The lesson this morning is in
Matthew 19. I'll try to finish up the chapter
this morning, Lord willing. Matthew 19, verses 27 through
30. Then answered Peter and said unto him, We have forsaken all and followed
Thee. What shall we have, therefore?
And Jesus said unto them, 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 12 tribes of Israel. And everyone that hath forsaken
houses, or brethren, 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 these verses were
prompted by the departure of the rich young ruler from the
Lord. You remember the lesson. He came
and said, what good thing must I do that I may have everlasting
life? And our Lord told him. And he
departed in sorrow. So my subject this morning in
these verses is this. Forsaking all. This is what the
Lord told that man to do. Sell everything you have. Give
it to the poor. And he couldn't do it. Couldn't
do it. That was his treasure. That was
his hope. That was his security. He couldn't turn loose of it.
And he walked away sorrowful. And then the disciples, they
said, we have. He wouldn't, but we did. We did. So here's my subject. Forsaking
all. but losing nothing. These disciples
had just witnessed a man of great power and reputation and wealth
turned away by the master. Now keep in mind that these men
still believed in an earthly kingdom. They believed in a Jewish
church. Their concept of the kingdom
of God was always overshadowed by this prejudice. of this earthly
kingdom. They saw what they saw in the
prophecies. What they saw in the Old Testament
prophets was another man like David who would appear in the
future, which they believed Jesus was him. They believed he was
the Christ. But they believed that what the
Christ was going to do was return the Jewish church back into national
prominence. He was going to establish an
earthly kingdom of the Jews. They believed that he would be
raised up in power like David and overthrow their captives
and usher in an everlasting kingdom. Many today still believe that
same thing. They still believe that same
thing. They still believe that the Lord is going appear the
third time. And He's going to raise these
Jews up in national prominence and return them again to their
former glory. And I believe it's this prejudice
that was in their heads. You know, I'm going to say this
to you. The reason why the Gospel is not effective to men and women
when they come in here, what makes it so confusing, is because
they have a prejudice. just like these Jews, so that
you understand what I'm talking about. They had this prejudice
that I already know what Christ did. I already know who He was. I already know what the church
is all about. And they come in and you begin
to preach to them and they, oh, now wait a minute, now wait a
minute. Why? Because of that prejudice. Even though you open
and give them Scriptures and show them these things, they're
not teachable because of the prejudice. And neither were those
Jews. And these were disciples. These
were men who heard from the master's own lips what was going to take
place. How many times did he talk to them about his resurrection
and not one of them believed it or understood it? And this
is why they were so shocked when this great man whose influence
and power could have contributed so much to the cause was turned
away. Why would you turn him away?
He'd be a big help. Well, that's what they say today.
A rich man comes in. We don't cater to him. We preach
the same gospel to him. We do it to everybody else, and
he leaves. Now, wait a minute, preacher. He can be a big help
to the cause. Depends on your cause. Depends
on who's doing the work. Depends on what the work is. And while these things still
lingered on their minds, they were moved to ask a very foolish
question. What's in it for us? What's in it for us? We have
forsaken all. That man wouldn't forsake all,
but we did. Brethren, this is not a question
that a gracious heart and mind will ask. They won't ask that. When the Spirit of the living
God enters in and abides in these men's hearts, this question will
never again be asked. They'll never mention it again.
Grace never gets over their own calling. Never does. Till the end of its days, it'll
continue to ask, why me? Why me? I can't believe that
God showed me mercy. They won't look around the auditorium
and say, look at this guy, or look at that one, or look at
somebody else back here. They'll be looking at themselves. That's what old John Newton said.
His friend came and said, you remember that old guy down there
in County Bath? You remember him? Boy, what a
rounder he was. He said, the Lord saved him.
He said, I'll never despair again about a sinner being saved. And
old John Newton told him, he said, well, friend, he said,
I've never despaired since God saved me. I've never got over
that. Have you? Why me? Why me? How could God love me
and pass by the rich young ruler? That's what they should have
been asking. How could He show mercy to me and pass by those
who have dedicated their lives to religious service? How could
God reveal Himself to me and pass by the wise and prudent?
Because salvation is all together by grace. Now, I've got three things this
morning that I want us to think about and apply to ourselves
as the Spirit of God enables us. First of all, I want you
to see that the calling of God requires a total surrender of
all things. They said, we have forsaken all. Yes, they did. And why did they? Because it was required of them.
It was required of them. Let me read to you the account
of their calling back in Matthew chapter 4. If you want to turn
back there, Matthew chapter 4 beginning of 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. They were going about their jobs,
they were going about their daily activities, and they were fishermen. And they were out on this ship,
and they had this big net, and they threw it out into the sea.
They were working, doing what they were trained to do, doing
what their occupation required. And He said unto them, follow
Me, and I'll make you fishers of men. Now watch this. They
straightway left. their nets. This was their livelihood. This was the livelihood of their
families. This is all they ever knew. They
didn't know anything about being fishers of men. They didn't know
anything about preaching. They didn't know anything about
the Kingdom of God. They were ignorant fishermen.
And He called them and He said, follow Me. And straightway, they
left their nets and followed And going on from thence he saw
other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother,
in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. And
he called them. Now watch this. Immediately,
not four or five days later, immediately they left the ship
and their father and followed him. How was their father going to
take care of himself? These two boys, that was his
livelihood. How was he going to take care
of himself? What were they going to do with the chef? What were
they going to do with the net? They put it all in his hands, didn't
they? They put it all in his hands and obeyed what he told
them to do. And then in Matthew 13, the Lord
gives two parables to illustrate this thing of saving faith and
total surrender. He gives two beautiful illustrations
over here. First of all, he likens it to
a treasure hid in a field. Now he said if the man finds
the treasure, the man who finds the treasure, who sees it, who
recognizes it, who knows what it is, He goes and sells all that he
has and he buys the field. Why would he buy that field?
Why would he take everything he had? Because he found the
treasure. He found the treasure. And then
he gives this illustration as a pearl of great price, which when it is found, when
it's found, when he discovers it, when he sees it, It's not
like any other pearl. Not like anything he's ever seen.
Nothing else like it. One of a kind. One of a kind. He goes and sells everything
he has to purchase that pearl, to have it, to possess it, that
pearl. Total surrender. We have forsaken
all. Why? Because they saw the treasure. They saw the pearl. True saving faith is much more
involved than just mental assent to a few doctrines. It actually
involves three basic things. It involves first a knowledge
of the person and work of Christ. How are you going to call on
Him in whom you have not believed? You have to understand, why would
you call on somebody you haven't believed? Are you that superstitious?
Did you just go into a room and pray in the dark to an unknown
God? Why would a man call on Him?
Why would a man rest his soul on Him of whom he's not seen?
In the parable, he saw the treasure and he saw the pearl. So that's
the first thing. We're going to have to know,
be taught, find, discover who He is. Something about the person
and work of Jesus Christ. It's not left to conjure up a
vision, some idolatrous artist painted on a canvas or chiseled
out of a rock. He calls on Him as He's declared
in the Gospel, accomplishing the will of God and manifesting
God's name in the process. And then secondly, and along
these same lines, saving faith receives the testimony of God. Winston and I were talking about
that before service today. This thing of saving faith is
believing God. God's testimony. Whether it's
of Christ, or whether it's of you, or whether it's of me, or
whether it's of His me, it's believing God. Taking God at
His word no matter what. Let every man, ain't that what
the scripture says? Be a liar and God be true. And this has to do with both
God's Word and God's messengers. They're both included in this.
Listen to this verse of Scripture I found over here in Isaiah chapter
44. Isaiah 44 verse 24. Thus saith
the Lord thy Redeemer, and He that formed thee from the womb,
I am the Lord that maketh all things, that stretcheth forth
the heavens alone, that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself, that
frustrateth the tokens of liars, and maketh diviners mad, that turneth wise men backwards,
and maketh their knowledge foolish. Now watch this. that confirmeth
the word of his servant." God confirms it. "...and performeth
the counsel of his messengers, that saith to Jerusalem, Thou
shalt be inhabited, and to the cities of Judah thou shalt be
built." Over in I John it said, "...if
we receive the witness of men, The witness of God is greater. That is overcoming their reservations
about this man. It overcomes their thoughts about, he's just
a man. Who made him Lord of the Revelation?
Who made him the teacher? Who made him right and everybody
else wrong? If we receive the witness of a man, the witness
of God is greater. And that witness of God in that
man causes us to overcome our reservation, causes us to overcome
the lies and deceits of false religion, causes us to overcome
the inabilities of the flesh. God's testimony overrides the
testimony of a man. Paul said, I thank God for you,
brethren, talking to the Thessalonians. He said, when you heard the Gospel
which you heard of us, you received it not as the Word of men, but
as it is in truth, the Word of God. That testimony of God is
greater than the testimony of that man. And it overrides him,
and it overrides his person, and his looks, and his background,
and all the inabilities of the flesh, the testimony of God in
the Gospel. And Paul said, that testimony
also effectually worketh in you. The witness of God is greater,
for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His
Son. Saving faith is enabled of God to submit to God's messengers
and His message. I must have a knowledge of the
person and work of Christ. I must receive God's testimony
concerning His Son, and then thirdly, Surrender myself to
Him. I don't know if I ever told you
that story Henry used to tell about the pig and the chicken.
He said there was a pig and a chicken going down the road. And they'd
been up all night and they were both hungry. And the chicken
looked over and saw this sign. Ham and eggs, all you can eat,
$1.99. Oh man, he said, let's go in there and have breakfast.
And the pig said, no, he said, I ain't going in there. He said,
why not? He said, because to you, that's
a contribution. He said, to me, that's total
commitment. That's what it requires, total
commitment, total surrender, total surrender. And that man
or woman who finds in Christ a full sufficiency will have
no problem committing all things into his hands. You see, that's
what it's all about. It's discovering what's in him. What's in him. If you discover
what's in him, you'll see what's in you. Nothing. Nothing. When you see where he sits and
who he is and see his glory, you won't have a better problem
committing all things into him. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed. And because he did, he said,
I'm persuaded. that He is able to keep that
which I have committed unto Him against that day. Persuaded. Persuaded. They said, We have
forsaken all and followed Thee. Now, here is the second thing
I want you to see. They lost nothing. They gave
it all up, but they lost nothing. Let me say this before I go any
further. We don't serve the Lord for gain.
those who preach a health and wealth gospel and seed faith
type of giving, who preach to folks trying to inspire a holy
life or personal devotion or sacrificial giving, promising
rewards in heaven and rewards on earth. They're hucksters.
They're merchandisers, the scripture said, of men's souls. And yet
it is still the promise of God that He shall supply all our
needs. according to His riches in glory
by Christ Jesus. And in the light of His unparalleled
sacrifice, nothing like it, nothing even close to it, in the light
of that, in the light of His unparalleled sacrifice, what
will He then withhold? Nothing. He held back nothing. And those who have forsaken all
to follow Christ, will discover no loss at all. What did you
forsake? Huh? Father. I just read to you where the
sons of Zebedee left their father. Left him on a ship. Did you forsake
father, mother, sisters, brothers? If you have, you've gained a
hundredfold of each in the kingdom of God. Our Lord said when Mary
came to the door and His brothers and sisters, He said, who is
my mother? Huh? This is my mother, and this
is my mother, and this is my mother. I've gained a hundredfold
mothers and brothers and sisters. Listen to how Paul describes
our inheritance, even in this world. He's talking to people
who were alive, who were living in this world. And they were
living in great peril. They lived in a time when persecution
required your head. It required your head. They're
not going to go home in the quiet and lambast you and talk about
you. They're going to take you out in the public square and
set you on fire, feed you to the hogs, or hang you, take off
your head. And here's what Paul said, all
things are yours. You think about that. They're
yours. If you're a child of God, all
things are yours. Listen to what he says. Whether
that's Paul, this great apostle of Christ who wrote half the
New Testament, he's mine. He's mine. That's what he says.
Whether it's Paul or Apollos or Cephas, listen, Or the world? The world? Old Charlie Payne
from up at 13th Street, he used to tell a story about riding
on a train. And he said this guy, I think he said he was from
Texas, was describing that big king ranch down there and telling
him how big it was. And Charlie said, my father's
a pretty large landowner, too. He said we'd been on his land
ever since we got on the train. The world is mine and yours if
you're a child of God. Listen to this, or life. It's
yours. God gave it to you. He gave it
to you, didn't He? You didn't have nothing to do
with it. And watch this, or death. Death belongs to me if I'm a
child of God. I own it. It can't hurt me. It's
mine. It's mine. Or things present. Things going on right now that
just boggle your mind. I can't see through the maze.
I don't know how I'm going to get through this. I just don't
know how. Can I go through another day? All these things present
belong to you. They're yours. And then watch
this. Or things to come. That's yours
too. God works His providence in your
favor. In your favor. All are yours. This world's being preserved
for us. All of its bounties and beauty
and such. He causes His reign to fall on
the just and the unjust. But it don't belong to the unjust.
It belongs to the just. They just reap some of the benefits. It is being preserved, all of
its bounties and beauty and sustenance, all for God's elect and providence,
ordering kingdoms and governments and disasters and ordering all
things for our good and His glory. All past events, all present
events, all future events, even death belongs to the believer.
He said, all are yours. Now listen, and you are Christ's,
and Christ is God's. Turn with me to Romans chapter
8. Believers truly do forsake all
to follow Him. And they do suffer the loss of
things. But in the light of what they
have received, and in the light of what's going on, and what
will go on in that day, they haven't lost anything. They haven't
lost anything. Now watch this here in Romans
8 verse 18. For I reckon that the sufferings
of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory that shall be revealed in us." How pitiful we must appear
in the eyes of this world. I've had relatives come by and
visit me, and they kind of pat me on the head, feel sorry for
me. How pitiful we must appear in the eyes of this world. But
even now, we're children of God. Do you know you have angels standing
before your Father, standing before His throne right now?
Your angels, angels made specifically to minister to those who shall
be heirs of salvation, standing before the throne of God, waiting,
waiting to carry out His request concerning you. That's right. They wept for Christ. He said,
don't weep for me. Don't weep for me. Weep for yourselves. Weep for yourselves. Ministers whose whole lives are
owing to the love of God for His elect, where your spouse
is, God sends His minister. That's why they're called ministers.
They minister to you. They're yours. God sent them.
It's His gift. Isn't that what it says over
there in Ephesians? When He ascended up on high,
He gave gifts to the church, pastors and teachers. Yours. Who gave them? Christ did. Christ
did. We have the understanding of
mysteries, which even the princes of this world did not receive.
Oh, the bounty, the bounty of God's riches of grace is above
measure. And then thirdly, I want you
to see this, and I'll hurry. Matthew chapter 19, verse 30. Many that are first shall be
last, and the last shall be first. Somebody wrote that which is
first in the eyes of this world. Who was first in their eyes?
The rich young ruler. He's going to be last. He'll
be last. And God died. There are no rewards in heaven
for men's good works. All our crowns, you read about
it on Revelation, the saints took their crowns off willingly
and threw them at His feet. Salvation is 100% by the free
grace of God. Boasting is excluded. That's
what it says in Romans 3.27. Not of works, lest any man should
boast. Ephesians 2.9. And then turn
with me to 1 Corinthians 4. Let's look at this real quick.
1 Corinthians 4.7. Who maketh thee to differ from
another? How come you to see things that
others don't see? How come providence to favor
you? How come your heart to be broken while others are hardened
more and more? Is it owing to some personal
quality in you, some talent, some strength of mind or will? Who maketh thee to differ from
another? And what hast thou gotten? that
thou didst not receive." Do you have repentance? Do you have
faith? Can you trust Christ? Do you
have a desire to hear? Do you have an unction of the
Spirit when you read? Where did it come from? Did it come from you or did God
work in you? Now if thou didst receive it,
why dost thou glow it as if you didn't? There's only one way
to save a man or a woman who has nothing and can do nothing,
and that is by the free and sovereign grace of God. And that man who's
worked in the master's field one hour, he'll get the same
pay as the guy who worked all day. Isn't that what that parable
teaches? And so the first shall be last.
And the last prayer. That one man, that one woman,
he would say, surely if there's one man called of God, it's that
woman. She'd be last. He'd be last. And that man that
you had no hope for at all, he'd be first.