Matthew 19:27-29

Introduction

Have You Ever Heard the Latin Term “Quid Pro Quo”?

It Means = “Something for Something”

“I’ll Do this for You, if You Do that for Me”

“You Scratch My Back and I’ll Scratch Yours”

Quid Pro Quo is Used Pretty Often in Human Interactions

In One Sense, it’s Just the Way the World Works

It’s How Business Takes Place

“I’ll Render this Service for You if You Give Me Something of Equal or Greater Value”

But Quid Pro Quo May Not Be the Best Approach to a Relationship

Do You Only Do Things for Your Friends, Family, Spouse, Children…

If They will Promise to Do Something for You in Return?

Unfortunately, There are Many People in Relationships Like that

But, as Christians, We Recognize that isn’t Love

Luke 6:34–35 (NASB95)

34 “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. 35 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.

We Shouldn’t have Quid Pro Quo Relationships with Others

We Ought to Love, Give, and Sacrifice for Others…

Without Expecting/Demanding Anything in Return

We Ought to Be Kind, as God is Kind

But, What about Our Relationship with God?

Do We View Our Relationship with God as Quid Pro Quo?

Did You Notice it in the Passage?

Behave this Way Toward Others and…

“Your Reward will Be Great”

Are We Sometimes Guilty Viewing Our Relationship with God…

As a Quid Pro Quo?

“God, I will Do this for You, if You will Do that for Me”

“I’ll Worship You and Be Kind to Others, if”

“I’ll Scratch Your Back, if You Scratch Mine”

Here’s Why a Quid Pro Quo Relationship Should Not & Can Not Work with God

God Doesn’t Need His Back Scratched…

And We’re Incapable of Scratching it, if He Did

We have Absolutely Nothing to Offer Him

And Our Relationship with Him Requires that We Recognize that

Christianity is a Balancing Act in Many Ways

On One Hand, Everything We Receive From God is a Gift, Not an Exchange

But, On the Other Hand, We Do Expect God to Reward Us for Our Faithful Obedience

We Must Balance:

Recognizing that God Doesn’t Owe Us Anything…

With Still Believing that He will Reward Us

Our Expectation is Based Upon His Gracious Nature and Promises…

Not Our Ability to Exchange Goods with Him

God has Promised Wonderful Rewards to the Faithful

And God Wants Us to Hope in His Promises

Hope is “Confident Expectation”

We Confidently Expect to Be Rewarded…

While Also Knowing that We Can’t Earn it

Matthew 19:27-29

Last Week, We Looked at Jesus’ Interaction with the Rich, Young Ruler

He Wanted to Know What Good Thing He could Do…

To Obtain Eternal Life

Jesus Told Him to Obey the Commandments of God

But He Wanted to Go Above and Beyond that

So Jesus Told Him to Sell His Possessions…

Give the Money to the Poor…

And Join Jesus’ Ministry

But He was Unwilling to Do that

Then Jesus Tells His Disciples that it’s Impossible…

For the Rich to Enter the Kingdom of Heaven

Only with God is it Possible

Our Text Picks Up in the Middle of that Discussion…

Between Jesus and His Disciples

Matthew 19:27 (NASB95)

27 Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”

As Usual, Peter Speaks for the Group

He Says:

“We’ve Done What the Rich, Young Ruler was Unwilling to Do”

“What can We Expect in Return?”

It’s Impossible to Know the Tone/Intent Behind Peter’s Question

Was it Asked with Genuine/Hopeful Curiosity?

“Will We Be Rewarded for the Sacrifices We’ve Made?”

Or Was it Asked from a Place of Smug Superiority?

“We’ve Done What He was Unwilling to Do, So What Do We Get?”

Quid Pro Quo

“We’ve Done Our Part, Now it’s Your Turn”

Regardless of His Tone/Intent…

What Peter Said was True

They had Left Everything Behind to Follow Jesus

They had Truly Become His Disciples in the Fullest Sense

And Jesus is Going to Give Him an Answer

Matthew 19:28 (NASB95)

28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Jesus Assures the Disciples:

“There will Be a Reward for Those of You…”

“Who Left Everything to Follow Me”

They will Sit on 12 Thrones, Judging the 12 Tribes of Israel

That Sounds Pretty Good, But What Does it Mean?

They’ll Sit on 12 Thrones…

So it’s Obvious that He’s Talking Specifically to the 12 Apostles

Jesus Seems to Be Saying that…

As Some Point in the Future…

They will Be Rewarded with Authority of Some Kind

They will “Judge” the 12 Tribes of Israel

I Believe this is Referring to the Leadership Authority…

Over the New, Spiritual Israel, the Church

They’ll Be Given this Leadership Authority…

“In the Regeneration When the Son of Man will Sit on the Throne of His Glory”

When is the Regeneration?

It’s When Jesus will Sit on the Throne of His Glory

So, They’ll Receive this Leadership Authority Over the Church…

After Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension

What is “Regeneration”?

“Regeneration” is a Compound Word in Greek (palingenesia)

palin (pah-leen) = “Again; Once More”

genesis = “Birth; Life”

Another Way to Translate this Word would Be - “Born Again”

“In the Time of Being Born Again”

“In the Renewed Birth…”

One Dictionary Defined palingenesia:

“The Act that Results in Something (Which Already Exists) Coming into Being Afresh, or Starting Over”

This Word is Only Used One Other Time in the NT

Titus 3:5–7 (NASB95)

5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Paul is Telling Titus that it’s Not Doing Good Things that Saves Us

We are Saved By God’s Mercy…

Whenever We Receive the Washing of Regeneration…

And Renewing By the Holy Spirit

What is the “Washing of Regeneration”?

What is the Washing that Makes One Born Again?

He’s Referring to Baptism

In Baptism We are Born Again/Experience a “Renewed Birth”…

And We Receive the Holy Spirit Who Gives Us Renewed Life

Through Baptism We Become a Renewed Creation

Let’s Connect All These Dots

Jesus Says the Regeneration is When He Will Sit on the Throne of His Glory

Jesus Sat on His Throne When He Ascended into Heaven After His Resurrection

And the Preaching of Baptism to Receive “Regeneration” and the Holy Spirit…

Began a Few Days Later on Pentecost (Acts 2)…

By the Apostles Who’d Been Given Great Authority…

To Preach to the 12 Tribes of Israel in Jerusalem

This Great Authority was Given to the 12 Apostles…

For the Great Sacrifices They Made to Follow Jesus

But Jesus Then Tells Them that…

Everyone Who Makes Sacrifices for Jesus will Be Rewarded

Matthew 19:29 (NASB95)

29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.

Here is a Beautiful/Hopeful Promise for All Christians

Whatever You Give Up for the Sake of the Gospel/Kingdom…

Will Be Restored to You One Hundred Fold

Mark and Luke Clarify that Jesus Meant in this Present Age

If You’ve Given Up Possessions, Lands, or Family Members for the Gospel’s Sake…

You’ll Receive One Hundred Fold in this Present Age

This is Not Some Prosperity Gospel

It’s the Beauty of Kingdom Citizenship

It’s the Familial/Self-Sacrificial Relationship that is Found in the Church

If You’ve Sacrificed Family Relationships in Order to have Jesus…

You’ll Receive a Larger Family Within His Church

If You’ve Sacrificed Houses/Farms/Possessions in Order to Submit to Jesus…

You’ll have Access to All You’ll Ever Need Within the Church

Because in the Kingdom of Jesus…

Citizens Share Their Resources with One Another

Just Look at How the Earliest Christians Loved One Another:

Acts 2:44–45 (NASB95)

44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.

Acts 4:32–35 (NASB95)

32 And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. 34 For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales 35 and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.

The Church is a Family that Takes Care of Each Other

Whatever You Sacrifice to Enter the Kingdom…

You’ll Receive Back 100-Fold…

In the Form of and Through the Love of Your New Family

And the Best Part is:

This Family and this Love are Eternal

Not Only Do We Receive a Loving Family in this Life

We’ll Also All Share in the Resurrection Together

Resurrection to a Life that will Never End

If You have Not Yet Experienced Personal Regeneration

Be Baptized into Jesus and Be Born Again

Be Willing to Let Go of Everything Else for Jesus’ Sake

If You will, You’ll Gain So Much More Than You could Ever Give Up

If You have Experienced the Regeneration of Baptism…

Remain Hopeful in the Regeneration of All Things that is to Come

The Word “Regeneration” Carried Strong Eschatological Connotations

It would Draw the Jewish Mind to the Coming Age…

When God is Going to Bring About a New Birth of All Things

When All Things will Be Made New

Many Modern Translations Take this Aspect of the Word into Consideration

NIV & CSB - “At the Renewal of All Things”

NET - “In the Age When All Things are Renewed”

ESV - “In the New World”

LEB - “In the Renewal of the World”

NLT - “When the World is Made New”

Through Jesus, We are Born Again…

As Renewed, Perfected Citizens of His Kingdom

But We Still Await a Greater Day of Rebirth of All Things

Romans 8:18–23 (NASB95)

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

We are Awaiting the Redemption of Our Bodies

When Our Bodies will Experience Regeneration, as Our Spirits Did in Baptism

Our Bodies will Be Born Again From the Earth in Resurrection

We Await this New Birth and So Does All of Creation

All of Creation is Anxiously Longing and Groaning in the Pains of Childbirth

Creation itself will Be Born Again

All Things will Be Made New

No More Futility

No More Corruption

No More Death

This is the Hope that We Share in Christ…

That is Not Worthy to Be Compared to the Suffering of the Present World