Matt 19:27-30 Rewards 10/16/2016 ßà
#1. What Shall We Have Therefore? (Matt
19:27-30, 1Tim 5:8, Matt 10:37-38)
#2. Rewards for All Kinds of Works (Rom
2:6-11)
#3. The Only Merited Reward (Phil
2:5-11)
#4. What More Do We Want? (Rom
8:31-32)
Please
open your
Bibles to the Gospel According to Matthew 19:27 (2X). The title of the
sermon today is, “Rewards”
(2X). What does God say about Rewards? Well, God has said a great deal about
rewards. There are more than 100 verses in the Bible containing the noun “reward”,
or the verb “to reward”, and there are many more verses that speak about
rewards without actually using the word “reward” in them. Just in the OT alone
there are 27 different words that have been translated by the noun “reward” or
by the verb “to reward”. So, will I be able to address all of these in a
45 minute sermon? I believe I will be able. Let us start off here in the Gospel
According to Matthew 19:27-30,
Mt 19:27 Then answered
Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what
shall we have therefore?
Mt 19:28 And Jesus
said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the
regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also
shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Mt 19:29 And every
one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother,
or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an
hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Mt 19:30 But many that are first shall be last; and the
last shall be first.
Peter
brought up the subject of rewards to Jesus. Paraphrased Peter said to
the Lord Jesus, Look, we have left our families and our houses and our jobs all
behind and have followed you for the past three years. What shall be our
reward?
#1. What Shall We Have Therefore? (Matt
19:27-30, 1Tim 5:8, Matt 10:37-38)
How
did the Lord Jesus answer him? He said, “Verily I
say unto you”, which means, “Now listen
carefully and mark My words; this will most certainly come to pass”. And then
Jesus specified to whom He was talking, “ye which have followed me”,
which means, “You the twelve Apostles shall sit on twelve thrones
judging the twelve tribes of Israel”. In other words, these twelve
thrones are only for the twelve Apostles. The only problem with this
interpretation is: There were actually not 12 Apostles but there were 13
Apostles. Judas Iscariot was disqualified, and Matthias filled his place.
Then God chose the 13th Apostle: Saul of Tarsus became the 13th
Apostle, called Paul. And actually there were not 12 tribes of Israel, but
there were 13 tribes of Israel. Joseph, the eldest son of Jacob and
Rachel received a double inheritance: Joseph became 2 tribes. His tribes were
Ephraim and Manasseh. Each time that we find in the Bible a listing of the 12
tribes of Israel, one tribe has been left out. And so, since there were 13
Apostles and 13 tribes of Israel, we really cannot interpret verse 28
literally. All we can say is that the Lord Jesus Christ promised His Apostles a
special place in the NH&NE. But what that place is we do not know. Then in verse
29 the Lord Jesus addresses the matter of rewards. In verse 29 Jesus
speaks of every one who has forsaken all that he has for Christ’s sake,
and for the sake of the furtherance of the Kingdom of Christ. We must
understand this verse with spiritual eyes. Who are these who have
forsaken all that they have? These are the saints who have put Christ first
in their lives, and who have placed all other things and other people who enter
their lives in second priority to Christ. It does not mean that they must
abandon any support for their families. This cannot be, since God says in 1Tim
5:8, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his
own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” God
gave us spouses, because the Bible says that it was God who joined us
together. God gave us children in loan, to raise them up in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord. Also, if Christ is first in our life we do not stop
to take some food, because by eating we are lubricating the machinery in
service to Christ. If Christ is first in our life we do not quit our secular
jobs at the office, or in school, or in other workplaces, because by
working our secular jobs we obtain money to buy food, and clothing, and
housing, and other things necessary to lubricate the machinery. We do not
abandon our family physically, since God has put in our custody the
support and upbringing of our family members in the fear and admonition of the
Lord. But our work for Christ must have first priority, because our love for
Christ must be greater than the love for our family. The Lord Jesus said in Matt
10:37-38, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of
me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And
he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me”.
Therefore it is absolutely necessary to love Christ more, and love the work for
Christ’s Kingdom more, than to love those who are so near and dear to us. Thus
the forsaking of all that we have must be understood spiritually, in agreement
with the rest of the Bible to make us understand what Christ actually said. Who
then are all these who have forsaken all that they have? Are these only the
pastors and missionaries who have dedicated their life to the Lord? NO!
These are all the saints. In this verse the Lord Jesus described the normal
lifestyle of anyone who has been saved, who has been transformed from a sinner
to a saint. Only God can do this. That is why Jesus said in verse 26,
“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”.
Only God can transform a sinful creature into a person who loves God, whom he
has not seen, more than his own family, or loved ones, whom he has seen. And
then the Lord Jesus continued in Matt 19:29 with these words,
“And
shall inherit everlasting life”. We have already answered the question “Who”?
The answer is, “All the saints”. The next questions are, “What”, “When”
and “Where”? To answer these questions we have to turn to the parallel
passage in the Gospel of Mark for additional information. Put a sticker
here in Matthew 19 and please turn to the right in your Bible to the
Gospel According to Mark 10:28 (2X). What shall we receive an
hundredfold? When shall we receive it? Shall we receive an hundredfold
in this lifetime, or in the time after we have died? Where shall we
receive it? Shall we receive it on this earth, or in Heaven, or in the
NH&NE? Please notice that this passage about rewards follows Jesus’ saying,
“With men it
is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible”. Both in Matthew and in Mark we see the same sequence.
What does or did God do that is so impossible in the sight of men? God is
transforming sinners into saints. We read in Mark 10:28,
Mr 10:28-29 Then
Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto
you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father,
or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
Mr 10:30 But he shall
receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and
sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the
world to come eternal life.
Mr 10:31 But many that are first shall be last; and the
last first.
Now, verse 30 makes it a lot clearer. When and Where shall we
receive it? Jesus said, “Now in this time”. In other words, the rewards
of our work for the Lord we will receive in this time, while we live on this
earth. And in the world to come we receive eternal life with Christ in
God, not as a reward for our work done here on earth, but as a Free Gift
given to all those whom God saves, whether they have worked long or whether
they have worked a short time for the Lord. That is why in the Gospel of
Matthew the Lord Jesus followed up this saying with the “Parable of the
Laborers in the Vineyard”, where some have worked long and others have
worked short, but all receive the same wage: One Denarius. And What
shall we receive an hundredfold now in this time? The things we have left for
the sake of Christ, these are the things we shall receive an hundredfold. Jesus
mentioned, “brethren, and sisters, and mothers,
and children”. There are many practical
applications contained here in Mark 10:30. Did you notice “mothers” plural?
How can we have more than one mother? The answer is, when we become a member
our new church-family, we have in fact received many more family members that
we had before we became saved. I did not say so; Jesus said it. Do we
believe this? Have we really accepted that the other members of this church
are as dear to us as family members? Can we truly make these words of Jesus
practical in our life? Well, it all depends whether we have received the faith
that comes from God, or whether we have been fooling ourselves. Is there a love
we have for our fellow members of this church? The Lord Jesus said that this
love for one another must be present. Is there also a love we have for other
believers worldwide, who also believe as we do? They too are a part of our
church family. In Mark 10:30 the Lord Jesus also mentioned “houses”.
What does this mean? This certainly includes the houses where our family
members live in. This means that we must be hospitable to other believers, and
that we welcome them to visit, and to share our meals with them, and so on.
Many mothers would be delighted to cook some extra for these guests, and to
serve them, and smother them with motherly love. In Mark 10:30 the Lord
Jesus also mentioned “lands”. What are lands for? Not many of us today
are landowners, because we live in an industrialized society. But throughout
most of the past centuries the majority of people owned lands to grow their
crops on, because most of them were either farmers, or they raised cattle. And
so, these lands were a means of income. It means that we must take care of our
church family members, so that whoever is in financial need must receive
support from the rest of us, so that they do not go hungry, or are cold, or are
not clothed well. But there is more. In Mark 10:30 the Lord Jesus also
mentioned “with persecutions”. In other words, our rewards for bringing
the true Gospel is to receive in this present time religious persecutions. This
is as certain as the reward of receiving a new church family. Every saint
should expect persecutions. The Lord Jesus said in John 15:20, “Remember
the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If
they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my
saying, they will keep yours also”. Can we thank the Lord for these
persecutions? We must certainly thank Him for all these things, both good and
bad, because we know that “All things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). God knows what is good for us, and so
we must thank Him for everything He sends our way. All these things are our
rewards for following Jesus. One principle we have learned from Mark
10:30 is that there are:
#2. Rewards for All Kinds of Works (Rom
2:6-11)
Please
turn to the
Epistle to the Romans 2:6 (2X). The Bible speaks everywhere of rewards,
and it gives the impression that God will give special rewards for good works
done by His saints. We have seen from Matt 19:27-30 and Mark 10:28-31
that this is not so. God gives spiritual rewards for works done for Him, and
those spiritual rewards are given in this life. But all those good works are
not worthy to stand in the shadow of the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ on
the cross. Therefore in the life hereafter we all receive the same inheritance,
which is life everlasting in the presence of God and of the Lamb. We read here
in Rom 2:6-11,
Ro 2:6 Who will render to
every man according to his deeds:
Ro 2:7-8 To them who by
patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality,
eternal life: But
unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey
unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
Ro 2:9-10 Tribulation and
anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of
the Gentile; But
glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and
also to the Gentile:
Ro 2:11 For there is no
respect of persons with God.
But
we know that “we all are by nature the children of wrath”, and we all
have been “conceived in sin” and we all are “called transgressors
from the womb”. We all were by nature enemies of God. It is only by the
grace of God that God turned some of us around and made us love Him, and seek
for Him, and seek to be saved from our sins. Therefore those “who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and
honour and immortality, eternal life”, are
those whom Christ has saved by grace from their slippery slide into Hell. But
those whom Christ passed by and are left in their sins are those who “are
contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation
and wrath”. Then in verse 11 God says that He will pass judgment
both on Jews and Gentiles, for God is not a respecter of persons. God will
reward evil works and God will reward good works. Please turn to the Acts
of the Apostles 1:18 (2X). And so, we see that God rewards the saved
with eternal life, because the Lord Jesus Christ has removed all our sins
during His atonement, and God rewards the unsaved with condemnation in Hell,
because they have sinned voluntarily. God uses this same language
throughout the Bible. Yes, the penalties for evil works are also called
rewards. God says there are:
We
see this most clearly in the case of Judas Iscariot. Judas was appointed
to the circle of 12 apostles surrounding the Lord Jesus day and night for 3½
years. But Judas remained unsaved. But then Judas offered to the scribes and
Pharisees to take them to Jesus by night so that they might overtake Him. Judas
did that voluntarily because Judas coveted the ransom money for the
betrayal. Did Judas expect that Jesus would save Himself miraculously out of
the hands of the scribes and Pharisees? That is possible. The Bible does not
disclose that. But when Jesus let Himself be bound, and when Jesus was
condemned to die, Judas felt remorse for his evil work and Judas hanged himself
in the field that was a potter’s field. Now we read in Acts 1:18,
Ac 1:18 Now this man
purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he
burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
Here
“the reward of iniquity” was the 30 pieces of silver that Judas received
from the scribes and Pharisees. They purchased that Potter’s field in the name
of Judas Iscariot. The money that Judas coveted bought him the cursed field
where he died. That was an overt display of God’s wrath on Judas Iscariot. But
the much greater reward for Judas will be to be cast into Hell on the Last Day.
God has sprinkled throughout the Bible many verses that indicate rewards for
evil works. God says in:
2Ti 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith
did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:
God
shall reward Alexander the coppersmith, but the reward will most likely be
given in the life hereafter. God speaks of false teachers in 2Pet 2, and God
says of them in 2Pet 2:13,
2Pe 2:13 And (they) shall receive the reward of
unrighteousness,
What
is their reward of unrighteousness? They will receive a hotter place in Hell.
We find that in Jam 3:1, My brethren, be
not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
Let
there not be many masters, referring to teachers of the Word of God. Let there
not be many teachers, because those whose teachings are leading people to Hell
shall receive the greater condemnation. When God promises rewards for evil
works, God promises greater condemnation in Hell. But when God promises rewards
for good works done, these good works have been made possible only by the grace
of God. And thus our good works are not rewarded in the life hereafter, but in
this life. When God in the Bible writes of a truly good work, the only
work that qualifies to be good is a work that is not tainted by sin.
Please turn in your Bibles to the Epistle to the Philippians 2:5 (2X).
#3. The Only Merited Reward (Phil
2:5-11)
The
only good work is the work done by the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ
was the only one who was as righteous as God Himself, because He was
God. He should be the only one who really deserved His reward, because
all His works were righteous. His was the only merited reward.
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in
you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who, being in the
form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7-8 But made himself of
no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men: And
being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross.
Php 2:9-11 Wherefore God also
hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things
in earth, and things under the earth; And that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Christ
was our example.
Therefore let His mind of humility be our example in our daily life. He
was in Heaven in the form of God, and He was God. Our God is a triune
God, which means there are three Persons but only one God. Each person of the
triune God is fully God Himself. Therefore, when the Second Person of the
triune God assumed in His incarnation the entire human nature of a man,
except for sin, this man, the carpenter of Nazareth, was actually God who came
in the flesh. He laid down the glory that He had in Heaven and took upon
Him the form of a Servant. He was the suffering Servant of Jehovah, as we can
read about Him in the Isaiah, chapter 53. “He humbled Himself,
and became obedient unto death, even the suffering
and death of the cross”. His suffering was
equivalent to the wrath of God on all the sins of all the elect whom God chose
to save. His suffering and death on the cross was a righteous work that merited
a reward. What was His reward? His reward was that God has highly
exalted Him and has made Him King of kings and Lord of lords both in
heaven and on earth. God gave Him all the elect to be the Bride of
Christ. God gave Him the whole world, and this universe as well, to
cleanse it from all sin and to dispose whatever has been defiled by sin. God
gave Him the keys of death and Hell. And God also made Him the Judge
over all creation, so that on the Last Day, “At the name of Jesus every knee
shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and every tongue
shall confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. I could make this list much longer,
but from this you understand that Christ’s work was rewarded greatly, since His
was the only merited reward. Unsaved man simply cannot do anything good. Any
saint can only do works that are tainted with sin, even their best works.
Therefore all other rewards for good behavior are actually:
Please
turn in your
Bibles to the Epistle to the Ephesians 2:10 (2X). Normally the saints
associate
rewards
with good works. Perhaps you remember that in the first 10 verses of Eph 2 God
summarized the Gospel in a nutshell. The first three verses deal with our depravity
before our salvation. Then beginning in verse 4 God indicates Why and How
He saved His elect, and that God saved us entirely by His grace, not for
any work that we have done, or that we are going to do. Then in verse 10 God
has something to say about our good works. We read in Eph 2:10,
Eph
2:10 For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained (=
prepared) that we should walk in them.
We
are Christ’s workmanship.
God created us body and soul, represented in Christ Jesus from before
the foundations of the world, and created unto good works. Here is where the
good works come in. God did not save us because of the good works we were going
to do, like the good work of accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and
Savior. No! God created us unto good works, which means that God has
prepared these works long before we would come into existence. Therefore God
prepared the good works ahead of time, so that we would walk in them automatically.
Do we get credit for doing those good works? Absolutely not! God
prepared those good works. We just stepped in the place and situation that God
has made. Those good works were a gift of God’s grace. We did not perform those
good works perfectly. They were still tainted by sin. But the Lord Jesus Christ
took the sin away so that those works became pleasing to God. Will God
reward such works? Yes He does. That is how much God loves us. Please turn
about 25 pages to you right (ß) to the Epistle to the Colossians
3:24 (2X). Our eternal life in the life hereafter is also spoken of as our
inheritance. We are coheirs with Christ of the inheritance in the NH&NE.
Even though this is all a gift of God’s grace, God also calls this our reward.
We read in Col 3:24,
Col 3:24 Knowing that
of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve
the Lord Christ.
Since
we have been saved by grace, we are serving the Lord Jesus Christ. And since we
are serving Him our future inheritance is called our reward. But it really is a
reward that is given by grace. It cannot be a reward for good works, for all
our good works were prepared before by God. We read it again in 2John 8. let me
read this to you,
2John 8 Look to yourselves,
that we lose not those things which we have wrought (= worked out), but that we
receive a full reward.
Again,
those things which we have worked out were given to us on a silver platter. God
prepared those works before, and made us walk in them. And so, the reward that
we receive is a reward entirely of grace. Let us read how great this reward
really is. God said in Gen 15:1,
Ge 15:1 ¶ After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram
in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am
thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
God
Himself is our reward. Therefore, if we receive God Himself,
#4. What More Do We Want? (Rom
8:31-32)
Please
turn to the
left in your Bibles to the Epistle to the Romans 8:31 (2X). In this
beautiful passage of Romans chapter 8 God assures us that once we have been
saved there is absolutely nothing that can cause us to lose our salvation.
Knowing then from Gen 15:1 that God Himself is our exceeding great
reward, and knowing that God Himself performed the great miracle of
changing our wicked heart into hearts that desire to serve God, we can be
assured of God’s continuing providence.
Ro 8:31 ¶ What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Ro
8:32 He that spared not his own
Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely
give us all things?
“If
God be for us, who can be against us”? In verse 31 God assures us
that nobody can be against us. God will turn all enemies away from us. They
cannot harm us unless God permits them to do so, and then only because it is
for our own good that God allows our enemies to do us harm. We grow through
trials and tribulations. And through those trials God watches over us that we
will not be stretched to the breaking point. In verse 32 God reminds us
that He gave us His only begotten Son. He did not spare His own Son, but He
delivered up the Lord Jesus Christ to suffer and die for us on the cross. If
God gave up His Son for us, and Christ gave all that He had, how can
anyone think that God shall hold anything back? Shall He not give us with
Christ also freely all things? Does this mean “All Things”? It really
means “All Things”, because all other things combined are of lesser
value than Christ. And so, if God shall give us all things, there is not
anything left to give. What more do we want? There is nothing more!
Besides, someone who claims that he
deserves something extra, over on top of what everyone else receives, is
insulting the generosity of God. Even if the most noble Christian in the
world, who spent his whole life working for the Lord Jesus Christ, would have
suffered on a cruel cross, and after the crucifixion, before his death, would
have been burnt alive at the stake, then his inheritance in the NH&NE would
be a million trillion times greater than he deserved for all his good
works. There is just no comparison. Besides, someone who claims that he
deserves something extra in the life hereafter actually believes in a gospel
of selfishness. To strive very hard doing good works on this sin cursed
earth for the purpose of attaining an extra jewel in his crown in heaven is
nothing but selfishness. Our state of bliss in heaven, or in the NH&NE, is
totally a gift of grace and cannot be mixed with any work done on this earth.
Such a person is probably not saved.
Please
turn in your
Bibles to the Gospel According to John 15:4 (2X). From all that we have
seen so far it is clear that all our good works are fruits, which Christ bears
in us and through us. Without Him we are nothing and can do nothing. In John 15
the Lord Jesus Christ told 11 of His disciples the Parable of the Vine and the
Branches. We read here in John 15:4,
Joh
15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As
the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more
can ye, except ye abide in me.
Joh 15:5 I am the
vine, ye are the branches: He that
abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me
ye can do nothing.
Without
Him we are nothing and can do nothing. Our good works are gifts from God to us,
which in the deepest sense flow from God’s eternal predestination and good
pleasure. Therefore, our reward is all of grace, from beginning to end. It is
of grace that Christ died for us and purchased eternal righteousness for us. By
His death He also merited for us the privilege of performing good works. It is
of grace that we are ingrafted into Him by a true faith, and that we are
sanctified unto good works. Good works, therefore, are the fruits of Christ
dwelling in us, fruits which God ordained for us before the foundation of the
world, and in which we are privileged to walk. And as we are in the way of good
works so we enter into glory. But it is all through grace, and never of
works.
The
Bible is very firm on the distinction between grace and works. For example, God
says in:
Ro 4:4 Now to him
that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Ro
4:5 But to him that worketh not,
but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for
righteousness.
Our
faith, if it is genuine faith, is a gift from God. How do we know if God
has given our faith, or if it has come out of our own mind? Test yourself. Do
you believe the whole Bible, from cover to cover? That is the faith that is a
gift from God. Anyone who does not believe the whole Bible but picks and
chooses what he wants to believe does not have faith, because he declares God a
liar in those places that he does not believe. But genuine faith is a gift of
God’s grace.
God
tells us in Rom 11:6 to make sure that we have a clear understanding of grace
and works.
Ro 11:6 And if by
grace, then is it no more of works:
otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it
be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
Praise
God that our rewards are all by grace and not partly by our works, because we
would never make it on our own, not even part of the way. Therefore, “let
him that glorieth, glory in the Lord”
AMEN. Let
us turn to the Lord in prayer.