The lesson this morning will
be taken from Luke 18, verses 28-34. The gist of these verses has to do
with open ears and closed minds. They hear, but they don't hear. Or they hear, and they don't
perceive. Let's read these verses together. Luke chapter 18, verse 28. Then Peter said, Lo, we have
left all and followed thee. That's what the Lord required
of the rich young ruler. He walked away sad. And then Peter said, Lo, we've
left all and followed thee. And he said unto them, Verily
I say unto you, there's no man that hath left house or parents,
or brethren, 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.' Then he took unto him the twelve,
and he said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, And all
things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of
Man shall be accomplished. For He shall be delivered unto
the Gentiles, shall be mocked, spitefully entreated, and spitted
on. And they shall scourge Him and
put Him to death, and the third day He shall rise again. And
they understood none of these things. And this saying was hid from
them, neither knew they the things that were spoken." Now last week
we looked at the account of the rich young ruler, and his heart
was in his holdings. He had a bit of a religious attitude,
but his heart was in his holdings. His treasure was his riches.
and his titles, and he rested in his prudence and business
savvy. He could rest in those things,
rest in what he thought he possessed. And this promising young man
possessed three things, and these three things possessed him. He had a religion without God. He was a religious man. things
referring to the love I kept from my youth up. I'm perfect
in my obedience. He was a religious man, but he
didn't know God. He had a religion without God.
He had the care of this world. You remember what our Lord said
about that? He said, he that receiveth the seed among the
thorns is he that heareth the word, and the care of this world,
and deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and by and by he is
offended. He heard the word from Christ
himself. You think about that. Christ
himself, the word himself. told this man, talked to this
man, preached to this man, and the care of this world to overcome
and choke that word out. He wants religion, and he wants
the comfort it can afford, but not at the expense of his security. Here's what we say. I have to
eat. I have to eat. I have to have
a place to live. I have to have clothes and shelter.
My children look to me. They look to me for assistance
and help. What if I take ill? What if I
get sick? Don't I need a little bit laid
back? Cares of this world. Do we really think that the one
who made us and made the world that we live in don't know our
needs? Do we really believe that? He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all? He knows our needs. And then the third thing he had,
which also had him, is the deceitfulness of riches. What do I mean by that? I mean
wealth offered him more comfort, more security, more pleasure,
and more rest than the Son of God. That's what I mean by that. When we fall back on those
things, when that's where our security is indivisible, the
things that we see, things that we possess, things we have our
hands on. When our security is in that,
we take more security in those things than we do the Son of
God. Riches are deceitful. They promise what they can't
deliver. They look like a solid foundation,
but in truth, they're just shifting sand. How many people had a fortune
built up on paper before the Great Depression hit? And how
many of them hope disappeared like steam off a tea kettle when
the word of that depression came forth in those banks. Oh, my
soul. Many of them took their lives. I know what I'll do, said the
wealthy farmer. I know what I'll do. Here's what
I'll do. This is the way we think. I'll tear down my barns to build
bigger barns. And I'll fill them all up. I
think about every time we pass through the bottoms, the Red
River Delta out there, and a big company, I guess, out of California,
bought I don't know how many thousand acres out there, and
they put in all these big grain bins, and boy, they've been hauling
stuff in and putting out. I think about that illustration
every time I see it. I know what I'm going to do.
I'm going to tear down my barns and build bigger barns. And then,
when I get them all filled up, I'm going to say, Take thy knees. I'm going to rest. Do you know
what I found out about rich men? They can't rest. They can't rest. But here's what our Lord said,
Thou fool, this day shalt thy soul be required of thee. They heard what our Lord said
about requiring total surrender to Him. And Peter said, well,
we've done that. We left off. and followed thee. In Matthew 19, in Matthew's account,
he adds these words to Peter's question. Peter also said, what
shall we have therefore? We've left everything. You promised
this rich young ruler if he were to do these things, he'd have
treasure in hand. We've done no such. What shall
we have? And many of the men I read said
there was no pride, arrogance, or ambition in Peter's question.
They said this because he didn't say I. He said we. We have left out. And father did. But the truth
is there's pride, arrogance, and ambition mixed with everything
we do and say. Not a word comes out of our mouth
that ain't tainted with sin. But the Lord answered him graciously. He answered him in kindness. And in love, he overlooked his
faults. And if time will permit, I have
four things I want us to see in these verses and how our Lord
answered them. First of all, I want us to see
a pertinent question. This was in keeping with what
our Lord said. Peter and all the disciples heard
what our Lord said about leaving all and following Him and having
treasure in Heaven. And the Lord didn't correct Peter.
He didn't say like He did on that other occasion. You remember
Peter on another occasion, the Lord told him they were all going
to forsake him. And he said, whoa, whoa, they
might, but not me. And you remember what our Lord
told him, get thee behind me, You don't understand all you
know about what's going on here. But this was a pertinent question.
And the Lord didn't correct Peter. He didn't rebuke Peter. But He
did answer him directly. His question was pertinent and
inclusive of all the disciples, and so our Lord addressed them
all. And then the second thing I want
us to see in these verses is a gracious promise. Listen to
this, verse 29. He said unto them, Verily I say
unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or parents,
or brethren, or wife, For 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. I think if I'm going on memory,
which ain't much at my age, but I think in one of the other accounts
it said he shall receive a hundredfold. Here he uses the word manifold. But this manifold more is not
about houses and parents and brethren and so forth, though
it is true. It is true. I had three brothers
and five sisters in the flesh. Now I have hundreds all over
the world. Don't I have manifold more? What about parents? We are to entreat elder men as
fathers. and younger men as brethren,
elder women as mothers, and younger women as sisters. I have manifold
more. But this manifold more goes way
beyond these things and takes in all the spiritual blessings
of God in Christ. Though we live in a fallen, corrupt
world and have a fallen, corrupt nature, yet we have as believers
all things. Old things have passed away,
he said. What's he talking about? Old
inabilities. You have all that. I can't do
that. You can if God enables you. You sure can. Here's a man,
he's paralyzed. He can't move. He hadn't moved
in, what, 27 or 37 years. He hadn't moved. You know his muscles are shriveled
up. He couldn't walk. He had to be carried. There was
no doubt in anybody's mind. There was no doubt in his mind.
He couldn't do it. Christ said, take up your bed
and walk. He couldn't, but he did. And
old things passed away. These old inabilities are gone.
He tells you to believe. And you say, well, I can't. That's
right. You can't. Without him, you can
do nothing. But when he gives you the ability,
you can. When He gives you faith, you
can. You can do it. All things are yours, Paul said.
The apostles, they hold these offices for you. They're gifts
for you. Or the Word. This world is being
maintained for God's elect. Did you know that? You didn't
read about it over in Romans chapter 8. This world waiteth for the manifestation
of the sons of God. The world is yours. Everything
in it is being arranged for you. Everything in it is working together
for your good and His glory. The world is yours. Life is yours. Death is yours. Things present
are yours. Things to come are yours. And
ye are Christ and Christ is God. You have all that. You talk about
manifold more, we have manifold more. We have a high priest sitting
at the right hand of God making intercession for us. We have
a king, a blessed potentate who rules over all, arranging all,
working all things together for our good and His glory. And we
are right now heirs of God. So what is it that we've ever
parted with that compare with what He's given us and what we
have? Huh? All things are yours. It's what we're given in Christ
that brings comfort, peace, satisfaction, and pleasure. Not such things
as we've left. You know, they were so miserable
down in Egypt. Oh, I read about that. I feel
so sorry for them. I'm just thinking about how they
felt the lash of the whip, and they were out in that hot sun,
and they were had to gather their own straw and then make these
bricks by hand. Brick making ain't a piece of
cake. It's a lot of work. And here they are. And boy, if
they didn't keep up, pow, the crack of that whip on their back
and all these things. But then they get deliveries. And what do they do? They reminisce
about the old flesh pots back in Egypt. Ain't that what we do in this
world? Oh, my soul. It's what we're
given in Christ that brings comfort, peace, satisfaction, and pleasure.
Not such things as we've left. This is a gracious promise. All
those who have surrendered themselves to Christ and left all shall
receive manifold more in this present time. Then there's a
great big and. Life everlasting in the world
to come. Watch that for me. Life, not eternal damnation. Life, not misery and agony. Life,
not death. Bye. Oh, what a great and gracious
promise He's given us. And then watch this. An apostle
asked a question, but our Lord applied the answer to any and
all. Everybody there. He wasn't just
talking to the twelve. He talked to everybody. And then
thirdly, I see in these verses a sweet prophecy. Listen to this,
verse 31. He tells us that He took unto
Him the twelve, and He said unto them, Behold, I go to Jerusalem,
and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the
Son of Man shall be accomplished. Redemption shall be accomplished. He died the just for the unjust
that he might bring us to God. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 7,
in whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of
sins according to the riches of his grace. Redemption is accomplished. Jesus paid it all. That's what
the hymn writer said. I love that hymn. And apart from
accomplished redemption, there can be no blessings. No blessings. Justification was accomplished.
Justified freely by His grace. Delivered for our offense. Raised
again for our justification. Justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus. And then in
Romans 8 verse 33, he said, Who shall lay anything to the charge
of God's elect? It's God that justifies. What
court are they going to bring you in to condemn you when the
highest court justified you? When we leave the Supreme Court,
whatever they said, that's it. They're nowhere else to appeal.
God justified us. Now who's going to condemn us?
Who said that? God did. God did. Who is he that condemneth? It's
Christ that died. Yea, rather, that's risen again,
who's even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us. Redemption. He said all these
things these prophets talk about are going to be accomplished
when we go to Jerusalem. Redemption, justification, reconciliation. Colossians 1.20, having made
peace through the blood of His cross by Him to reconcile all
things unto Himself. By Him, I say, whether they be
things in earth or things in heaven. And you that were sometime
alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now
hath He reconciled. in the body of His flesh through
death to present you holy, unblameable, and unreprovable in His sight. He gave them those sweet promises.
And then He gives them a sweet prophecy. He said, you're going
with me. You're going to be eyewitnesses. We're going to go up here to
Jerusalem. They were terrified to go to
Jerusalem. We're going to Jerusalem. And when we go, He said, everything
that the prophets wrote about the Son of Man is going to be
accomplished. And you're going to be witnesses.
You're going to be witnesses. The crowning work of obedience
What else is going to be accomplished up there? Righteousness. A full
and perfect righteousness brought out. The crowning work of the
obedience of our Lord, which was a representative obedience,
was His death on the cross. He become obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. And when He died that day on
the cross, the final stitch was made, and the white rose that's
going to cover all His saints. He's the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believes in Him. He said, Behold, we shall
go to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets
concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished. What a sweet
and glorious prophecy. And then lastly, I want us to
think about a sad truth revealed. They said all these wonderful
things to these men. He's looking them eye to eye,
Walter. He's this far away. He's looking
them right in the face and he's telling them these things. And
it says in verse 34, they understood none of these things. I don't know how many times I
don't count them that I've stood in this pulpit and said things
more than enough to be used of God to save men's souls, and
seen them angry and stomp out, or couldn't wait till I said
amen so they could go out the door. They didn't even stay for
the final hymn. They out that door, in the car,
and gone. These men heard the greatest
truth that's ever been declared in this world. and didn't understand
a single thing he said. Isn't that something? While one of the twelve was of
Satan, he said, have not I chosen you twelve and one of you is
a devil? He knew who he was. And he could never enter into
these things. That doesn't make an excuse for
the other eleven. Our Lord told them, I don't know
on how many occasions that he was going to go to Jerusalem,
had to die on a cross, had to be forsaken, buried in a tomb,
and raised on the third day. I don't know how many times he
told them that, and they still didn't understand. Ignorance. Sinful ignorance. Where does
this ignorance come from? Ignorance is born trusting in
what we think we already know. Let that sink in. That's where
ignorance comes when we start reasoning from our own knowledge, which we don't have
it, none that understand it. But we'll still go back to the
pool, won't we? Every one of these disciples
believed that the Christ would rise up out of the tribe of Judah. Herod asked them, where is he
to be born? Man, they spit the answer out
just like that. Going to be born in Bethlehem.
What tribe? He's coming from the tribe of
Judah. They knew all that. Every one
of his disciples believed that the Christ would rise up out
of the tribe of Judah But they believed he'd be a man, not the
God-man, but a man, like a prophet, like Jeremiah or Moses, one of
the prophets. And he'd rise up and he'd take
charge, organize all of Israel together, and with the power
of God, they'd overcome their enemies, and this man would sit
on an earthly throne in this world and rule over his people. and just raise them up again
to their former glory. That's what they all believed.
Every one of them believed. But here's what he said. He said, I'm going to Jerusalem.
We're all going to go up there, and here's what's going to happen.
All these things are going to be accomplished. How are they
going to be accomplished? Well, I'm going to be delivered
to the Gentiles. What? Israel's going to turn me over
to the Romans. They're going to forsake me altogether.
He's yours. Do with Him what you will. I'm going to be delivered to
the Gentiles. I'm going to be mocked. I'm going
to tell them truth that they can't hide from. I'm going to
declare things to them that they don't have an answer. But I'm
going to be mocked. How are they going to mock him?
They're going to mock his lordship. They're going to put a crown
of thorns on his head and a purple robe on him. He's going to be mocked and spitefully
treated and spit on. And then after that, they're
going to scourge him. They're going to take a whip and beat
the flesh off his back. And then they're going to put
him to death. And the third day, they're gonna
rise again. That's how these things should
be accomplished. Now let me tell you something. If we're ignorant of this, we're
ignorant of it all. You hear me? I don't care what
else you know. If you're ignorant of this, You're
ignorant of it all. If you're wrong on this, you're
wrong all the way. Everything our Lord said to these
men about earthly and heavenly treasure is based on His life,
death, and resurrection. We're not just ignorant of His
death. These men weren't just ignorant of His death. But they
understood none of the things, neither knew they the things
which were spoken. Nothing he said went home to
them. The significance of his death
was hidden from them, hidden by preconceived notions. If our
gospel be hid, it's hid to the lost, in whom the God of this
world has blinded the minds of them, but believe not. They're hidden by preconceived
notions about the promised Messiah and about the holy character
of God. In Mark chapter 6 verse 6, listen
to what Mark says about these things. God inspired this man
to write these words. The Lord looked on them and marveled
at their unbelief. Huh? He marveled at their unbelief. Now, if those who loved him,
walked with him, and were taught by him were ignorant of these
things, what pride, what arrogance, what hypocrisy this fact reveals
in us who have much greater light than they did. Much greater light. Why did God, the Holy Ghost,
inspire Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to write so much about
the ignorance, weakness, fears, and failings of these dear saints
of God? Why did He do that? Let me give
you six things. Were He to leave us to ourselves,
we would all soon perish. That's what He's teaching us
here. in these failings and weaknesses. There's none that understand
Him and none that seeketh after God. If it weren't for Him, Larry,
you wouldn't be here. You'd be somewhere else. Secondly,
He does these things to show us that our salvation is not
dependent upon the strength and quality of our faith, but upon
the strength and quality of our Savior. And then thirdly, he shows us
these things to convince us that it's not our knowledge that saves
us, but Christ. We know so little. We think we
know so much because we compare ourselves to unbelievers who
don't know anything. But we know so little. Oh, ye
of little faith, our Lord. And then, they understood nothing. None of these things. They didn't
understand anything. He does this fourthly to show
us that salvation is all of grace. It's all of grace. And fifthly,
to remind us that saints in this world are still weak, sinful,
failing, ignorant men and nothing more. Oh, I want to take my place right
here as your pastor as a sinner. As a sinner being saved by grace. I don't want to get above that.
Don't you get above that. You're sinners being saved by
grace. Where I don't care at the pinnacle
of your life. You're way down here. You're
way down here. And then lastly, He shows us
these things to shut us up to faith in Christ. As you have
received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him. How do you
receive Him? As poor sinner seeking the mercy
of God. Finding the mercy of God. Finding
the grace of God. Walk that way. Don't start hunting
for another reason. Exactly as you receive Him, walk
that way. Don't get above sinnerhood. In Him, He said, dwelleth all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily. The fullness of love, mercy,
grace, wisdom, power, on and on. In Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. It didn't camp out in Him overnight. It abideth in Him. This is God
come into the flesh. In Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. Now listen, and you're complete
in Him. You don't need anything. You
just need Him. You just need Him. Oh Lord, teach
us to take our place as sinners being saved by grace. And teach
us to see You That's our wisdom. We ask it for Christ's sake.
Amen. Thank you.