Chapter 80
JESUS IS OUR SALVATION
Matthew 19:16-30
Before we begin this study let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You in Jesus Christ’s holy name. Father God, we ask You to please open our ears, eyes and heart so we can truly hear, see and understand Your Word. Please help us to know and truly love Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Please help us to trust and rely upon Him to deliver us from our sins and bring us into everlasting life with You, Him and the Holy Spirit.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
We begin our study with the following conversation Jesus had with a rich man, His disciples and then Peter. The conversation of interest is recorded in,
Matthew 19:16-30
[16] Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” [17] So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” [18] He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ [19] ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” [20] The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” [21] Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” [22] But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. [23] 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. [24] 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.” [25] When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” [26] But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” [27] Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” [28] 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. [29] 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. [30] But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
As one reflects upon the above conversations many questions may arise. Thus, for this study we will,
1. Review some background material.
2. Explore the conversation between Jesus and the rich man.
3. Consider Jesus’ conversation with His disciples.
4. Review Jesus’ response to Peter’s question with respect to their discipleship.
5. Read and explore Jesus’ instruction for you and me.
With this introduction in mind let us now review,
SOME BACKGROUND MATERIAL
To set the foundation for this study we will,
1. Cover some pertinent aspects of the Law, which are the Ten Commandments.
2. Review an observation from the previous chapter (chapter 79).
SOME PERTINENT ASPECTS OF THE LAW
As we read the New Testament we discover that the Law is spiritual. Thus, unless we are born-again of the Holy Spirit we are carnal, which means sold under sin. To see this let us read from,
Romans 7:14
[14] For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Thus, in our attempt to follow the Law we are using our carnal, fleshy and sinful nature to fulfill holy spiritual commands. Consequently, we are unable to accomplish this. Hence, the question arises as to; “Why did God implement the Law?” The answer to this question is twofold.
First, it was implemented to reveal to us our sin. This is recorded in,
Romans 3:19-20
[19] Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. [20] Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Secondly, the purpose of the Law was and is to lead us to Jesus Christ, the Messiah. This is truth can be found in,
Galatians 3:21-24
[21] Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. [22] But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. [23] But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. [24] Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
The second piece of information that will help us to better our understanding of Jesus’ comments to the rich man is,
AN OBSERVATION FROM CHAPTER 79
From our previous study we discovered that the rich man, who came to Jesus Christ with the question concerning eternal life, did not believe who Jesus really was. Consequently, he must have considered Jesus to be a mere mortal human being. Or, at best, he may have thought that Jesus was a prophet. However, as we know, the rich man was speaking to the one and only person who could save him and grant him eternal life.
With this background material let us now explore,
JESUS’ CONVERSATION WITH THE RICH MAN
To do this let us begin with the rich man’s question as it is recorded in,
Matthew 19:16
[16] Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
To read Jesus’ response we go to,
Matthew 19:17b-19
[17b] … But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” [18] He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ [19] ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
In reflecting upon Jesus’ statement the question arises as to; “Why did Jesus tell the rich man that to enter into eternal life he must keep or obey the commandments?” Surely Jesus knew that no man can be justified by the deeds of the Law. Surely, Jesus knew that He came to save each one of us. So; “Why did Jesus tell the rich man to follow the Law?”
The key to the answer for these questions is found by reading the rich man’s response to Jesus’ instruction. To do this we go to,
Matthew 19:20
[20] The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”
In other words, the rich man was self righteous. He believed that he did or could earn his way to eternal life. He only saw that the Law was implemented to govern and control our outward activities. He did not realize that the Law was spiritual and like all of God’s Word it penetrates the very depth of our being. To see this let us read from,
Hebrews 4:12-13
[12] For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. [13] And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
To help the rich man realize he was not perfect, Jesus told him to sell what he had, give it to the poor and follow Him. This is recorded in,
Matthew 19:21-22
[21] Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” [22] But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Let us notice the following verse,
22 … Because of his possessions the rich man could not bring himself to follow Jesus’ instruction. Consequently, he sorrowfully walked away.
After the rich man walked away from Jesus, He turned to His disciples. With this in mind let us now explore,
JESUS’ CONVERSATION WITH HIS DISCIPLES
We begin by reading from,
Matthew 19:23-24
[23] 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. [24] 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.”
The questions arise as to, “Why did Jesus say this?” The answer to this question is provided within the following two warnings with respect to wealth.
The first warning is in the Old Testament and was given by,
MOSES
To prepare the Israelites for their entry into the promised land of Canaan, Moses gave a whole series of commands, instructions and warnings. The warning of interest for this study was for them to always remember and not forget the Lord their God. To read it we go to,
Deuteronomy 8:6-18a
[6] “Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. [7] For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; [8] a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; [9] a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. [10] When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. [11] “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, [12] lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; [13] and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; [14] when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; [15] who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; [16] who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end— [17] then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ [18a] “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, ...
The second cautionary warning was given by,
PAUL TO TIMOTHY
Throughout Paul’s first letter to Timothy we read a series of instructions for the elders of a Christian congregation. One of the instructions was for them to warn those who are rich to not trust in their wealth. Instead, they are to place their trust and faith in God. To read this exhortation we go to,
1 Timothy 6:17-19
[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. [18] Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, [19] storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
Within the above warnings are three reasons why Jesus said it was hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Specifically, when one is rich there is a great tendency for them to: (1) trust in their own abilities and strength, (2) glory in and rely upon their wealth and (3) forget that it was our Lord Jesus Christ who gave them their abilities and circumstances to accumulate their wealth and possessions.
Let us now read,
THE DISCIPLES REACTION TO JESUS’ DISCOURSE
To do this we return to Matthew and read from,
Matthew 19:25
[25] When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
After hearing Jesus’ discourse about the difficulties of the rich, the disciples were perplexed. The reason for the confusion was the belief that the rich person does not have to endure all the trials, difficulties, hardships and time it takes to earn the needed finances for the physical needs of their family and themselves. Hence, if they cannot make it into Heaven; who can?
This brings us to,
JESUS’ ANSWER TO HIS DISCIPLE’S QUESTION
To read how Jesus responded to the disciples question let us read from,
Matthew 19:26
[26] But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
In Jesus answer, Jesus taught His disciples then and now us two of the foundational truths of the Christian faith.
The first foundational truth is,
Man cannot save himself … it is impossible for him to do it
To see this let us first read the following excerpt from Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia. The passage of interest is,
Galatians 2:16c
[16c] … for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
In other words, the Scripture is teaching us we can never be able to be good enough or earn our way, to receive eternal life with God.
The second foundational truth of the Christian faith is that,
With God … man can be saved
To see this, let us read what God the Father has done for the true born-again believer in Jesus Christ to have eternal life with Him. To do this we go to,
Ephesians 2:4-9
[4] But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, [5] even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), [6] and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [7] that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, [9] not of works, lest anyone should boast.
RECAP
Before we precede let summarize what we have covered thus far. Specifically, we found,
1. The rich man was self righteous and believed from his youth he had completely followed the Law (the Ten Commandments).
2. To point out to the rich man he was not perfect, Jesus asked him to sell what he had, give the proceeds to the poor and follow Him.
3. The difficulties of a rich person to enter into the Kingdom of God.
4. It is God who saved the born-gain believer and brought them into eternal life with Him.
Let us return to the conversation Jesus had with His disciples and explore,
PETER’ RESPONSE TO JESUS’ STATEMENTS
Before we read Peter’s response, there is a significant point to be made.
Specifically, the Bible teaches us that before leaving everything Peter, his brother Andrew, Philip and Nathanael all believed and accepted Jesus to be the Christ, which means the Messiah.
To see this we begin by noting that Andrew was a follower of John the Baptist. It was from John that Andrew heard and accepted Jesus as the Messiah. It was Andrew who brought Peter to Jesus. This is recorded in,
John 1:40-42
[40] One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. [41] He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). [42] And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone).
In addition, we find that Philip was from Bethsaida, the same city of both Andrew and Peter. Presumably, Philip heard and believed in Jesus from the witness of Andrew and Peter. Let us recall that in chapter 78 it was Philip who told Nathanael about Jesus (John 1:43-49). It is also interesting to note that James and John were fishing partners with Peter (Luke 5:10). Thus, it would not be unreasonable to suspect that Peter shared with them that Jesus was the promised Messiah.
The point of all this is to emphasis the fact that before Jesus called them to be His eventual Apostles, they had already, through the spoken Word, believed and accepted the fact that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Thus, their being believers in Jesus Christ was not the result of following the Law or leaving everything but was the result of their faith in Him.
With this in mind let us now read Jesus’ command for Andrew, Peter, James and John to follow Him and eventually become four of Jesus’ Apostles. To do this we go to,
Matthew 4:18-22
[18] 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. [19] Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” [20] They immediately left their nets and followed Him. [21] 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, [22] and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Let us notice the following verse,
19 … Jesus was going to make them fishers of men.
With this background let us now read Peter’s question from,
Matthew 19:27
[27] Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”
Jesus’ response is recorded in,
Matthew 19:28
[28] 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.
After Jesus answered Peter’s question, Jesus then expanded His response to include all of His disciples, past and present. Hence,
JESUS’ TEACHING FOR YOU AND ME
To read what Jesus said we continue in Matthew and read from,
Matthew 19:29
[29] 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.
As one reflects upon this teaching the question arises as to; “Does this mean that to be a true follower or disciple of Jesus Christ one must: (1) Stop working, (2) sell all they have and give to the poor and (3) leave their family?”
The answer to this question is categorically No! This is not what Jesus meant or means.
To see this begin with the,
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUSBAND AND WIFE
To read what the Bible teaches us about this relationship we go to ,
Ephesians 5:22-33
[22] Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. [23] For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. [24] Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. [25] Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, [26] that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, [27] that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. [28] So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. [29] For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. [30] For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. [31] “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. [32] This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. [33] Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Consequently,
Peter and the other apostles travelled with their wives
To see this, we go to Paul’s letter to the believers in Corinth and read,
1 Corinthians 9:1-5
[1] Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? [2] If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. [3] My defense to those who examine me is this: [4] Do we have no right to eat and drink? [5] Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
To see that this is the same for today, let us read from,
Titus 1:5-6
[5] For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you— [6] if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination.
Let us notice the following verse,
6 … The elders or overseers can be married and have believing children.
This brings us to the Holy Spirit’s instruction, concerning the Christian’s
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHILDREN AND PARENTS
To do this we continue reading Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus. The scripture the addresses this topic is in,
Ephesians 6:1-4
[1] Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. [2] “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: [3] “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” [4] And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
Let us now move on to the subject of physical needs. As we read the Bible we discover that the born-again believer is to work for their and their family’s physical sustenance. In other words,
WE ARE TO WORK
To see this, we begin by noting that those who are called to preach and teach God’s Word should rightfully receive their physical provisions from those who were and are being spiritually nourished. These provisions would include things like food, money, etc.
However, to present the Gospel free of charge and be an example that we are to work, Paul did not exercise this right (see 1 Corinthians 9:9-18). Instead, Paul used his tent making skills to provide for his own physical needs.
To see this let us read the instruction the Holy Spirit gave to the believer’s in Thessalonica with respect to their responsibility to work for their and their family’s physical needs.
2 Thessalonians 3:8-10
[8] nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, [9] not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us. [10] For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.
With this responsibility in mind, we find that the Bible also provides us with some clear guidelines with respect to the born-again believer’s
EMPLOYEE/EMPLOYER RELATIONSHIPS
We begin with the born-again believer’s
Relationship with their employer
This instruction or guideline is given in the form of a bondservant (employee) and master (employer). To read this instruction we go to,
Ephesians 6:5-8
[5] Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; [6] not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, [7] with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, [8] knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
Let us now read the born-again believer’s
Relationship with their employee
This relationship is explained to us in the following verse,
Ephesians 6:9
[9] And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
OBSERVATION
As we reflect upon all that we have read in this section there seems to be a contradiction between what Jesus told Peter and the rest of us and what God the Holy Spirit wrote through the pen of the Apostle Paul.
Hence,
THE QUESTION
“By saying; “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”;
”What exactly was Jesus teaching Peter, His apostles/disciples and now us?”
Perhaps the best way to address this question is by going to the time after Jesus’ resurrection when Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, John, James and two others were fishing. After they finished eating breakfast Jesus asked Peter an extremely important question. To read what he asked we go to,
John 21:15a
[15a] So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”
Admittedly, there is some question as to; (1) “Was Jesus referring to the fish they just ate?’, or (2) “Peter’s means of physical support?” or, (3) “Was Jesus referring to Peter’s family and/or His fellow disciples?”
Whether it was one or all three the point is; “Who or what do you and I love most … Jesus or family, friend, work or possessions?” As we reflect upon this question let us not forget the following words from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 12:34
[34] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
CONCLUSION
Perhaps the best way to close this study is by a quick review of the following three key points.
First of all we found that,
MAN CAN NOT SAVE HIMSELF
To remind us of this truth let us read the following passage from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.
Ephesians 2:8-9
[8] For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, [9] not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Secondly, the Scripture teaches us that
WE ARE TO LOVE GOD WITH ALL OUR, HEART, SOUL AND MIND
To refresh our memory of this truth let us read what Jesus once said to a lawyer in front of the Pharisees and Sadducees. It is recorded in,
Matthew 22:35-38
[35] Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, [36] “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” [37] Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ [38] This is the first and great commandment.
The third and last point to be made is that,
ONLY JESUS IS OUR SALVATION
This truth is clearly revealed to us in,
Acts 4:12
[12] Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Blessed be the Lord forever,
Shall We Pray?