doing so. Listen to what our Lord says. Peter came in our text and said, What shall we have? We've forsaken all and followed you. And the Lord Jesus says in verse 28, Verily I say unto you that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit on the throne of glory, ye also shall sit upon the twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my namesake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

Now God's people do not serve him for gain. I can't stress that sufficiently. You'll never hear me or any, you'll never hear any of God's servants talk to you like you do this and God will see to it that you get this in response to it. No, sir. God's people don't serve him for gain. Those who preach the health, wealth, prosperity, gospel of greed are false prophets. I don't care who they are. I don't care who they are.

Let that be stated emphatically and clearly. And those who attempt to inspire holiness, devotion, and sacrifice among God's saints by the promise of reward in heaven betray a base falseness to their own religion. You folks have been in churches, I'm certain you hear preachers, they say, now you give this and God will reward you in heaven. You do this and God will reward you in heaven.

And men who motivate folks to godliness and devotion and sacrifice by the promise of reward are not God's servants. God's people aren't mercenaries. We don't serve God for what we get from Him. And yet I affirm without hesitation to you who have forsaken all, you have committed your lives to the Son of God. I say without hesitation that all who forsake all to follow Christ shall incur no loss by doing so, neither in this world nor in the world to come. I want to show you some scripture. Turn to 1 Samuel chapter two. 1 Samuel chapter two. Verse 30.

Here's the most certain of all laws. The most certain. Right down to the last part of the verse. Them that honor me, I will honor. Do you see that? Them that honor me, I will honor. God's as good as his word. The Lord God honors those who honor him. Now, he does not honor us as we might think he would. He does not honor us in a way to satisfy greed. But those who honor God are honored of God.

I have absolutely no question that's so. Not only that, but forsaking all and following Christ is not forsaking anything. Listen to what the apostle says in first Corinthians three. He says, all things are yours. First Corinthians 321. For ye are Christ and Christ is God's. All things are yours. All things. That simply means that everything I have need of, I have. Everything. Everything. I don't pretend that God will make you wealthy or prosperous or even healthy. I don't even pretend to. such a condition for most of us probably would not be best.

I have often made the statement, sometimes we get to thinking, well, I wish I had more of this, wish I had more ability to do that. If God wanted it done in Danville, Kentucky, what I think I would like to do, if God wanted it done, he would see to it we had the means to get it done and would do it right now. Either that's true Either God doesn't want what I think we might need to do, God hasn't purposed it, or else I can't be trusted to do it.

Either way, it's best for me to be exactly in the condition I'm in. You understand that? And the same is true of you and your personal lives. So that as we as believers must not set our heart upon the things of this world, but as believers, we must be content with our present circumstances and use what God gives us both with talents and with opportunities and with means for the glory of his name and the increase of his kingdom.

I have often had fellows come around. I don't know how to say this and not sound self-serving, but I hope you will take it the way I intended. I've had fellows come and try to get me involved in businesses, one thing or another over the years. I don't have any question at all that if I wanted to get in business, I could be a fairly good businessman. I work hard, and I suspect hard work, honesty, and a little bit of smarts is most of what it takes to get along in the business world.

And folks recognize that. The fellows come along, they offer this business deal or that business deal, and I keep saying, no, no, not interested. Well, aren't you interested in doing this or establishing this? No, not interested. God's called me to the work of the ministry. I cannot turn aside for other things. Now, that's my lot as a preacher.

You who are believers, use opportunities God gives you. Use the opportunities and do the best you can with things in this world, but don't set your heart on the things of this world. Do the best you can in the realm of life God's put you in, but don't set your heart on it. And what God puts in your hand, use it for his glory.

My God, shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. That's his promise. That's his promise. He'll supply all your needs. Paul wrote those words to the Philippians who out of their great necessity had so sacrificially given to meet his need. And he says, he says, I'm astounded by this, but God will supply your needs. He will supply your needs. Use what God puts in your hands for his glory and God will supply you with the means to use things for his glory. Our Lord promised his apostles here that they would sit upon the twelve, upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel in the regeneration. That is, they would rule over or exercise judgment over the twelve tribes of Israel.

Now frankly, I have no idea what he's talking about. I don't have any idea what that verse of scripture is talking about. Perhaps he's talking about the idea that the apostles in the kingdom of grace being the messengers of Christ by the word of God. They judge the nation of Israel. That may be what he's talking about. But I suspect that he's got reference to something in the world to come.

And not that we will have differing degrees of glory in heavenly glory, but we will be individuals in heaven's glory, and we will have differing spheres of service in the kingdom of our God. I can't imagine spending eternity floating around on a cloud strumming a harp. I'm not interested in doing that.

But in the kingdom of God, when all things are made new, we shall be given the privilege in a world without sin of serving Christ in the sphere he gives us and he promises these apostles that he would give them to sit upon the twelve tribes, our twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Whatever that indicates, I don't know because the scriptures nowhere tell us what it indicates. He is promising them they have lost nothing by serving him. We will possess in heaven's glory a fullness of reward even as these apostles do.

And he's telling us also that all who have forsaken family and property, for Christ's sake, shall receive a hundredfold more even in this world. Now hold your hands here and turn to Luke's account of this. Luke chapter 19. Or chapter 18 rather, in verse 28. Peter said, lo, we've left all and followed they, And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brothers, or wife, or children for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time and in the world to come, life everlasting.

What on earth does that mean? If your family abandons you for your devotion to Christ, Don't forget that you have a family around the world. A father and a brother in every believing man. A mother and a sister in every believing woman in Christ's kingdom. This is my family. This is my family. I have blood kin.

I love them dearly. But they have no interest in the gospel of my, of God. or the glory of my God, they're not sympathetic to the gospel of God's free grace. I wouldn't call one of them to ask for anything, for anything in this world. I wouldn't even think about doing it. I'd give them anything I've got, but I wouldn't call one of them to ask for anything. Though some are very wealthy. Some have financial means to, they can do about anything they wanted to. I wouldn't call one and ask for anything. I wouldn't grovel before one of them for anything. If I needed something, I wouldn't hesitate to call you. I wouldn't hesitate to. I really wouldn't.

I have a friend out in California I was with just a couple of weeks ago. Spent the night in his home. He's a mechanic. And I needed something that he'll take care of it. I called him up yesterday. He called back last night. It's taken care of. It's done. Not for myself, somebody else, but I can call him. This is my family. This is my family.

Not that we use one another, but we are willing to be used of one another. You understand the difference? God's people don't use each other, but God's people are willing to be used of one another. Those who believe have a family everywhere and they lose nothing by it.

I know some men who have forsaken all just recently. Brother Cody Groover and his wife, Winna, David pledged his son-in-law and daughter. Well, they had now taken their three children. Cody quit his job. She quit her job. They sold their house, sold the property, sold the furniture, packed up, moved to Mexico.

What are you going to do? I'm going to go down and preach the gospel. Well, how are you going to live? Got to take care of it. Got to take care of it. That means 40 years old, 35, 40 years old. Well, he's lost his mind. No, he's found the Savior. You understand what I'm talking about?

Brother Tom Harding went to Pikeville, Kentucky. That's the pastor of that little church up there. And he quit his job, gave up his pension, sold his house, moved to Pikeville. Pastor of congregation 12, 13, 14 people. What on earth is he doing? Doing the will of God. That's what he's doing.

Brother Doug Weaver, man who was in our congregation in Danville, had been struggling as a salesman there for a year. I mean, he had been, he had been busting his chops trying to make a living. And he was doing pretty good, beginning to do pretty good. Out of one day, he made a sale, one sale.

He had just been called to pastor a little church up in Cottageville, West Virginia. And I'm talking congregation of 15, 16, maybe 18 people. He had just been called pastor of that church. He was trying to make up his mind what to do. A fella called up the store one day, he happened to be in the store, represented one of the big factories in our area, and Doug made a sale that would put $20,000 in his pocket from now on. Every year, $20,000 every year. And he had two choices. Either stay there and keep it or turn it over to somebody else and go pastor that little group up in Cottageville.

Well, he's up there and he's never regretted it. Now, in God's good providence, we help to assist and support those men and we will continue to do so as God gives us opportunity. But they forsaking all have forsaken nothing. Do you understand what I'm saying? God has supplied their needs and will continue to. Moreover, in the world to come, you who forsake all and follow Christ shall inherit everlasting life. That is all the glory all the bliss and all the joy of heaven. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Mr. Spurgeon said, they who lose all for Christ will find all in Christ and receive all with Christ. And then our Lord concludes by saying, but the many that are first shall be last. and the last shall be first. Now, maybe tomorrow night I'll pick up on that. I'll decide between now and then, but I hope that's profitable to you and helpful.

Our Father, bless your word to the hearts of these, your people. Make us to understand that the things of this world that you put in our hands, and it's truly your providence and your wisdom that puts in our hands and withholds from our hands all that we have or all that's taken from us. We recognize that. Make us to understand that we must not set our hearts upon these things, but rather use these things that you've put in our hands and every opportunity you've given us for the furtherance of the gospel and the glory of our God.

We pray for Becky and her family. God, I thank you for them. Your faithful, faithful servants. We ask your blessings upon them. We don't know how to pray for them as we are. But we pray that you will be pleased to do that which is best for your children. Get glory to your son. And use them for the interest of your kingdom.

Thank you for the faithfulness, the faithfulness you've given. I thank you for this people here. And I ask your blessings upon them. I ask that you'll bless their efforts in ministering the word and let them not grow weary in well doing. but be faithful in spreading the gospel and bearing faithful witness to others. And we pray that you might be pleased to gather in this place sinners to Christ our Savior for the glory of his name. Amen.

A Foolish Question Graciously Answered

Sermon Transcript

About Don Fortner

Comments

Joshua

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

A Foolish Question Graciously Answered

Sermon Transcript

About Don Fortner

Comments

More from Don Fortner

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Don Fortner

Books by Don Fortner

Joshua

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book