In the sermon titled 'The Rich and the Kingdom of Heaven,' Jason Dohm explores Matthew 19:23-30, where Jesus addresses the difficulty for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The sermon begins with a reflection on a rich young ruler who, despite his religious observance, cannot part with his wealth to follow Jesus, highlighting his misplaced trust in riches. The sermon delves into the dangers of wealth, emphasizing that trust in riches can hinder one's relationship with God. Jesus uses the analogy of a camel going through the eye of a needle to illustrate the impossibility of entering the Kingdom without divine intervention. The sermon further contrasts earthly treasures with heavenly ones, urging believers to prioritize spiritual wealth. Dohm references other scriptures like 1 Timothy 6, which cautions against the love of money, and explains that true riches come from godliness and contentment. Additionally, Jesus' promise of a hundred-fold return for sacrifices made for the Gospel reinforces the value of heavenly treasures. The sermon concludes with a call to repentance, urging believers to seek God as their ultimate reward and to trust Him for provision.

Matthew chapter 19 verses 23 through 30. Then Jesus said to his disciples, assuredly I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to 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. When his disciples heard it they were greatly astonished saying Who then can be saved? But Jesus looked at them and said to them, With men, this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

Then Peter answered and said to him, see, we have left all and followed you. Therefore, what shall we have? So Jesus said to them, assuredly I say to you that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands For my name's sake shall receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life but many who are first will be last and the last first. Lord I pray that you would bless this reading of your word.

Not only bless the reading Lord, but I pray that by your spirit you would bless the instruction that we're going to receive right now. God that you would lay your hands upon our brother Jason, that your words would be his words. Lord as he takes these precious words that you give us because of your tenderness to your people to allow us to open them up. We take it for granted so often. God, forgive us.

And use these powerful words now in the teaching of our brother to open our eyes to see. Remove the scales from our eyes, Lord. God, we thank You. We ask You to bless it all. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Matthew 19 verses 23-30, the rich and the kingdom of heaven. Last week's tax gave us this fascinating interchange between Jesus and a man who had come to Him. It's a man who actually came running down the road and fell at Jesus' feet. And he wants to know what good thing he can do that he may have eternal life. So even right from the start, we see that this man is off track.

He's approached Jesus wanting to know what kind of deal can be made to have eternal life. What can I do? What can I trade for eternal life as if there would be something he could do and kind of like a paycheck, eternal life would be given to him for recompense? So Jesus, in round one of the interchange, Jesus does exactly what Paul talks about in Galatians 3, which is he uses the law like we ought to use the law with an unbeliever. He uses it to confine this man under sin.

He uses it as a tutor to bring this man to Christ. This man wants to know, which commandments do I obey? After Jesus says, well, you want to enter into life and obey the commandments? Which ones? So Jesus names them and then he gives the summary command love your neighbor as yourself.

So essentially he's put the man under the weight of the entire law but the man doesn't feel the crushing weight of it. The law is intended to be a tutor to bring us to Christ, to put this crushing weight on us that causes us to flee to Christ for refuge. But this man doesn't have eyes to see, and so he's not crushed by this weight at all. He just deflects it. And so he says, remarkably, he says, all these things I've done from my youth.

So in round two, Jesus isn't messing around and he puts his finger right on this man's idol. He says, okay, one thing you lack. Go sell all your stuff and give it to the poor and then come back and follow me and you'll have treasure in heaven. And at this, with this man being exposed and having his idol just laid bare and identified, this man goes away sorrowful. He's not willing to do.

And in this, Jesus is really showing he's a law breaker. He's violated the first commandment. You shall have no other gods before me. This man does have a God before Jesus Christ. So when Jesus says, well let me have that, he says, no, I will not let you have my idol.

And he is breaking the tenth commandment. He has been told to give to the poor. He says, nope, nope, that's my stuff. The poor can't have that stuff. And so he's proven that he's not telling the truth, that he's obeyed the law since his youth.

And that's the backdrop, this interchange that Jesus has had with this man. Is the backdrop for this week. In this week there are two sections and verses 23-26 just talks about how dangerous wealth can be. Jesus sets before us the dangers of wealth. And He says it is hard for the rich, for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." And then he doubles down on this.

He comes back and he says it again, but Jesus says it so much more emphatically. He says that it's actually easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. There's all sorts of explanations about what the camel really is and what the eye of the needle really is. It's really an analogy about a real camel and about a gate in Jerusalem. The camel is a thick piece of yarn.

No, no, no. It's interpreted in the passage. And the whole point is, whatever you want to make of that, it's impossible. That's the interpretive key to the camel and the eye of the needle. It's impossible.

So for me, I would say it's a real camel, a really big pack animal. And it's just a literal eye of the needle. And it's just so absurd and impossible that you'll stop thinking about how you're going to get that camel through the eye of the needle and just conclude with Jesus, that's impossible. Because the disciples want to know who then can be saved? If rich people can't be saved, who then can be saved?

And Jesus says, well, How are you at getting camels through the eye of a needle? Not so good? Okay. Well, with God though, it's possible. There have been hints in the Gospels about why the disciples are astonished that Jesus would say it's hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

And we see these hints sprinkled in the Gospels. In John 9, a blind man is there. And the disciples ask, who sinned? This man or his parents? In other words, you've got a guy who has bad circumstances.

He's blind. So who's to blame for the bad circumstances? Whose sin caused this man to be blind? Was it this man or was it his parents? Now this isn't the Pharisees and the scribes or the Sadducees who are saying this.

This is the disciples who want to know that. And that tells you their mindset. They're looking at a person's external circumstances and they're saying That indicates God's disposition towards them. So if you have a blind man, God is not happy with somebody. He is either not happy with this blind man or he is not happy with the parents of the blind man.

But their circumstances in life, according to the thinking of the disciples, tells you what God's disposition towards them is. And Jesus in that instance says, no, no, no. It's that God may be glorified. It's not that this man sinned, it's not his parents sinned, but it's that God may be glorified. How about this?

In Mark 12, they are watching the offerings. People are coming and putting money into the treasury. The rich people are coming and they are putting heaps of money into the treasury. And then this old widow comes. She puts in two pennies, two mites.

It's a fraction of a penny. And Jesus says, guys did you see that? Did you see what just happened here? These rich people have been coming, they've been given completely out of their abundance, but this woman, God is most pleased with this woman because she gave all of her substance. All that she has to live on, this woman is putting in there.

Why these rich people are just giving a fraction of their abundance. God's disposition towards this woman. He loves her devotion the best. So it's not just external circumstances. You have a poor widow, but Jesus is saying, God's pleased with that.

God's pleased with her. And you have this rich people coming. God not so pleased with them. So in the gospels we're seeing this. There's this mindset that riches means something.

And it means that God is happy with you. And of course You can find instances in the scripture that are a foundation for that. In Genesis it says that Isaac planted a crop and he reaped a hundredfold. It was the blessing of God. Yes, riches can be the blessing of God, but riches doesn't have to be the blessing of God.

You don't have to go far in the Old Testament to find rich people that are hating God, at war with God. So the disciples should have known better. But Jesus throughout the Gospels is having to correct their thinking about money. Riches isn't just a sign that God is pleased with a person. So it is true that it's hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

We know it's true because Jesus says it's true right here. But why is it true? Why would it be hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? Well, our parallel text in Mark 10, Mark records this, Mark 10, 24, Jesus says, Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the Kingdom of God. So this is the same account.

And Mark records something that Matthew hasn't put in his account, which is Jesus saying, it's hard for those who trust in riches. Now we're getting to the heart of the matter. It's not just that money is evil, and it makes it hard for you to get into heaven if you have it because it's inherently evil. It's because people want to trust it. It's hard for those who trust in riches to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Now, think about what Jesus taught in Matthew 6. Jesus devotes a heaping portion of Matthew 6 to teaching about money and how we should regard money. Listen to Matthew 6 verses 19 through 21, Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." And then Jesus says this, "'For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.'" Hearts are so prone to follow treasure. That's why people trust in it.

That's why it's hard for the rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Because there are those riches and it's like a trust magnet. People are storing up treasures on earth so their heart follows after earth. They are earthly. But when you store up treasures in heaven, your heart naturally inclines itself to where your treasure is.

That is what Jesus is saying in Matthew 6. Then just a couple of verses later, in Matthew 6, 24, Jesus says, No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. You cannot serve God and mammon. You can only serve one master.

And so what you serve simply shows what you're trusting in. And the rich have a hard time not trusting in those riches. Jesus in Matthew 6 then continues on to say, Don't worry about what you're going to eat, don't worry about what you're going to drink, Don't worry about what you're going to wear. God knows that you need these things. Think about the birds.

The birds don't plant. The birds don't harvest, but they have everything that they need. Think about the lilies. They don't toil. They don't spin, but the splendor of their garments is something that not even Solomon can rival.

Then Jesus ends with this in Matthew 6, 33, But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." So the conclusion of the matter for Jesus is what you begin with. Seek first what? Seek first the riches? Trust in the riches? No.

Seek first the kingdom. Trust in the king. Jesus' exhortation, just look at it. When you boil it all down and you are down to the irreducible in Matthew 6, Jesus is exhorting us to start with King Jesus. And then when you start with King Jesus, he supplies what you need.

You might have just enough. Or he might think it's wise to give you a super abundance, but whatever it is, it's enough to sustain you for what He wants you to do in His Kingdom. It's all for the Kingdom, whether He gives you just enough or whether He gives you a super abundance. It doesn't matter because it's all for His Kingdom anywhere and He's exhorting us to start with King Jesus and His Kingdom first. And then everything will fall into place.

Everything will flow so well, so wisely, so naturally from starting first with the Kingdom of Heaven and His righteousness. The problem is when you don't start with King Jesus, then you have another Master. When you have another starting point, you're saying, I trust something else. I have another Master. You can't serve two Masters.

Jesus has already said that. Consider what Jesus says to the church of the Laodiceans in Revelation 3. This is the letters to the churches. And this is the letter to the church at Laodicea. And it's Revelation 3, 17-19.

Because you say, I'm rich. Because you say, I'm rich. Have become wealthy and have need of nothing. And do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich in white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed, and anoint your eyes with eyesalve, that you may see, as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.

Therefore, be zealous and repent." Jesus is loving his disciples by telling them this. He is calling them to actually repent about how they have been thinking about money. It is a sign of love. Those whom he loves, he rebukes and he chastens. Therefore, be zealous and repent.

Wealth can make you think that you don't need anything, not even not even God. Money can have this intoxicating, dulling effect. It can make you so far removed from the actual source of your provision that you start to think, I'm rich, I don't need anything. And you lose the ability to see your condition rightly, to know how frail that position is. Your money can be gone overnight, It can be stripped from you in a day, in an hour, in a second.

I'm rich, I have need of nothing. Now here's a point. Doesn't take a ton of money to have you thinking that way. You think, wow, I'm glad I don't have a million dollars, now I'm not at risk. No, It doesn't take a million dollars.

It doesn't take a hundred thousand dollars. It doesn't take ten thousand dollars to have you trusting in your paycheck and forgetting that it's not the company logo that's providing for you. It's not the company logo that's providing for you. It's not the company logo that's providing for you. It's God in heaven.

It's God Almighty that provides for you. And when we start to think of the paycheck, the logo, the company, as our provider, We're like this. We're saying, I'm rich. I don't have need of anything. And we don't know that we're wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

God would counsel us to buy gold from him refined in the fire, that we may be rich in garments, that we may be clothed. Now turn your Bibles to 1 Timothy. 1 Timothy 6 is a fantastic chapter on money. So much of 1 Timothy 6 deals with money. So we're going to look at two different sections of this chapter.

Both of them are really important. 1 Timothy 6. The first section begins in verse 6. 1 Timothy 6.6. Paul writes, Now godliness with contentment is great gain, For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

And having food and clothing with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." Paul gives us a formula here in 1 Timothy 6. It's this, Godliness plus contentment equals great gain. You want to know about real riches, true riches, the riches that Jesus is trying to teach us about in Matthew 19, go to Paul's formula in 1 Timothy 6.

Godliness plus contentment equals great gain. Those are real riches. And then in verse 9 he talks about the flip side of that. The flip side of that is those who desire to be rich. Not those who are rich.

A poor man can be as guilty of this or more guilty of this than a rich man. It's those who desire to be rich. Now, the rich have their pitfalls, but Paul is talking here about the desire to be rich. The desire to be rich puts you in danger. We're talking about the affections of the heart here.

We're not talking about the magnitude of the bank account necessarily, whether it's really small or really big. We're talking about your heart, what your heart thinks about your bank account, what your heart desires for your bank account. And those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare. They are in danger. Paul is warning us about the danger of having our affections set on the wrong thing.

Set on money, on a desire to be rich. And Paul says many foolish and harmful lusts await those who desire to be rich. It drowns men in destruction and perdition. Where is the stronger language that Paul can draw on from here? Many foolish and harmful lusts.

It will drown you in destruction and perdition. Paul is pulling out all the stops. Paul is drawing on the best of his vocabulary to help us to see how dangerous loving money, having a desire to be rich is. And then he goes on to say, love of money, love of money, like it's not being rich, it's The desire to be rich, it's not the money, it's the love of the money is a root of all kinds of evil. In other words, Covetousness doesn't stop at covetousness.

It doesn't. It cracks the door open a little and all the other sins push it wide open. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. It's that little crack in the dike, that little compromise that brings down the whole dam in time. It opens up an idol, Something cherished above Christ in the heart opens up idolatry, provides a foothold for your enemy, and your enemy will come in through that hole that You've created.

Use that foothold that you've given him and he'll entice you with so many other things. That's why one cherished thing in the heart above Jesus Christ is so dangerous. That's why we have to be on guard. That's why John says in 1 John, the very last verse, little children keep yourself from idols because just one opens the flood gates, open the door. Now look at 1 Timothy 6, Now beginning in 17, we'll read 17 through 19.

Paul says in 1 Timothy 6, 17, Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life." Doesn't this sound like Jesus in Matthew 6? Store up treasures in heaven! Store up treasures in heaven. Now here's a couple of commands that Paul gives to the rich.

Here's the first one. Don't be proud. Command the rich not to be haughty. You rich man, don't you dare Be proud about your riches. Don't you dare think that you are rich and have need of nothing when you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

Don't you dare think that your riches make you something that you are not. Another command that Paul gives to the rich, don't trust in uncertain riches. Don't you trust in those riches, but trust in the living God. Just right back to Matthew 6 and what Jesus is saying. Kingdom first.

King Jesus first. Don't you trust in those riches. Trust in the living God. And then, Paul gives us the reason that he gives us super abundance to some of his people. Now this isn't the reason why all people are rich, but this is the reason why God has given us super abundance to his people.

First is this. God gives us richly all things to enjoy. God is a good God. He's an abundant Father. And He gives some of His children a superabundance and He wants them to enjoy.

Does that make you nervous? I'm just quoting the text. This is not the prosperity gospel. But neither is it the whole balance of Scripture to say no one should ever have anything. We should all live destitute and it's not right if a man has been given a superabundance by God.

He should give it away. Actually, Paul says here in the text that God gives us richly all things to enjoy. And the second reason that he gives that some of his people are given a superabundance, is to share, is to give that God is actually strategically staging resources with his people so that the resources will be there for his kingdom. That's why he's giving them a superabundance. So when it's time for missions, the resources are there.

When it's time for benevolence, The resources are there. When it's time to do something that requires resources for the Kingdom of God, that the resources have been staged somewhere in advance. This is why. God gives a superabundance to some of His people. So there's no prohibition here about wealth.

But there is a warning about desiring to be rich, about loving money. And if you have it, if you have money, You better be careful. Now here's a warning. Here's a warning in the opposite direction. Most of us have a sense that it's a dangerous thing to love money.

Most of us have a sense in our hearts that when we begin to trust something other than Christ or have an affection for something other than Christ. That's bad news. That's sinful. That needs to be repented of. Here's a warning in the other direction.

Resist the temptation to make yourself the grand regulator. Just resist it. This will rise up in your heart from time to time as you have friends or acquaintances or people that you see that are part of the people of God that God has chosen to give a super abundance to. Resist the temptation to make yourself the grand regulator. Well, who's rich?

The guy who has more than me. Whose house is too big? Too many square feet in that house. It's the guy whose house is bigger than mine. Who has too much land?

It's the guy who has more land than mine. Whose car is too nice? It's the guy who has a car that's nicer than mine. And this is what's happening. It's so easy to make ourselves the grand regulator and worry about the abundance that God has given to someone else for them to enjoy and for them to share and to give.

And he's staged the resources there. But now we think his house is too big because it's bigger than our house, or we think his car is too nice because it's nicer than our car. Well, does that mean we can never speak to our brother if we think he's loving riches? No, That's not what it means, but it means particularly in this category, you better be really careful about the plank in your own eye. Because you don't have to be rich to desire to be rich.

You don't have to have money to love money. And we'd better be careful and take a hard look at our own heart towards money before we make ourselves the regulator of our brother, who God has given a superabundance to for his own purposes. To conclude this portion of our text, turn to Luke 12. In Luke 12, there's a parable that Matthew doesn't record, but it is right alongside what Jesus is teaching about money in Matthew 19. Luke 12, there is this fantastic parable that helps us to think about money in the right way.

And why it is that it is so hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Luke 12 verse 13. Then one from the crowd said to him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. But he said to him, Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you? And Jesus said to them, Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.

Then He spoke a parable to them saying, the ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself saying, what shall I do since I have no room to store my crops? So he said, I'll do this. I'll pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, soul you have many goods laid up for many years.

Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said to him, Fool, this night your soul will be required of you. Then Whose will those things be which you have provided? So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." This man building bigger barns to have more wealth and as soon as he got those barns filled up, he's going to speak something to his soul and say, look at all you've got, it's enough for many years. Eat, drink and be merry.

He's going to spend it all on his own pleasures and God says, Fool. Now think about the rich young ruler just in last week's text. The God of the universe, the one by whom all things were made, through whom all things were made, for whom all things were made, says, go get rid of your stuff, come back here and follow me. Now, those of you who know Jesus, what would you give for that invite? What would you give for that invite?

If you really know Jesus, you'd give anything for that invite. And that's kind of the point. To be with him, to follow him. What did this rich young ruler give up to have that stuff that is just gone in such a few years? What did he give up?

Would he have seen Lazarus come forth in his grave cloths? How many people would he have seen be healed? How much wisdom would Jesus Christ, the Son of God, pour into his life? Would he have been there when Jesus is saying, Thomas, touch the nail in my hand. Put your hand in my side.

No thanks. No thanks. I was just thinking about this week, what did this man forfeit? But he went away not even knowing what he forfeited, just with his eyes on the little bit of stuff in just the smallest corner of the world. What are we thinking when we love money?

What are we thinking? We're nothing. We're a grain of sand. Life is a vapor. What are we thinking when we chase after money?

When Jesus Christ, the God of heaven, The Son of God says, follow me, follow me. No thanks. I like my toys. I like my trinkets. Have we lost our minds to chase something that is so small, that is so insignificant, that lasts only a minute of time to say, No, to the Son of God, I won't follow you, I like my toys.

Where is your heart? That's what the parable is about in Luke 12. Where is your heart? So God gives in abundance. Is this to spend on your pleasures, or is it to be rich toward God?

Is it to advance His Kingdom? Where your treasures are, that's where you'll find your heart. It's possible to be rich and care nothing for that. You can care everything for the Kingdom, But it's hard. It's hard.

That's what Jesus is saying. But Jesus does want to teach us to be faithful with small things, so He can entrust us with more, so he can stage more resources with us to advance his kingdom. This much we know. Back to our text in Matthew 19. Matthew 19 beginning in 27.

Matthew 19, beginning in 27. Then Peter answered and said to him, See, we have left all and followed you. Therefore, what shall we have? So Jesus said to them, Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration when the Son of Man sits on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my sake shall receive a hundredfold an inherited eternal life.

But many who are first will be last, and the last first." In verses 27-30, Jesus is talking about kingdom wealth. He has shifted gears here. He was talking about earthly treasure in the first part of our text. Now he is talking about heavenly treasure. He is talking about storing up treasure in heaven.

And This second section is initiated by a question from Peter. See, we have left all and followed you, therefore what shall we have? The contrast between the two sections in today's text couldn't be starker. You have this rich young ruler and he loves his riches so much that he won't follow Jesus. I won't follow you, Jesus.

I love my riches. So he goes away sorrowful. But in the second half, we are looking at the disciples who have done precisely that. They have left all and they have followed Jesus. Now I want to take us back to Matthew 4 at the calling of the first disciples.

Matthew 4 verses 18-22, And Jesus walking by the Sea of Galilee saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. Then he said to them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. They immediately left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus gives the same call to Peter and Andrew that he gave to this rich young ruler. Follow me, leave that, follow me. And immediately they left that and they followed him. The rich young ruler wouldn't do it. Jesus gave the same call to James and John when they were in the boat with their father Zebedee mending these nets.

Leave that, leave him, follow me. Immediately they left and they followed. The rich young ruler wouldn't do that. James and John did exactly that. Follow Me is the fundamental requirement of the Gospel.

When you boil the Gospel down, or you can't boil it anymore, it's following Jesus. That's why we're called disciples, because we're following. We're students of Him. We're following along behind Him. He leads and we follow.

Peter and Andrew didn't understand substitutionary atonement. Neither did James and John. Rich young ruler wouldn't have, but Jesus' command was not understand substitutionary atonement, it was follow me. Leave that, come to this. It's repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

It's change directions and come after me. That's the fundamental requirement of the gospel. Think about Matthew 9, 9 where our author records his own call from Jesus. As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And he said to him, follow me.

So he arose and followed him. This is what the disciples did. Jesus said, follow me, and they said, okay. And they left their occupation, they left everything, and they followed him. Now, the question that Peter asks is problematic to me.

It doesn't seem like the right question to me. I want to rebuke Peter for the question. It reads a lot like, what's in it for me? What's in it for us, Jesus? He wouldn't leave all to follow you, but we left all to follow you.

So what's in it for us? And I'm expecting a fatherly lecture to break out here. Where Jesus says something like, well you know, hard work and sacrifice is its own reward. Or something like that. But Jesus doesn't say anything like that.

Jesus comes forward with the most astounding promises of reward. It's not a fatherly lecture at all. It's an articulation of rewards that no one would turn down. Listen to Hebrews 11 verse 6. This is such an important verse that is so misunderstood.

When I came across this verse in my studies this week, I thought, wow, I need to think about this a lot more. Hebrews 11 verse 6. Now this is the great faith chapter, right? This is the chapter that chronicles the heroes of the faith in a long list of those people who believed God and it was credited to them for righteousness. Those who are like Abraham in that sense.

This is the great faith chapter, Hebrews 11.6. But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, God. So far so good, right? Without faith, it's impossible to please God. We know that.

We believe that. For he who comes to God must believe that he is. We know that. We believe that. If you come to God, you must believe that He is.

That's an element of faith. We're comfortable with that. Now listen to the last part of the verse. And that he, God, is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. What?

That's a key component to faith, that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Jesus wants us to understand true riches. Jesus isn't anti-riches. Jesus is pro-riches. Jesus wants to have us to have life and to have it abundantly.

Jesus does want you to be rich. Maybe not in the same way that Creflo Dollar wants you to be rich, but Jesus wants you to be rich. And Jesus wants us to stop settling for paltry riches. For the skinny, emaciated riches of money. All gold is fool's gold.

All gold is fool's gold. It's not just iron pyrite. Even the real thing. All gold is fool's gold. If you love it, if you trust it, the joke's on you.

You're the fool. All gold is... Now, God might give you a little of it, none of it, a heap of it, but if you trust it and you love it, You're the fool. And Jesus wants us to stop being captured by the glitter of it. And to be captured by something else.

Be captured by something that will really satisfy our souls. Jesus makes two promises here. The first one is to the twelve disciples. It says, you who have followed Me, you will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And this is isolated to the men who are actually hearing the sound of His voice, His disciples, His apostles.

But it has an application. We shouldn't just tune out this verse and say, well, that's for them. Next, moving on. Because in 1 Corinthians 6, when Paul is admonishing them because they are going to law against each other, they are taking each other to court, Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 6, verses 2 through 4, Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? It's not just the disciples.

The disciples will sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. But Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6 that there is an application for you. Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels?

How much more things that pertain to this life? If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? Or how about this in Revelation 3, 21? Revelation 3, 21. To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne." Heaven is a place of honor and apparently responsibility.

We're going to judge the world. We're going to judge angels. What exactly does that mean? I have no idea what the practical application is. Since Jesus doesn't spend much time explaining it, I'm not going to spend much time speculating on it.

But heaven is a place of honor and apparently responsibility for those who follow Jesus Christ. It's not an honor that detracts from the glory of God. It emanates from His honor. It emanates from His glory. You're sitting on His throne with Him as you participate in this honor and participate in this responsibility.

So that is the first statement that Jesus says about reward. Here's the second one. There will be a hundred-fold return on everything lost for Jesus. Times 100. Everything lost for Jesus accrues, gets, obtains.

100-fold increase. Where can I get my investor guide? 100-fold. 100 times. This is really exciting.

Jesus actually promises a 100 fold increase for everything that you lose by being called by His name. Here in Matthew he says, for my name's sake. In the parallel passage in Mark 10, Mark records, for my sake and the Gospels. In the parallel passage of Luke 18, Luke records, for the sake of the Kingdom of God. They are synonymous.

Jesus said them all in this discourse. When you lose it for the Gospel, you lose it for Jesus. When you lose it for the sake of the Kingdom of God, you lose it for Jesus. Embracing the Gospel is going to cost you. Jesus teaches that everywhere.

We've seen it a hundred times already in Matthew. Embracing The Gospel is going to cost you. Jesus teaches that everywhere. We've seen it a hundred times already in Matthew. Embracing the Gospel is going to cost you things that are valuable to you.

Bet on it. Plan on it. Anticipate it. Get ready for it. 2 Timothy 3, 12, Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

You want to embrace the gospel? You want to live godly in Christ Jesus? You will suffer persecution. Categorical language, no exceptions. It might cost you your brother or your sister.

It might cost you your father or your mother. It might cost you your wife. Paul in 1 Corinthians 7, a text we were in just a couple of weeks ago, talks about what happens when an unbelieving spouse doesn't want to live with you because you're a Christian. You have to let them go. If they're not willing to live with you, you have to let them go.

Your faith, the Gospel, might cost you your spouse. If the Gospel becomes a stench to them, If it becomes the smell of death to them, it might cost you your spouse. It might cost you your children. Jesus has addressed this in detail in Matthew 10. Matthew 10 ought to be the lenses through which we see this passage so we don't make big mistakes and really misunderstand Matthew 19.

Here's what Jesus says in Matthew 10 verse 21 and 22. Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child. And children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved." This is what Jesus is talking about in Matthew 19. That it might cost you your father, or your mother, or your brother, or your sister, or your wife, or your children.

Not that you would jettison them for the sake of the Gospel, but that they would hate you because you are now the smell of death. Because you are in a different kingdom. Now, it has to be understood this way. Otherwise you say, well I don't have to honor my unbelieving parents. Otherwise you say, I'm going on the mission field and I'm putting my children in a boarding school.

No, that's not what Jesus is authorizing in Matthew 19. He's saying it's actually going to flow in the other way. You won't be putting away your father and mother. They'll be putting you away because of the gospel. Jesus continues on this theme in Matthew 10, starting in 32 and going through 37.

Therefore, whoever confesses Me before man, Him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

And a man's enemies will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. What Jesus is speaking to in Matthew 19 is that your father or mother might require that you deny the Gospel to maintain them. You can't have both me and the Gospel.

We're sick and tired of you always talking about the Gospel. If you want to be around here, you better deny that stuff. For a Christian, that's a non-starter. That's no deal. And this is what Jesus is speaking to in Matthew 19.

It might cost you your stuff. Jesus calls it lands in Matthew 19, but lands is just representative of the things that you have, of your stuff. It might cost you that. Remember, there is a promise of a hundred fold gain. Jesus has actually set up a system in His kingdom where we are encouraged to risk for King Jesus, for the advancement of his kingdom.

Because he said the return on your invested capital is 100X, 100 times. So we're actually encouraged. Now I don't want this to be heard in the wrong way and You don't have to be responsible with your money. You don't have to provide you can Don't hear what I'm not saying hear what I'm saying Jesus is setting up a system where we're encouraged to put all of our resources in play for the kingdom. You know people who live like that?

It's fantastic. All of their resources are in play. They don't have their own stuff. They have the kingdom stuff. And when it's time to mobilize it for the kingdom, they're first in line all the time with their stuff.

Because they know it's not their stuff. They know that God has given them superabundance to put it in play to advance the kingdom of God. That the greatness of the name of Jesus Christ would go forward and would cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Here in Matthew, it says, shall receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life. In other words, these are two things, not one.

Heaven's not your hundredfold. This is good news too. This is also exciting. Heaven's spectacular beyond what you can imagine, but it's not your hundredfold. It's two things, shall receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life.

This is even clearer in the parallel text. Listen to Mark 1030. Parallel text in Mark, Mark 1030. It says you'll receive a hundredfold now in this time. Now in this time.

Houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions and in the age to come eternal life. It couldn't be clearer. It is two things not one. It is not just that heaven is your reward. Although that should be enough.

Heaven is so magnificent we can't even imagine it. It ought to be enough, but God has not stopped there. Jesus hasn't stopped His promise there. He He said it's two things not one and it's in this present time and it's now in this time. We don't have to wait till heaven to receive abundance, riches, treasure from God.

We are not waiting for heaven. We are looking for a better country. Our treasures are stored up there. But there is so much abundance to be had in this life, in Christ, in the Kingdom of Heaven. We are not just waiting.

Now will that be like for like? It doesn't say that. Might be, could be, doesn't have to be. But there is abundance for the people of God in this life. It's not all delayed gratification.

Think of the blessings of being among the people of God, of being set free from your sins, of being given a thousand brothers and sisters for anyone that you forfeited in your natural family, for being given a hundred mothers and a hundred fathers for any natural mothers and fathers that you might have lost. Our treasure is not only in heaven. There is so much abundance to be experienced in the Christian life right here, right now. Verse 30, But many who are first will be last. He was a rich man, he was a young man, he was in the prime of his life, he was in his prime, he had already achieved status, he was a ruler, he had the world by the tail.

Last, last because he would not follow Christ. Not last in heaven, but last. And the last first. Who are these fishermen anyway? Who are they?

Who is this tax collector in Matthew 9? Insignificant. Just tradesmen. Just in the despised occupations, first. First.

This is what Jesus does. He takes the proud, those who are lifted up in their own hearts, self-sufficient, self-righteous, last. And he takes those who are poor in spirit, who are like a little child, they are trusting, they are humble, first. Come up here. Come up here.

Sit at my table. Feast at my table. A few concluding remarks. Jeremiah 9, 23 and 24. We haven't covered that today, but it is the punchline.

Jeremiah 9, 23 and 24. Thus says the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Let not the rich man glory in his riches, but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me. That I am the Lord, exercising loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, says the Lord." This is what Jesus is teaching in Matthew 19. That riches aren't something to be gloried in.

If you want a glory in something, glory that you know the Lord, that He executes loving-kindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth. What Jesus is teaching is that God Himself is riches. Himself is riches. God himself. Genesis 15.1 I am your portion, your great reward, your exceedingly great reward.

That's what God says to Abraham. Here's your inheritance, it's me, it's me. I'm your portion, I'm your exceedingly great reward. Don't settle for the fool's gold, all gold is fool's gold. Don't settle for that.

You think that's something? That is nothing. That will never satisfy your soul. Don't settle for fool's gold. Settle for God Himself.

He is treasure. He will satisfy your soul. He will sustain you. He will never leave you. He'll never forsake you.

He'll take you to heaven to sit at a wedding banquet. He'll make you his bride. What profit is it to a man who gains the whole world and yet loses his soul? How long do you get to keep those riches? Are you old enough to know how fast life goes by yet?

I'm old enough to know now. It's really fast. Take whatever God will give you, whatever He is pleased to give you. If it is just enough, if it is a super abundance, if it is something in between, whatever it is that He gives you, Take it and lay it at His feet and recognize that when we put the Kingdom of Heaven first, all these things are added to us. Don't worry about those things.

What you'll eat, what you'll drink, what you'll put on. Let's pray. Father, I thank you for the text. I thank you for the truth that you are the riches of your people. God, if we've trusted anything material, if we've loved anything material, if we've desired to be rich, I thank you that you would come and bring this text and contradict us this week.

And you would, by your mercy, command us to repent and to turn around to sanity. To sanity. How insane to chase after something that's so transitory. Father, may we be found pursuing you with our whole hearts, trusting you that all these other things will be added at just the right moment. Oh God, may we be so wholehearted in our devotion we find ourselves to be so half-hearted.

Change us, O God. I repent, Lord. We repent before you. We've loved things we should not have loved. We've desired things we should not have desired.

And we've not treasured you. You've not been our exceedingly great reward. O God, make yourself our exceedingly great reward so that we love you above all things, we trust you above all things, and we know that the other things will be added to us at the right time. Make us such a trustful people, such a devoted people. Change us, oh God, we pray in Jesus' name, amen.