We're continuing our study through the book of Matthew,
and we're going to be in Matthew 20 this morning.
And let me just say right up front, Matthew 20 is an HR
and a payroll nightmare.
And so we're going to approach it for what it's worth.
But let's not approach it from a business mindset.
But it's an interesting it's an interesting passage
that really doesn't stand on its own necessarily as part of a bigger narrative.
And to understand chapter 20, we have to understand chapter 19.
In the original manuscripts, there were no chapter numbers or verse numbers.
It was just one long scroll, one long account.
The the chapter numbers and verse numbers came along much, much later
because it provided us a tool to be able to refer
to certain parts of of the account more easily.
I mean, you can imagine having this long multi foot
scroll, hey, it's somewhere in here and kind of look through it.
So in an effort to help us understand scripture, memorize scripture,
remember it, process it, people later added chapter numbers and verse numbers.
Those were not at all part of the original documents.
And sometimes they got it right and other times they didn't.
And so Matthew 19 and 20,
in my humble opinion, is one, they just missed it.
And here's why.
Because chapter 20 is just the continuing of the conversation
that Jesus was having with his disciples, and specifically
responding to Peter's question at the end of chapter 19.
And so I want to unpack it a little bit together and go back to the end of chapter
19 to understand the flow of it all, because otherwise we'll miss it.
We'll start reading chapter 20.
And and we don't understand that.
It is in reference to a question that was asked in chapter 19.
And it's the explanation of the answer.
And so we have to understand these two things together. But
chapter 19,
at the end of that, Peter is going to ask this question,
what do we get for the sacrifice that we've given for you and the Kingdom?
Legitimate question.
And if anybody's followed, if any, if you follow Jesus for any length of time
and you've sacrificed for the kingdom of God, at some point
there will be the question, what's the payoff?
I mean, other than going to heaven, which that's great, you know?
But like other like what?
Is there anything else?
And it's a legitimate question and Peter asks it,
and in chapter 20 Jesus answers it.
But so we're going to look at I'm going to take it this in a, in a chunk
as it was originally written, so we can understand the flow of it all.
But before we get there,
let me give you the big idea for this first part of chapter 20.
Here's the big idea. Don't miss this.
God's rewards are given by his grace, not our work,
but they're given to those who work.
We have to understand this to
understand chapter 20 God's rewards.
And we're going to talk about what rewards are are given by his grace.
Not not because we've worked, but they're given to those who work.
We'll flesh it out, but
just keep that in the back of your mind as we go through this together.
Let me recap chapter 19 from verses 16 through through the end of it,
verse 30 or so, in verses 16 through
21 of chapter 19,
this this young man approaches Jesus and ask what he has to do to be
saved is a young man we know from Matthew and from Luke that he was young.
He had a lot of resources, possessions. He was a ruler.
So this guy, like everything
was up into the right for him as far as the world was concerned.
He had a lot of money.
He had a lot of possession, a lot of power, prestige, esteem.
And he says, Jesus, what do I have to do to be saved?
You talk a lot about salvation, eternal life.
What do I have to do to get that?
Jesus says, well, listen,
if you want to talk about religion, I'll tell you what religion will say.
Now that's something different than me.
But if you want to talk about religion, I'll tell you.
Religion will say that you've got to be perfect and it'll be all the commands.
And this guy is pretty arrogant and not very self-aware.
And he says, yeah, I've done all of them.
Jesus says, okay, then I you want to play that game?
Let me just press in a little bit more and says, I'll tell you what.
Then you really want to be perfect,
cashing
some of your stocks and go into your bank account and some of your possessions
and sell it and give it to my kingdom and my kingdom work in this world.
Then you'll be saved.
And the Bible says that upon hearing that, the man got real sad.
Do you know why?
Because he loved his money as possessions more than the kingdom.
And he knew that if it was one or the other,
he would sacrifice kingdom investment
for monetary gain and enjoyment.
And he went away sad.
See, this man came to Jesus asking on the surface level
about wholeness and completeness and goodness and righteousness.
But Jesus revealed the fact that that's really not what he cared about.
What he really loved was his possessions and his money.
And that was proved by the
fact that this man would rather sacrifice
his righteousness to keep his possessions.
Then he would sacrifice his possessions and gain righteousness.
And it's so interesting that all the things that you and I work for
in this world, the possessions we accumulate, the toys
that we accumulate, all the things
that we have to store in a storage unit down on Avenue 12
because we don't have enough room at the house anymore.
All the toys we buy, the kids,
all the experiences that we spend money on, all of that.
We think at some level, at some level, maybe not in the grand scheme,
but at some level it's going to bring me happiness and joy and contentment.
And this account shows us that all that stuff
does not bring us happiness. Why?
Because the man kept it all and went away
happy or sad? Sad.
If if the things that we work for in accumulate
and spend our money on all the status symbols,
all the things that make us look like, hey, look at my life.
If they really brought joy and happiness this guy would have,
he would have walked away happy. Why?
Because he kept it all.
But he kept his possessions.
And when he said why? Because this stuff.
It'll be fun for a little bit.
And then you got to get something else.
Here's what I want us to.
And one of the things that we have to understand going into this, this passage,
we cannot fully follow Jesus while reserving the right
to veto his commands.
We cannot be a disciple of Jesus
while reserving the right to say yes to that, and no to that.
This guy reserved the
right to veto God's commands.
He wasn't incisal.
So if we're going to really follow Jesus, we lay down our right
to veto what he says.
Understand?
You looking a little concerned right now.
You're like, I don't like where this is going.
It's going to be fun.
And so Jesus, he's talking to his disciples.
This this rich man goes away and he tells his disciples, verses 23 and 24
he said, it's harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven
than it is for a camel to go through a needle.
Now, we talked last week.
He's kind of being funny because Hebrew humor was exaggeration,
and so this is a huge exaggeration.
The camel go through, I have a needle.
But he's making a profound point, saying, listen, it is hard
for people who have a lot of possessions,
for people who have a lot of toys, for people of a lot of status,
for people who have a lot of wealth, for people who have a lot.
They got all the nice stuff.
It's hard for them to be disciples.
Not because money is bad.
That's not what he says.
Nowhere in the Bible does.
Does the Bible say that money and wealth is bad.
Now it says the love of money
is a root of all kinds of evil.
But it doesn't say that money is evil. Do you follow?
And there are many, many, many times in Scripture, both old and New Testament,
or God's blessing and favor is upon people financially with resources.
And he continues to to to lavish upon them resources. Why?
Because they're going to invest it in his kingdom.
And the more they invest in his kingdom, the more he lavishes on them.
And so that's part of God's economy, for sure.
But the point Jesus is making is that those with a lot of wealth,
a lot of comfort, a lot of prestige, a lot of possessions, it's hard
for them to be disciples because of two reasons one.
Possessions, money
and wealth give us a false sense of self-reliance.
And as long as I don't have to rely on God,
I will never be his disciple.
And so the more I self insulate and the more I protect,
and the more I gain and and live in this false sense
of my own self-reliance, because I have enough
and I have more than enough, the less I'm reliant upon God.
And if I'm not fully reliant upon God, I cannot be as disciple.
So one of the things Jesus is saying is that if you want to really press
into being a disciple, start giving away the stuff that you rely on
and put yourself in a position to give and to be generous.
So much so that you're forced to rely on God's good hand of provision.
Do you understand?
That's why it's hard for people
who have a bunch to truly be disciples.
The other reason it's so hard is because the Bible says you cannot love
God and money because one of them will get the priority
God of your possessions.
One of them's going to get the priority.
You can't love them both equally.
One will outweigh the other.
And let me tell you this, the best indication in my life
and the best indication in your life if money has the top
priority in your world, is
can you submit to the biblical standard of tithing?
It's 10%.
Can you go beyond the tithe to generosity
to 11, 12, 13, 14, 15%?
And if I can't live in that world, that's one indicator
that the highest priority in my world is finances, not the kingdom.
I want you to know
something that Jesus talks more about finances, resources, and generosity
than he does about heaven or hell combined.
And so if we're going to be so the Bible, guess what
we have to talk about?
Did you know that one in every ten verses in the four
Gospels is about resources and generosity and money?
One in every ten.
It's a lot.
And so Jesus presses into this and we have to
and and so the natural question
of verses 25 through 30, Peter, will this fine you just told this guy
to give sacrificially to the Kingdom works.
You just told her and he couldn't do it.
Well, here's the deal.
Jesus, we have this what Peter says we have.
When you called us, we were in the middle of a work day.
You called
us, and we gave up the tools of our trade.
We gave up the implementations of our of of our enterprise.
We gave up our business.
We gave up our identity.
We walked away from money.
We walked away from security. We walked away from our identity.
We worked from religion like we gave up everything.
What do we get for doing that?
Anybody ever been there?
Okay, well, if you haven't, I have,
like, God, I'm I'm trying real hard to be faithful.
And we have given up, I guarantee you.
And when shell and I moved here with our three sons,
we gave up everything.
The house we own down
south, our friends relationships
gave up a paycheck, I mean.
My wife gave up a really part
time, joyful opportunity to be with our kids
and work at the sound like it was just a great scenario, gave it all up,
and there was a long
time I was like, okay, Lord.
I mean, I get the question
and Jesus says, listen,
anybody who's given up relationships
and homes and finances
and people, people, whatever you it it is noticed,
it is known, it will be
rewarded.
No sacrifice that you give for the kingdom.
Well, it goes unnoticed and unrewarded.
That's what he says.
But but please, let me let me press into this.
Now we have to get this part.
That kingdom surrender is not a strategy
to get more from God.
But we gotta get we gotta understand this
just because I'm giving something up for the kingdom,
that's not a strategy to manipulate God's hand, to make him give me more.
We we gotta be clear about that.
He will not be manipulated,
but it is a
recognition that God Himself is the treasure.
That's why I would give it up.
Because he's the treasure not to get treasure.
Do you know what the reward of following Jesus is?
Jesus.
The reward of following Jesus is ultimately Jesus.
And so this is the context that we enter chapter 20.
That's the context.
That's the conversation.
Peter has asked this question.
Jesus is he's he's initially addressed it.
Yes, there is.
There's a lot coming.
For those of you who give up for the Kingdom
100 fold return plus eternity.
There's a lot.
And then he explains his response to Peter.
And, and and chapter 20, verse one starts with this
the kingdom of heaven is like, look at what, look at what it says.
For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house
who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
After agreeing with the laborers for a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
And so Jesus says, yes, Peter, there's great reward.
And let me give you this parable to help you understand the reward.
And so he tells this parable.
A parable is a simple story
set next to a truth to help us
easily understand the truth.
That's where the word parable comes from, its two words
para, which means next to a story.
So there's a story thrown next to a truth.
And so Jesus has just taught this truth about sacrifice and reward.
And he says, let me tell you a story that hope you understand it.
Now for this parable, I want to give you the cheat sheet
to understand the parable before we look at the details.
Because here's the danger, the danger, if you don't understand what a parable is,
is that we're going to look for meaning
in every little thing in the story, in the parable.
The parable is intended to give one concrete I got it moment
not to give a bunch of details about everything in the story.
And so everything in a parable doesn't mean something.
The entire parable means one thing.
And so the parable that we'll look at here is not about the workers.
It's not about God's invitation in the kingdom.
It's not about how the kingdom started with the Jews and went through the Jews
and finally include the Gentiles.
It's not about any of that stuff.
It's simply about the graciousness
and compassion of the employer.
It's the whole parable is about this.
This whole thing is about the graciousness of God, our father.
That's what it's about. And so.
He goes, this, this man
owns this big field, probably hundreds of acres.
The the crops come and do.
It's got to be harvested right then,
the way the rains are going to come, it's going to ruin the crops.
He was like, I need people working in my field.
And so it goes out at the first of the day.
Now their day ran from six in the morning to six at night.
So it's a long day.
And you started working at 6 a.m..
So this, this employer goes to the city
square where men would go who needed employment.
And so he was hiring day laborers.
This is very common.
And, you know,
you go down to Home Depot, you got your tools,
you wait for someone to come by and hire you to train some drywall or whatever.
Like that's what's going on here.
And so this, this, this, this owner, this field says, look, I need guys, man.
I need guys to work.
So 6 a.m., he goes, there's guys with their tools ready to go.
They're ready to rock and roll. He said, come on,
I got some work I want you to do and I'll pay you a denarius.
That was a sum of money, which was a full day's worth of work.
So you work the full day, 6 to 6.
I'll pay you.
I'll pay you the going wage.
So it would be like hiring a day laborer or whatever minimum wage is,
you know, $72 an hour now in California, whatever
it is, and say, I'll pay you, you know, the whole day.
Yeah. That's great.
And so that's, that's the scenario.
And then he goes in and he hires them.
Now watch this verses three. And following
and going out about the third hour.
He saw others standing idle in the marketplace and said to them,
you go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right, I will give you.
So they went going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour
he did the same.
And about the 11th hour he went out and found other standing.
He said to them, why do you stand here idle all day?
They said to him, because no one's hired us.
He said to them, you go into the vineyard, too.
And so he was like, I got my first set of guys.
They're working hard, I need more.
So it goes out at the third hour, which would be what time in the morning,
9 a.m. and he tells them what he say.
You go out and work on what he say.
He'll pay him whatever's fair.
He doesn't say it in areas he said, whatever's fair, and so on.
At the sixth hour, which would be, what, noon?
And at the ninth hour, which would be, what, three in afternoon?
Just whatever's fair and they go work. Why not?
Because they've been promised a wage, but
because they trust the character and the integrity of the employer.
They trust him.
And so they're employed by him.
They trust that he'll do what's fair, he'll do what's right.
And so even at the at the at the, at the what our
is the last one hired 11th hour is what time.
Five in the evening. Wednesday.
Over.
He's there going to work one hour.
And what does he say.
He'll pay them.
No, nothing.
He doesn't say. I'll pay him anything. He says go to work.
They said okay, right.
His question
to each one of those groups said, why are you standing here not working?
Why are you standing here just absorbing what's in the world go by.
Why aren't you doing something?
There's work to be done.
I don't care if you jump in early or late.
Just jump in.
And the
last one, who's hired at five in the evening, they work one hour.
They're not even told they'll get anything.
They just realize the value of the work.
They realize what what good it will produce and what good will do them.
And so they jump in.
Do you see this?
And the store.
This whole story is, though we can draw some lessons from the workers,
the stories about the graciousness of the employer.
And we're going to see in profound measure in just a moment.
But they jump in.
Look at verse eight.
And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard
said to his foreman, call the laborers
and pay them their wages, beginning with the last up to the first.
That's an important little phrase.
You're just going to say it over and over, or first and last and last first.
So start were the ones who were hired. At what time?
5:00.
And when those hired
about the 11th hour came, each of them received a dinner.
How much did they get for one hours work and it tire day's worth of work money.
Well, wow.
That's awesome.
Right?
You work one hour and you get 150 bucks.
That's not bad.
That's like lawyer wages right there.
That's not bad.
Now, those hired first came.
They thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius.
And on receiving it, they grumbled at the master of the house.
Okay, wait.
Why are you so upset?
You got exactly what you were promised.
He was completely fair to you.
Why do you grumble?
They grumbled because they got what was fair.
But others got what was gracious.
The others got grace.
They got fair.
See, they didn't mind their payment
until they saw the grace that others received.
Religious people want what's fair.
And till they see how wonderful grace is.
It says, why do you look at what he says?
Verses 13, 14, 15.
Let me go back to
let me go back to to verse 12.
They said, these last workers only worked only one hour,
and you've made them equal to us because they thought they deserved more.
After all we've done,
you made them equal to us
who have borne the burden of the day in the scorching heat.
But he replied to one of them, friend.
Am I doing you? I am doing, you know, wrong.
Did you not agree with me for a denarius?
Take what belongs to you and go.
I chose to give the last workers as I give to you.
Am I not allowed to
do what I choose with what belongs to me?
Oh, do you begrudge my generosity?
So the first will be last.
Says, why do you begrudge my generosity?
That phrase in the Greek is.
Why do you have an evil eye?
That evil eye was an idiom that goes way back to the book of Deuteronomy that says,
why is your eye jealous and envious of what I've done for somebody else?
You think because you've you've sacrificed
and served hard that you deserve more and they deserve less?
What it don't I, as the authority, have the authority to do with what I want,
to whom I want, with what I have.
Why does my graciousness to someone else make you envious?
I did what was okay. What we agreed to.
See the stories about the graciousness of the employer.
Not the work of the workers,
but the graciousness of the employer was not given to those who were idle.
His gracious gifts were given to those who worked.
Do you see how this is playing out?
God's great
gifts are God's to give,
and they're given not because they're earned,
but they're given because he is gracious.
And God's
grace makes some who are last, first.
Look, it don't matter if you jump in at the 11th hour.
It doesn't matter. You've been working on it.
Just trust the father
to give according to his grace.
I love the fact that Jesus
doesn't chide Peter for the question.
Peter's like, look, we've given up everything.
What do we get?
Jesus doesn't say, Peter, how could you ask me that?
Like you're so ungrateful.
Why is that where you go?
You should just serve faithfully without worried about what you I love.
That just doesn't. He doesn't try them for the question.
He said, no, I get it. I get the question.
But you need to understand something that my rewards are different
than how you would do it.
Just understand that the question is okay, but I have the authority
to do what I want with my with what I want with my people.
And sometimes it's not going to make sense to you,
but I will respond to you according to my grace.
And what we see happening here, and this is something I have to address.
There's a difference between gifts and rewards.
And most of Christendom, most especially the American church, lives
in the world of the gift and neglects
the reality of the rewards.
And in order to have a developed
theology and a biblical worldview,
we have to understand the difference between gifts and rewards.
Most Christians stop at gifts and never even deal
with the truth and reality biblically of rewards.
Let me tell you the difference.
Salvation is a gift.
A gift is something that is given freely
and received.
Ephesians 289 for by grace you have been saved through faith,
and this is not your of your own doing.
It is the what.
It's the
gift of God, not a result of your work.
So that no 1st May boast.
And so salvation is the gift of God by faith
that he graciously gives because of his grace that we receive.
And we don't work for that salvation.
Everybody understand?
So that salvation is a gift of one who has received that gift,
and has entered into this relationship with the father through faith in the son.
We all get the same gift, and we all have the same salvation,
and we were all exist eternally in the same place.
However, we will have different experiences
in that place throughout eternity,
though we get the same salvation in the same place.
The experience in that place will be different.
How do I know that? Because I've read the Bible.
We don't earn salvation.
Let me be very clear.
However, eternity includes rewards,
and our experience in eternity,
in part, will be based on the rewards
that we've laid up there.
Second Corinthians five is very clear,
for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
so that each 1st May what receive, what is, what
do for what what they've done in the body, whether good or evil.
And so there will be a time for every Christ following person who will stand
before the judgment seat of Christ and be rewarded for what we did on earth.
Now, this is not talking about salvation.
Salvation is meted out.
Revelation 20 at the Great White Throne judgment.
That is not this.
This is the judgment of Christians
that will receive the rewards or experience the loss of rewards
for what they did or didn't do in their Christian life on earth.
This is different
and most people don't understand this.
I want you to understand it.
Eternal rewards
are connected to faithfulness and obedience
and service and generosity
and sacrifice and perseverance.
Not your salvation, but your rewards in eternity are.
Do you understand this? You.
I know you do.
Let me ask you a better question.
Are you receiving this? Yes.
It's really easy to understand.
There's pushback against receiving it.
Second Corinthians 510 is really clear.
Lay up for your selves.
Treasures in heaven.
Rewards.
This isn't hyperbole.
This isn't folklore stuff.
We're neither moth nor rust destroys where thieves do not break into steal.
Like like there.
There is part of this Christian life after salvation, which is the gift
where we lay up rewards.
This is not judgment to determine salvation.
This is the judgment of what we did on earth after we're saved.
This is the evaluation.
And that evaluation will be rewarded.
So work
to store up rewards in eternity
and trust
that the good master will give
rewards based on his graciousness,
not because we manipulated his hand.
Usually,
rewards are attached to generosity all through Scripture.
Jesus says in Luke 12.
Sell your possessions.
Leverage some of that trust stuff that you got.
Set aside your investments, your income.
Leverage all of that and give to the needy.
Provide yourselves with money bags that do not grow old
with treasure in the heavens that does not fail.
Where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
It's explicit.
Matthew 1921.
Matthew 19.
Verse 29. First Timothy 618 through 19.
The question we have to ask ourselves is this will I be rewarded there?
Not salvation?
That's a free gift by grace because of God's grace through faith.
But will I be rewarded there?
That's the question.
Do you want to know what gets rewarded?
No, you don't care.
The Bible tells us what gets rewards.
Nobody.
Well it's close. Father. Think.
No. You want to know?
Faithful kingdom service and work.
That's one of the things that gets rewarded.
Faithful kingdom service and work again.
All this primarily happens in in the church.
I mean, this is what Jesus created.
Who plants who waters are one,
but each one will receive his wages according to what?
His work.
So you have to ask.
Am I faithfully serving and working in the Kingdom?
That's one of the things that gets rewarded.
So the question is, will you be rewarded?
You'll be saved through faith because of God's grace.
But will you be rewarded? For what?
For your work.
If you're working.
You want want to know what else is rewarded?
That's better.
Those who live a disciplined, purposeful Christian life,
who apply themselves, who press in.
Don't you know, Paul says that in a race, all runners run,
but only one of them receives the price.
So run, man, run not just haphazardly,
but run it to obtain.
The prize.
Every athlete we know, this
exercise is self-control in all things,
and they do it to receive a special wreath.
We do it in imperishable, and there's rewards based on our disciplined,
purposeful, day in, day out righteousness,
obedience, and holiness. And.
What else gets rewarded?
Those who finish strong and have a strong desire for Jesus's coming.
Paul, at the end
of his life says, I fought the good fight.
I finished the race God gave me and it wasn't easy.
But I didn't back up.
I didn't back down.
I've kept the faith.
Henceforth there is laid up for me.
Remember, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, a crown of righteousness
which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day.
And not just me, but everybody who loves his appearance,
who like come, Lord Jesus, come.
And until you do, I'm going to press in and I'm
going to stay after it and I'm going to live discipline.
I'm going to fit it.
I'm not backing off.
That gets rewarded.
You don't know what else.
Those who endure trials, suffering and even death for the kingdom
bless us.
The man who remained steadfast under trial.
For when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life
which God has promised to those who love him.
Do not fear what you are about to suffer.
Behold, the devil is about to
throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested for ten days.
You will have tribulation, but be faithful unto death,
and you'll receive the crown of life.
Listen, we're rewarded for our ability to suffer
well and even to die well for the kingdom,
that when those times come, there is the appropriate response.
God, deliver me from this hour.
But to realize sometimes we were made for that our.
And so I will suffer.
Well, not because it's pleasurable, not because I enjoy it,
but because I know that there's rewards waiting for me.
Man, can you imagine?
Will you be rewarded?
Those who are faithful shepherds
and have spiritual authority and leadership.
It gets rewarded.
Steward your leadership well.
Lead and lead well.
The question over all this is will you be rewarded?
Listen, the point is this.
Don't have a safe soul and a wasted life.
My God.
I'd rather slide into heaven with my hair on fire.
With a beat up, bruised up, decrepit old body for the kingdom
than to coast into heaven on a lazy boy.
I want rewards in heaven.
And in a holy way.
I want more rewards than all of you.
I've got a competitive streak in me.
Rewards
are given to those who worked in the master field.
But the wards were determined by the grace of the master, not upon their
manipulating his hand,
and they were not given to
those who did not work.
I know you hear me.
Can you accept this?
The degree of the rewards
is determined by the graciousness of the master.
See, grace determines whether we enter the kingdom,
but faithfulness affects how we're rewarded in the kingdom.
So the question is, will you be rewarded?
I'm going to finish out this section of Matthew 20 next week.
And Jesus is going to introduce again for the disciples the fact that he's going
to be handed over to people and be crucified.
This is the first place where Jesus tells us crucifixion
and they completely miss it.
But underpinning this whole thing
is the access to this incredible grace of God.
Not because we deserve it, but because Jesus has been sacrificed on our behalf.
That's the blood of Jesus that allows us access to the grace of God.
And that's what it's going
to draw this back to.
It's because of the blood Jesus on the cross that we have access
to the grace of God and his grace lavishes upon us
rewards not be
not not because we've manipulated by our work,
but because his blood and life has been so valuable
that we work to honor him, and we trust him for the rewards,
either on this earth or certainly in eternity.
Listen.
You belong to the family of God
by faith in what Jesus has done,
and that shows up in our world
by the act of baptism
and being a part of a local church family.
This is all the gift.
This is not earned.
Do you understand?
And once we've been gifted, the belong in the family.
Then we start the process of becoming like Christ.
Now we understand what it means to read the Bible
and do a flip journal and and apply the Bible to life.
We understand what it means to develop
spiritual disciplines, to develop the character of Christ in us. Why?
So that we can give of our lives to the kingdom,
storing up treasures
for ourselves in heaven, understanding what my spiritual gifts are
so I can serve the body of Christ and be rewarded in heaven
so I can sacrifice my finances and my resources for kingdom work.
Because I am giving to the Kingdom, and I know that nothing that I give
is ever going to be wasted, and it's all going to be rewarded by a gracious God,
not because I've earned it, but because he's gracious.
And I will go on mission
to my workplace, to my school, to my family.
There's no Jesus.
I'll learn how to share my faith because I'm on mission with him,
storing up for myself treasures in heaven
because I want those who don't know Jesus, who are lost and dying to belong to
the family of God and receive the gift that I've received
so that they can do it.
Do you understand?
This is where it begins.
Don't stop here.
The save soul and a wasted life.
Know where you are in the flip side.
Flow.
There's these bookmarks you can keep in your Bible to remind you.
What's my next step?
Here's what I know.
All of us know what our next step is in that flow.
You know, the question is not do you know?
The question is will you receive it?
That's discipleship.
This is the kingdom of heaven.
I want you to pray with me.
For some of you, you've not yet responded to Jesus.
Say, come and follow me.
You've tried to earn your way.
You've tried to be good.
I understand that's where we start, but where we have to get to
is realizing that we can't be good enough, and we rely on what
Jesus has done on the cross because of God's grace through faith.
And if that's you, I invite you in this moment
to admit that very thing
between you and God.
Say, God, I admit it. I've tried to be right.
I've tried to be religious.
I just can't muster enough goodness in me to do it.
I admit I've sinned.
I'm a sinner.
I can't even live up to my own standards, let alone yours.
And I need you to forgive me.
I believe what
Jesus did on the cross was sufficient,
and I receive that gift of salvation by faith.
Thank you.
Thank you for your forgiveness, I receive it.
Friends belong to the family of God.
And then once you've done that, become
give and goal and make the commitment today
to store up for yourselves treasures in eternity and throughout eternity.
I'd invite you to pray.
Father, I choose this day to give you my full allegiance,
to rearrange and reassess my life,
my family, my schedule, our family schedule, our finances,
what we do every weekend, where we go, what we invest in.
I choose in this moment
to realign it all to be kingdom first.
I trust your grace
that whatever we give up will not be wasted,
but it will be rewarded.
And I'm comfortable with whatever you determine
those rewards to be both in this world
and in eternity.
Friends, in essence, what you've just done,
what you are doing is saying, father, I choose to be a radical disciple.
God, I know by your word
that your eyes range to and fro about the earth to find those
who are strongly committed to you, that you may strongly support us.
So find us here,
those hearts who are strongly committed to you,
who are radical disciples, and on our behalf.
Come,
do what only you can do through our lives.
Support us in the work of the kingdom, that your kingdom may come,
and your will would be done on earth, as it already is in heaven.
May you be praised.
We love you.
In your name of Amen.
Listen, I want you this week to read
the last part of chapter 19 and all of chapter 20.
This whole thing fits together from 20 on
is all about Jesus's last week on earth.
The triumphal entry, the crucifixion and the resurrection.
This is where the Bible really presses in hard to the story of Jesus.
So press and hard with it and I'll see you next week, I love you.
Let's sing.