Formosa Baptist Church
2025-06-15
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  • That's Why We Praise Him
  • Great Is Thy Faithfulness
  • How Deep The Father's Love For Us
  • Jesus Loves Me This I Know (Jesus Loves Me)
  • Text: Matthew 19:13-30
    Matthew 19:13–30 ESV
    13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away. 16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And 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 mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, 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 children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
    Prayer
    Introduction:
    This story is interesting because it doesn’t fit the normal interactions that Jesus often had. Matthew tells us that a man comes up to Jesus (and we later find out that he’s a wealthy man with some prominence in the community) and asks Jesus how to gain eternal life.
    This man isn’t like the Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees who clearly don’t believe in Jesus and are out to get him. (e.g., Mt. 19:3) This man doesn’t seem to fit in that category. He seems to genuinely respect Jesus. He respectfully calls him “Teacher,” and there is no evidence of sarcasm, nor do any of the gospel writers accuse him—like they often do the Pharisees—of trying to set a trap for Jesus.
    And yet, the man “went away sorrowful...”
    Matthew 19:22 ESV
    When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful...
    Jesus’ comments in the following verses make it pretty clear that this man, even though he approached Jesus with respect and deference, goes away without the eternal life he so desired. In fact, Jesus uses the man as an object lesson for his disciples.
    So, in the end, even though he’s not out to get Jesus, trap him, or kill him, his eternal destiny is no different than that of the Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees who flat out rejected Jesus and eventually murdered him. Why?
    Well, if we look closely, I think we’ll see very clearly three barriers that kept this man from experiencing eternal life. These three things form a type of litmus test, helping us to distinguish between true, saving faith and the kind of belief that does not result in salvation.
    So this morning, as we walk through this passage, I want you to take stock of your own heart, and ask yourself these three questions to diagnose your soul.
    And to help you remember this diagnostic tool, I’m going to adapt a familiar texting abbreviation—“smh”—which means “shaking my head.” When you’re texting, you might use “smh” to express disbelief or bewilderment at something that’s happened.
    "My phone died right before I needed to call an Uber. SMH"
    “My teacher made us redo the whole project, SMH.”
    "The traffic is insane today. SMH
    We’re going to look at a man today who spoke with Jesus, but left “shaking his head” in disbelief. So this morning, as we walk through this passage, I want you to take stock of your own heart, and ask yourself these three questions to diagnose your soul. Do you truly believe? Or are you shaking your head in disbelief?
    Do you really believe?

    S—Is Jesus my Schoolteacher or my Sovereign?

    Matthew 19:16 ESV
    And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”

    Jesus must be more than just your “teacher.”

    When this man approaches Jesus, he’s respectful. In fact, some of the schoolteachers here today probably wish that their students were as respectful as this man was when he came to Jesus with his question.
    He doesn’t interrupt, he’s not staring at his phone or texting while Jesus is talking him. He’s not disinterested in what Jesus is saying. But, he calls him “teacher,” not “lord” or “master” or “Son of David.”
    Now, it’s true that Jesus calls himself teacher/Rabbi in the gospels, and there’s nothing inherently wrong about referring to Jesus as a teacher. The core meaning of “disciple” is to be a “learner/follower;” there’s an implied teacher-student relationship.
    But, what is interesting is that in the Book of Matthew, there’s not a single instance of someone who truly believes in Jesus calling him “teacher” (or the Hebrew version, “Rabbi”).
    Matthew 8:19–20 ESV
    And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
    Matthew 9:11 ESV
    And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
    Mat. 12:38; 17:24; 22:16; 22:36; 26:49
    Matthew 26:25 ESV
    Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”
    Again, this doesn’t mean that acknowledging Jesus as your teacher makes you an unbeliever. He certainly must be your teacher. But, if Jesus is nothing more than a good moral teacher to you, that is the kind of belief that does not save.

    Jesus must be your King.

    A schoolteacher has limited authority over part of your life. They are owed respect, but not allegiance.
    A King has ultimate authority over every aspect of your life.
    Imagine living in a Kingdom (not a democracy, but a monarchy). There would be certain types of clothes you could not wear (i.e., a crown or royal purple) because they are a challenge to the king’s authority. The king would have authority over your income—the authority to exact taxes. The king would have authority to make and enforce laws upon your behavior. The king would have the authority to call you up for service in his army. And, the king would expect—demand—your unwavering allegiance and loyalty. This kind of authority is called “sovereignty.”
    Contrast the way that this rich young ruler approached Jesus with how these people approached him:
    Matthew 8:7–9 ESV
    And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
    The Centurion recognized Jesus’ sovereignty and humbly submitted to it, and Jesus praised his faith and healed his servant.
    Matthew 15:22 ESV
    And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”
    Matthew 16:16 ESV
    Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
    John 20:28 ESV
    Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
    So, ask yourself: “Is Jesus my teacher, or my King?”
    In our culture here in Arkansas and the Bible Belt, most people are respectful and deferential when it comes to God. Most people that we encounter on the streets, at work, or in school don’t seem to hate God. In fact, if the topic of faith comes up, they’ll be respectful, take off their hat and bow their head when someone prays, they may even value the morals of Christianity.
    These people even long for America to return to its Christian roots. They share many of our values—a love for traditional families, an abhorrence of the evils so prevalent in our culture like homosexuality, abortion, and so on. They occupy positions of respect and influence in our communities. They may even have fairly stable family lives. They support the troops, stand for the pledge of allegiance, and serve on the PTO and in community sports. They look like us, talk like us, vote like us, and some of them even sit beside us at Church.
    But, at the end of the day, they give Jesus no more authority over their life than a schoolteacher. They give respect, but not allegiance. They live for themselves and bow to no one. They want no king. They need no king.
    And they’re fine with Jesus so long as he makes no demand upon their lives. But, the moment he does, they go away sorrowful, because Jesus was just a teacher to them.
    So ask yourself this morning: Are you one of them? Is Jesus your schoolteacher, or your sovereign?

    M—Is my salvation based upon my Merit or Christ’s Mercy?

    Matthew 19:16 ESV
    And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”
    I’m going to ask you a question: “If you were to die today, and Jesus asked you ‘Why should I let you into my heaven?’, what would you say?”
    (Pause for reflection)
    If your answer was a list of things that you have done, then you are approaching salvation as if it depended upon your works, your merit, just like this rich man.
    If you’re answer was, “I try to be a good person. I go to church, I try to be a good father/mother, etc.,” then what that reveals about your is that you think that your actions can get you into heaven.
    That’s what this man thought. He asks Jesus what good thing he has to DO to gain eternal life.
    Matthew 19:16 ESV
    And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”
    He’s focused on his actions. He thinks he can be good enough to earn eternal life.

    Those who pursue salvation through good deeds will never gain eternal life.

    So, Jesus flips the question around to get the man thinking about what it means to be “good.”
    Matthew 19:17 ESV
    And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good...”
    What do you think it means to be “good?”
    We have a tendency to think of some people as “good,” because compared to other people, they are. People say, “I’m a good person.” Good compared to what? Other sinners? There is only one who is good—God himself.
    Psalm 14:2–3 ESV
    The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
    We compare ourselves against other people, as if the average human was the standard. But we need to ask, “What is the standard for ‘good?’”
    Imagine for a moment that you’re a guard at a prison, and you overhear a conversation between two death-row inmates. One of them says to the other, “Well, I didn’t kill as many people as you, and I didn’t rape anyone, so I think I’m a pretty good person.” Would you agree with him? No! The man is on death-row, which means that he’s at very least a murderer!
    To God, who is perfect and who demands sinlessness, who lives in a sinless heaven, this claim that people make, “I’m a good person,” must seem like a bunch of death row inmates comparing themselves to one another. If God allowed even one sinful person into heaven, heaven would cease to be a perfect place and would cease to be heaven.
    But the problem is, we’ve missed the point! The average human is not the standard by which we will be measured—God’s Law is the standard. And all of us have broken that Law. We’re all destined for Hell, outside of Christ. We all start off on Death Row. And unless our sins are paid for and removed by Christ, we have no hope of heaven.
    This rich man wants to justify himself. He asks Jesus, “What good thing must I do to have eternal life?” because he thinks that either he has already done them all, or he’s pretty close.
    But, as we’ll see in a moment, he wasn’t nearly as close to perfection as he thought.
    To earn salvation, you’d have to perfectly keep the Law. Perfectly love God with all your heart, soul, and might.
    And the Law is not many things. It’s not “the Laws” (plural), but “the Law” (singular). We have a tendency to think of the Law of God as being a bunch of laws—some we keep, and some we break. But the Law is one thing with many different expressions.
    Deuteronomy 6:4–5 ESV
    “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
    THAT is The Law, and it has many expressions: not having idols, not killing people, and not committing adultery are all ways we show that we love God with all our heart.
    When God goes to determine whether or not you have earned heaven, there’s only one question: “Did you keep the Law?” Yes or no. One checkbox.
    Which means that if you break even one commandment, you have broken the entire Law:
    James 2:10–11 ESV
    For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
    That is the standard. If you want to earn heaven, that’s what you have to do. “That’s impossible!” you say. Yes, that’s the point! This is why Paul later says,
    Galatians 3:10 ESV
    For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”
    So, when we attempt to justify ourselves before God by being “good people,” and we inevitably break one of the commandments, we fall under the curse of the Law.
    Romans 3:19–20 ESV
    Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
    The only thing that attempting to follow the Law or “earn our salvation” does is to reveal to us how sinful and unworthy we are. The harder we try to justify ourselves before God, the more we fail and the more we realize that we will never be good enough.
    Scripture doesn’t tell us why the man still asked in Mt. 19:20 what he still needed to do.
    Matthew 19:20 ESV
    The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?”
    But I can’t help but wonder if after all his striving and law keeping there was perhaps this nagging realization deep down that something still wasn’t quite right between him and God.
    What this man needed to realize is that there was no good thing he could ever do to make himself right before God. There is only one who is good—God himself. What this man needed to do was to humble himself before the Son of God, admit that he could never be good enough, and throw himself upon the mercy of Christ.
    Maybe you’re here today and you’ve thought, “I’m a good person.” But deep down, you don’t know whether you’ve done enough to earn heaven. You’ve got this nagging feeling that there’s something missing. You’re terrified that you haven’t done enough.
    Well, let me set you straight. You’re right. You haven’t done enough, and you never can.

    Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

    Matthew 19:13–14 ESV
    Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
    Just as we saw earlier in ch. 18,
    Matthew 18:3 ESV
    and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
    We were under a curse because we have all broken God’s Law. But, Galatians 3:13 says that Christ took that curse upon himself when he paid the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross.
    Now, he offers salvation as a gift—that’s what grace means, “gift.”
    Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV
    For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
    If you’re coming to Jesus hoping to justify yourself, excuse away your sin, or earn salvation, you will be turned away empty handed and leave sorrowful. Salvation and eternal life are not something you can earn by your actions. It is a gift of God that must be accepted by faith.
    In the parallel passage in Mark, the question is even phrased like this:
    Mark 10:17 ESV
    ...“Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
    Here’s the thing. The man wanted to “inherit” eternal life. But inheritance comes by relationship to your Father, not by working for an employer. Employees don’t get an inheritance. Only sons and daughters do.
    So, it’s time for the diagnosis: So, do you have a relationship with the Father? Are you pursuing salvation by your own merit, or by appealing to the mercy of God?

    HIs my treasure in my House or in Heaven?

    There’s a lot that’s going on in this conversation that isn’t obvious when you first read it. First off, when the man asks “what must I do to have eternal life,” Jesus plays along initially, telling him to “Keep the commandments.” Like a good self-righteous legalist, the man asks, “Which ones?”
    What is interesting is that the list Jesus gives encompasses the last half of the Ten Commandments, but completely omits the first half.
    Matthew 19:18–19 ESV
    He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, (6) “You shall not murder, (7) You shall not commit adultery , (8)You shall not steal, (9) You shall not bear false witness, (5) Honor your father and mother, and, (5-10) You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
    The last half of the Ten Commandments are all about how we treat other people, and are well summarized by Jesus’ command to “love your neighbor as yourself.” The first half of the Ten Commandments, you might recall, are all about how we treat God:
    Exodus 20:3–11 ESV
    (1) “You shall have no other gods before me. (2)“You shall not make for yourself a carved image...(3) “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain...(4) “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
    Jesus elsewhere gives a great summary of the Ten Commandments and the entire OT:
    Matthew 22:37–40 ESV
    And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. (Commandments 1-4) And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Commandments 5-10) On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
    So, we need to ask—If Jesus was telling this man that he could gain salvation and eternal life by simply following the commandments, why did he omit the first four commandments, which are arguably MORE important than the last six?
    And herein lies the genius of Jesus’ reply. This man was all about external actions. Things he could do that everyone could see and know what a good person he was. Had Jesus said, “Don’t have idols, don’t take God’s name in vain,” or even “love God with all your heart, soul, body, and mind,” the man still would have said:
    Matthew 19:20 ESV
    The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?”
    He could have pointed to how much money he gave to the temple, or taken Jesus to his house and proudly showed how there were no idols in sight. He could have summoned witnesses to attest to his not taking God’s name in vain or his Sabbath keeping.
    But Jesus knew his heart, and he knew that there were invisible idols in this man’s heart. The man did not love God with all his heart, soul, and mind. He loved his money.
    So rather than argue with the man and try to convince him that he did not truly love God like he thought he did, rather than try to convince the man that he had idols in his life, Jesus jumps straight to an external action that would immediately reveal the internal reality of his heart.
    Matthew 19:21 ESV
    Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
    He offers him a trade: All your earthly goods for treasure in Heaven. Trade in the kingdom of this world for the kingdom of heaven. And the man couldn’t do it.

    Faith that saves comes from a heart that loves God more than the world.

    If he truly loved God “with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his mind,” this command would have been easy. But, the man’s response reveals where his true treasure and his heart was.
    Matthew 19:22 ESV
    When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
    What do you treasure?
    Matthew 6:19–21 ESV
    “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. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
    Anything that captures your heart, anything that you love more than God, anything—and anyone—that you are unwilling to give up if God were to ask, anything that if taken away would result in you rejecting God, is an idol and is your true treasure.
    Matthew 6:24 ESV
    “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
    It’s not natural to love God more than your possessions. It goes against our nature. And that’s why...

    It is impossible to treasure Christ outside of the working of the Holy Spirit.

    Matthew 19:25–26 ESV
    When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
    Jesus earlier says:
    Matthew 19:23 ESV
    And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.
    But, then he clarifies what he means by “difficulty.” It’s not just “difficult,” it’s impossible in human strength:
    Matthew 19:24 ESV
    Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
    There’s a popular idea floating around that the “eye of the needle” to which Jesus referred was actually a pedestrian gate within the main gate of Jerusalem. This idea dates back to at least the eleventh century. The idea was that if the camel took of its load and bent its knees and neck, it could squeeze through the gate.
    And while this would be a neat picture, unfortunately, there is no evidence that any gate in Jerusalem was ever called “the Needle” or "The Needle’s Eye.” All five of the major commentaries that I rely upon reject this interpretation as unfounded, and the consensus among scholars is that this interpretation is wrong.
    The camel was the largest land animal in their area, and the eye of a needle was the smallest opening found in a typical house. And Jesus makes it clear in the next verse that when he says “with difficulty” in v. 23, he means that it is “impossible” in the strength of man alone.
    Matthew 19:26 ESV
    But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
    Ephesians 2:1–2 ESV
    And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked...
    Ephesians 2:4–5 ESV
    But God...made us alive together with Christ...
    We were dead in our sins. Dead men can’t make themselves alive. It’s impossible. If you are in love with the world, in love with your money, prestige, comforts, you don’t just need to “work harder,” you need to be raised to new life. Only God can raise the dead.
    Our world constantly lures us in with promises of comfort, prestige, and power. The only way you can defeat that temptation and enter the kingdom of heaven is by throwing yourself upon the mercy and grace of God.
    “But why would I want to trade in all my earthly possessions for heaven?”

    True faith rests in the promises of God.

    Verse 28 is not a promise for us, but for the 12 disciples:
    Matthew 19:28 ESV
    Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
    That being said, there are parallels to this implying that all believers will have some measure of responsibility in the Kingdom of God in Heaven and the New Creation as a reward according to their faith and works:
    2 Timothy 2:11–12 ESV
    The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him...
    However, verses 29-30 are a promise for us:
    Matthew 19:29–30 ESV
    And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
    Mark clarifies a little bit on Matthew’s quote:
    Mark 10:29–30 ESV
    Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold 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.
    As someone who has left “houses and brothers and sisters and father and mother and children and lands, for his name’s sake,” I can testify that God is good on his promises.
    Since Jennifer and I got married almost 16 years ago, we have moved at least 16 times. For the sake of the gospel, we have left behind two homes that we had memories in and significant financial investments. And yet, in both cases, we have found that God has provided people who have opened up their homes to us and welcomed us in.
    We have left behind fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, and yet we have gained a hundredfold Christian brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, aunts and uncles, and through our ministry, we’ve had the privilege of getting to usher in new brothers and sisters into the family of God.
    I’m not saying this to brag on us, but to brag on God. He. is. faithful. He keeps his word. And yes, there’s been persecutions and trials along the way. This world is broken, and we don’t get the complete fulfillment of this promise in this life.
    But, in the age to come—eternal life. A kingdom.
    Revelation 21:3–4 ESV
    And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
    That’s the promise for those who do not merely respect Jesus as a teacher, but bow to him as a sovereign. That’s the promise for those who do not attempt to gain heaven by merit, but throw themselves upon the mercy of God. And that’s the promise for those who find their treasure not in their homes, but in heaven.
    So do you truly believe? Have you surrendered your life and your plans to the King of the Universe? Have you realized that nothing you could ever do could earn you the favor of God and instead rested in Christ’s accomplished work on the cross? Do you treasure Christ above all else? Or are you shaking your head in disbelief?
  • Jesus Paid It All