Matthew 19:16-25 – Were You Faithful? – Bible study

Matthew 19:16-22 Were You Faithful? Today is the last Sunday of 2018. Tuesday begins a new year and although it is just another day on the calendar, New Years do provide us with a good opportunity to evaluate our lives and make some decisions about the direction we are traveling. In this last year, you have had some difficult days. I do not need to be a prophet to know that for everyone has. Yet, I pray that you have been faithful despite your difficulties. If you are married, you have had some disagreements. If you work, you have wanted to quit. If you have responsibilities, you have considered running away. But I hope you have not done so. I hope you are still married. I hope you still have a job. I hope you have not abandoned your responsibilities. In fact, I know you that most of you have been faithful in these areas of your life. Yet, what about your walk with Jesus? You are in church on Sunday morning and that is good, but have you stayed faithful to the Lord? Have you read your Bible? Have you studied it? Have you learned anything new? Have you made it a both a habit and a joy to pray to the Lord? to talk with Him as you go through your day? Do you have a friendship with Jesus or is He merely your internal 911? Have you attended church regularly? Have you stepped up to the plate of service? Have you helped others to find Jesus? Have you been faithful to Jesus in 2018? 1Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. Sadly, the Bible is filled with those who abandoned Christ. Here, the rich young ruler came seeking eternal life and walked away to eternal death. We almost think that we can understand that. Many do not want to bear the reproach of the cross and so are never truly saved. They walk away. John 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. John 6:66 tells us of many who turned back and walked no more with him." Were all of them saved? No. Were any of them saved? Probably. Yet they all turned back. \#Matt 26:15\ tells us that Judas not only turned back but betrayed Christ, selling him for thirty pieces of silver. Finding people who have forsaking Christ is not just limited to the time period of Christs earthly ministry. \#2Tim 4:10\ Paul wrote that Demas hath forsaken me. In the same book, Paul wrote of the many who had turned away from him and from His Jesus. 2Timothy 1:15 This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. John the Apostle wrote of the many who turned back. 1John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. Some of these left Christ being yet lost; some left Christ seemingly saved; some left Christ confused; some left Christ for convenience; some left Christ almost as soon as they met Him; some left after having served with Him; BUT ALL THESE LEFT CHRIST. At first glance, it might seem that none of these had anything in common but they did. Everyone who leaves Christ has a problem with certain truths. What truths? I. A truth that those who turn back miss is that God is in charge. John 13:13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. A. Much of the abandonment of Christ is due to rebellion against Him. 1. This is what it boiled down to for the rich, young ruler \#Luke 18:18\ of our text. 2. This man had a life he was comfortable with – riches, power, and whatever those things could bring him. 3. Christ knew this mans power and wealth was his god and demanded that he give it up. a. The man refused and walked away. b. At the time, he probably thought what Jesus was asking him to give up was greater than what Jesus could give to him. c. After 2,000 years, I wonder if he may have changed his mind about that. 4. This young man walked away because he did not want to obey what Jesus had commanded. He rebelled against Gods leading in his life. B. There are some lessons here: 1. Lesson #1 – No matter whether you like where God is leading you or not, God always has your best interest in mind. a. God was attempting to lead this man to Himself, to heaven, to eternal life; but it seemed to the ruler that God was leading him in the wrong direction. b. Eve must have had that same thought. (1) God had made a beautiful garden in which Adam and Eve could live. (2) There was no laborious work, no sickness, no death. (3) There was no book of rules or requirements. (4) In fact, there was only one rule, one law, one dont – Dont eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. (5) God had only one direction Adam and Eve could not go; yet, that was the very direction they felt they must go. (a) God divided the compass into 360 degrees and gave Adam and Eve 359 degrees in which they could travel and only 1 in which they could not. (b) Strange how they felt the one degree in which they could not travel was the right one for them. (c) So God opened Adam and Eve up to an unlimited number of directions they could travel, but they felt like all of them were the wrong directions for them They simply had to travel the one direction that God had forbidden them to travel. (d) That is rebellion. (e) I wonder, after all these years, how they feel about it now. i. It is amazing how the human prospective changes. ii. How many of wish we had what we did not appreciate just a few days ago? iii. Understand, Gods leadingno matter what we may think about itis in our best interest. 2. Lesson #2 – I do not say. a. that where God leads our life, our ministry, or our family will: (1) always be pleasant, (2) always be convenient, (3) always be fun, b. I do say that where God leads will always be the correct path for us and that it will always be worth it. c. The direction that God lead the rich young ruler (1) was difficult. It would require great sacrifice for him. (2) would affect others. Obeying Jesus command would likely affect not only him but also his family. (3) was illogical. How could he ever explain what he must do to others? d. God gives us examples of those who have lived a hard life to honor and obey God. (1) The Apostle Pauls life did not always "feel" good, but he was determined to live it in obedience to Christ. 2Cor 11:24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. (2) \#Acts 7:59\ Stephen remained faithful even when the stones hit his body and piled up at his feet, even as they broke his flesh, cracked his bones, and crushed the life out of him. (3) \#Acts 12:2\ James remained faithful while being run through with the sword. (4) \#Mark 6:27\ John the Baptist remained faithful both in jail and as his head was cut off. e. Any or all of these could have rebelled against Gods authority, they could have decided God was leading them the wrong direction and that they were better bosses of their own future; but all of them chose to follow Jesus. f. They heard Gods voice. They knew what God called them to do. And they were willing to stick with it no matter what. g. They understood that God was in charge. II. A truth that those who turn back miss is that our warfare is spiritual. A. Some are limited in sight and only see this physical world. 1. To them, life is like a big Super Bowl with comforts and pleasures being the only score that counts. 2. I think this was Judass problem. 3. He thought he was following an earthly king. When nothing earthly materialized, he abandoned Christ. 4. However, Judas was looking at the wrong world. B. The real world is the spiritual world, and we must look to it for the true score. John 4:32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. C. Remember three things about this physical world. 1. The physical never accomplishes the spiritual. a. I am not saying the physical world is not important. (1) It is. (2) God proved that when He sent His Son from the spiritual world into the physical world to rescue us. b. I am saying that the true work to be done is not physical in nature. It is spiritual. (1) When we serve God regardless of what we DONT see being accomplished in this world, we are doing a great work. (2) When we stop serving God because of what we think we are accomplishing in this world, we are spinning our wheels. (3) Jesus taught this truth to Martha. Luke 10:42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. 2. The physical cannot defeat the spiritual. a. I am not so spiritual minded that I dont see the reality of the world in which we live. b. I know the wicked physical world does win some battles. (1) There are times when it looks like the worldly has defeated the spiritual, but it has not and it will not. (2) We can never see the end of the war from this world. All we see is the outcome of a few small skirmishes. (3) The war will have a much different outcome than these few individual battles. c. David could not be defeated by Goliath. (1) Goliath had strength, height, skill, and armour. (2) David walked in the spirit. (3) But in the end, the spiritual man walked off the battlefield and the physical man was carried. d. The Roman government could not defeat the early Christians. (1) Rome had whips, prisons, and guillotines. (2) Without doubt, many Christians died at Romes hands. (3) Today the Roman Empire is history and Christianity is alive and well. (4) Although Rome won many battles, it could not win the war. e. Satan never defeated Jesus. (1) Satan controls this physical world and he wins many battles. We all bear scars that proof that. (2) But he will not win the war! That honor belongs to the King of kings! 3. The physical must be sacrificed for the spiritual. a. \#John 9:3\ A man was born blind that God might be glorified. b. \#John 11:1\ Lazarus physically died that the God might be glorified. c. Paul gladly suffered physically that God might be glorified. d. Christ died on the cross that God might be glorified. e. One doesnt get from the Lord without giving. f. Those who have given the most in this physical world will receive the most in the world to come. Matthew 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 names sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. III. A truth that those who turn back miss is that your strength comes from the Lord. A. When I consider those who have turned back from following Jesus, I find the number of Christians who have abandoned Christ to be mind-blogging. 1. Sometimes Christian pretend Christians dont quit on Jesus, but they do it all the time. 2. There is a reason church pews are empty in churches across America this morning! A lot of Gods people are missing. B. People abandon Jesus for different reasons. 1. Some are pressured or persecuted into abandoning Christ. 2. Some are deceived or tricked into sin. (Satan, world) 3. But some just get weak in the spirit. (flesh) C. Every believer needs to learn that the only way to abide with Christ is to be regularly rejuvenated by Christ. Is 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. 1. Strongs Concordance defines several words to help us understand the meaning of this verse. a. "Wait" is to collect, to bind together, to look for. b. It refers to those that bind together with the Lord. c. The strength of the believer comes from our bond with Jesus. d. We are not just following, obeying, or serving the Lord. We are binding with Him. e. That is having an intimate, consistent, deepening relationship with Jesus. 2. Good Christians sometimes dont realize how much living right takes out of them. a. Im not talking about serving here, although serving in any capacity increases that drain. b. Im talking about just living right. It drains you. (1) Would you think a soldier posted in Iraq would only be tired when he confronts the enemy in a fire fight? (2) Would you not think that just to be on guard and alert for a given number of hours would be taxing and draining to the body? (3) At some point, those soldiers need rest. c. Christians dont just need a day off. They need a time of spiritual refreshing. (1) Christians need to sit at the feet of Jesus and adore Him. (2) They need the reward of hearing His voice, of knowing they have pleased Him, of feeling His embrace. (3) That will strengthen them. 3. Some ways to get that strength: a. Not just going to church but going to worship. b. Not just praying words but talking to God. c. Not just reading the Bible but soaking in Gods love letter. The joy of Jesus is not just to begin your race with Him but to finish your race with Him. 1. If you have not begun, start a relationship with Him today. 2. If you have begun, determine that you will finish.