The (Un)Sacrifical Life

Introduction

If you’re a Christian, then what you say to your non-Christian friends will sound crazy to them. As we’ve walked through Matthew over these last years, we could probably summarize everything that we’ve said in two sentences. 1) Leave everything to follow after Jesus. 2) And, be happy about it. Now, if we’ll stop just a second and think about that for a second, we have to admit that sounds crazy! Maybe you would say, “I get that Jesus calls for his disciples to lay down their lives and to abandon illusions of being the greatest in the world. I get that I must sacrifice some of the little bit that I have for the sake of his Kingdom. I understand that much of the world may hate me or look down upon me or mock me for even believing in such a God.” And, you can understand that all of the gods of earth ask their followers to sacrifice for their sake. But, here is the crazy part. Here is what sets Christianity apart. Here is what is impossible to make sense without the Spirit of God: You should be happy about it. You should be both self-denying and joyful.

James even says it like this: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” That is, when you face hardship, when you face suffering, when you pay great costs for following Jesus, count all of it as joy! It’s crazy! Lay down your life, and be happy about it. How is that? How is it that we can make such seemingly great sacrifices and be happy about it? This is what Jesus is going to be teaching his disciples in our text this morning as they press on toward the cross and toward their own suffering.

God’s Word

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Is Jesus Worth It?

“What then will we have?” In our text this morning, Peter asks an honest and important question. When the Rich Young Ruler had approached Jesus about how he could have eternal life, Jesus' ultimate response was: "Go sell all that you have and follow me, and you will have treasure in heaven." Having heard that, Peter says, "Jesus we've done that. We've left our businesses and families behind. We've forfeited our livelihoods to follow you. We've been criticized with you and homeless with you. We've done what you told that young man to do, so 'what then will we have?'

In our text this morning, Peter asks an honest and important question. When the Rich Young Ruler had approached Jesus about how he could have eternal life, Jesus' ultimate response was: "Go sell all that you have and follow me, and you will have treasure in heaven." Having heard that, Peter says, "Jesus we've done that. We've left our businesses and families behind. We've forfeited our livelihoods to follow you. We've been criticized with you and homeless with you. We've done what you told that young man to do, so 'what then will we have?'

And, I want you to know that I believe that this is not a selfish question. In fact, I believe this is a vitally important question for Peter and a vitally important question for us. This is an important question for every disciple to answer: Is Jesus worth it? Jesus and his disciples are in their final move to Jerusalem where Jesus will be crucified, and where the disciples will accept the mission that will lead each one of them to martyrdom. The stakes have never been higher, and for the first time in all of Matthew's gospel, we hear them speaking explicitly of what it has cost them to follow Jesus. Jesus had told them to count the costs in following him, and each one of them had followed him any way, but it had cost them all. In , Jesus said something to them that he essentially reminds them of in verse 29. He had said then, "Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved." So some costs have come already, and the costs are going up. So, the question of reward, the question of whether or not it's worth it, is a valid and important one.

And, I want you to know that I believe that this is not a selfish question. In fact, I believe this is a vitally important question for Peter and a vitally important question for us. This is an important question for every disciple to answer: Is Jesus worth it? Jesus and his disciples are in their final move to Jerusalem where Jesus will be crucified, and where the disciples will accept the mission that will lead each one of them to martyrdom. The stakes have never been higher, and for the first time in all of Matthew's gospel, we hear them speaking explicitly of what it has cost them to follow Jesus. Jesus had told them to count the costs in following him, and each one of them had followed him any way, but it has cost them all. In , Jesus said something to them that he essentially reminds them of in verse 29. He had said then, "Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved." So some costs have come already, and the costs are going up. So, the question of reward, the question of whether or not it's worth it, is a valid and important one.

APPLICATION: The question each one of us is faced with this morning is whether or not Jesus is worth the cost. There are some teenagers here that have decided that Jesus isn't worth the cost of them giving up the rebellious, curious years of their youth, and so they've rejected him. There are some college students here that have decided that Jesus isn't worth forfeiting their desire for the typical college experience, and so they've ignored him and attempted to put him on the back-burner of their lives. There are young parents here this morning that aren't sure a radical commitment to Jesus is worth the time it will cost them in their already too busy lives. There are retired people here who aren't sure that a sacrificial, disciple-making life is worth their golden years, and so they say Christian things, but they don't take seriously their Christ-given mission to make disciples of all nations. You see, the way that you answer this question, the way that you resolve the worthiness of Jesus will determine how seriously you live for him. Your faith and confidence and trust in his answer to this question this morning will be directly proportional to how radically you live, or don't live, for Christ. Is Jesus worth the costs to you?

APPLICATION: The question each one of us is faced with this morning is whether or not Jesus is worth the cost. There are some teenagers here that have decided that Jesus isn't worth the cost of them giving up the rebellious, curious years of their youth, and so they've rejected him. There are some college students here that have decided that Jesus isn't worth forfeiting their desire for the typical college experience, and so they've ignored him and attempted to put him on the back-burner of their lives. There are young parents here this morning that aren't sure a radical commitment to Jesus is worth the time it will cost them in their already too busy lives. There are retired people here who aren't sure that a sacrificial, disciple-making life is worth their golden years, and so they say Christian things, but they don't take seriously their Christ-given mission to make disciples of all nations. You see, the way that you answer this question, the way that you resolve the worthiness of Jesus will determine how seriously you live for him. Your faith and confidence and trust in his answer to this question this morning will directly proportional to how radically you live, or don't live, for Christ. Is Jesus worth the costs to you?

Is It Selfish to Live for Eternal Rewards?

Jesus doesn't respond to Peter's question with a rebuke. In fact, Jesus responds with his most detailed explanation of reward yet in the book of Matthew. Jesus had told his disciples that they would be repaid for their faithfulness to him, and Jesus had let his disciples know early on that following him was worthy of their lives, but here, in the shadow of the cross, Jesus begins to crystallize this reward for his disciples. In fact, as Jesus gets more in the nitty gritty in these final days with his disciples, He will speak to them more and more frequently about the age to come and the reward following Him offers.

Jesus doesn't respond to Peter's question with a rebuke. In fact, Jesus responds with his most detailed explanation of reward to yet in the book of Matthew. Jesus had told his disciples that they would be repaid for their faithfulness to him, and Jesus had let his disciples know early on that following him was worthy of their lives, but here, in the shadow of the cross, Jesus begins to crystallize this reward for his disciples. In fact, as Jesus gets more in the nitty gritty in these final days with his disciples, He will speak to them more and more frequently about the age to come and the reward following Him offers.

Now, there is a lot of debate about the motives behind Peter's questions among Bible commentators, but I believe them to be pure here. 1) Jesus doesn't rebuke Peter for the question, and He hasn't exactly been shy about doing that in the past. 2) Peter is talking about Kingdom rewards, not worldly ones. Here's the question that many of commentators and perhaps many of you seem to be struggling with: Is it selfish to live a costly life now for Jesus in expectation of a life of inconceivable prosperity in eternity? And, the answer to that question has to be a resounding "NO!" To live your life for the sake of eternal life and its rewards is to live your life with full, demonstrable, even painful confidence in Christ and the sufficiency of his cross and his resurrection. It is to say that I am willing to pay the costs now, whatever they may be, even up to the point of death, because I believe in the promises of Christ that He has secured me and that He is worth it!

Count the Rewards!

APPLICATION: Brothers and sisters, don't just count the costs; count the rewards! It isn't selfish to live your life for the rewards of eternal life, and it isn't godly to live as though your treasures there aren't important to you. These rewards are the promise of Jesus! Count on them! Delight in them! Stop feeling guilty about the glories that have been promised to you! Man, Paul did. He would say: "I consider the sufferings of this present time not worth comparing to the glory that is to be revealed to us." So, count the costs, but never without counting on the cross bought, Christ assured reward.

Reward 1: Live in the New World

“in the New World, when the Son Man will sit on his glorious throne” And, you’ll notice that this is exactly what Jesus does for his disciples here. He begins counting out for his disciples some of the eternal rewards that will belong to him. We see at least three here. Reward 1: You will have eternal life in the New World. ‘New’ World can also be translated as ‘Regenerate’ World. That’s the same way that we speak about the new heart that Jesus gives us when we are saved, isn’t it? It’s when our hearts have been regenerated from something dead into something new and alive. And, that’s how Jesus speaks about the New Heaven and the New Earth that is to come. The New World is a greater Eden. It is the glory of God’s creation regenerated by Christ for eternal glorification. There is no potential for sin, and therefore, no potential for breaking fellowship with God. There is knowledge of grace and mercy there. In Eden, Jesus was the Sovereign Creator. In the New World, Jesus is the Supreme Redeemer. "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!" In Eden there was no sorrow, but in the New World there is no potential for sorrow. In Eden, man was made morally neutral. In the New World, the redeemed have been made perfectly righteous in Christ. The New World has a greater Jerusalem. () In Jerusalem, the presence and glory of God dwelt behind the curtain in the Holy of Holies. In the New World, the presence and manifold glories of God permeate every corner. Jerusalem, at her peak, was ruled by a man after God's own heart -- David. In the New World, we are ruled by a Greater King, by a Greater David, King Jesus reigning from his glorious throne and who is benevolent, trustworthy, and true. In the old Jerusalem, the temple may have burned and the walls may have crumbled, but in the New World the glory of God will be fully manifest and no force of heaven and earth, seen or unseen will be able to come against it. In the old Jerusalem, it was one race and one tongue. But, in the New Jerusalem, there will be glorious diversity with people of all colors and all languages and all backgrounds united into one body by Christ. (Decry racism and Charlottesville)

APPLICATION: And, you’re going to live there! Forever! This is an eternal life that we’re talking about! And, this eternal life isn’t just about existing forever; it’s about flourishing forever in a place of splendor and glory! You’re going to live there because Christ has promised it, and you love him and trust him and put your confidence in him! Count the Rewards, brothers and sisters!

Reward 2: Reign with Christ

“you who have followed me will also sit on the twelve thrones” Reward 2: You will reign with Christ. The greatest part of the New World, the greatest part about eternal life is that Jesus rules over it and that his rule lasts forever. As a follower of Jesus, as a lover of Jesus, as one who treasures Christ above everything else that I could possibly mention or that you could possibly see, that is enough, isn’t it? This is the place where Jesus rules and where Jesus is and where Jesus will always be. And as glorious as it is that Jesus is King, how much more glorious is it that He is willing to share his kingship with us, so much so that He says that the disciples will also sit upon thrones and will judge Israel with him. And, the Bible doesn’t just say this about Jesus’ original disciples; it says this about us! says that “the saints will judge the world.” says that we will be ‘seated with him in the heavenly places.’ Turn with me to . This is an OT foretaste of Jesus’ ultimate glory. It says that He will have dominion and that peoples from all nations will serve him in his everlasting dominion. But, as glorious as this is, Jesus makes it even more glorious. Not only will people from all nations and languages serve him, but they will rule with him because He will graciously allow them share in his reign and his inheritance by his grace.

APPLICATION: Brothers and sisters, do not fret of your momentary hardships and your momentary pain and your momentary heartache. You don’t have to live for now! You’re going to reign with dominion in the New World! Aaron said something when we were studying this text together that I think bears repeating: “Because we aren’t living for the now, we can truly live in the now.” Jesus is teaching us that the disciple's life may be difficult, even sorrowful, but never miserable. The disciples life is an adventurous one, and joyful one. Man, you can live with joy, even on your worst day, because you’re going to reign forever.

Reward 3: Receive a Hundredfold

“receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” Reward 3: You will receive a hundredfold. When Jesus was teaching his disciples, He was always upfront with them about the costs of following him. Verse 29 repeats almost verbatim what Jesus said in . He says, “Following me is going to cost you. It may cost you your mom or your dad. It may cause your children to turn on you. It may mean that you go to work everyday at a place where people are unwilling to be your friend because of me. It may mean that you don’t make much money or as much as you could. It may mean that your house isn’t nice or your car isn’t new. It may mean that you are excluded from the parties at school or that others mock you. It’s going to cost you, but only a little. You see, whatever you lose for my name’s sake, you will receive back a hundredfold. You will never out-suffer my generosity. You will never experience a sorrow that I can’t overcome with joy.”

APPLICATION: Listen to me, brothers and sisters. The blessings of God will always far greater that whatever you lose. Your gains in the Kingdom will always be greater than your losses on earth. There are no final, ultimate sacrifices in the Kingdom of God. As much as we like to talk about sacrificing for the Kingdom of God, the Christian life is decisively un-sacrificial. For it cannot be called sacrificial when you give what won’t last and receive that which last forever. It cannot be called sacrificial to lose temporary relationships on earth to gain an eternal family that you will enjoy forever in the New World. It cannot be called sacrificial to lose a promotion at your bank or your plant to gain a throne in glory from which you will reign. Is it painful? Yes! Is it difficult? Yes! But, brothers and sisters, it is but a momentary affliction, a short-term investment that will lead to eternal reward.

Do Not Believe Your Eyes

“But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Jesus sums up all that he is teaching in verse 30 by telling his disciples to ignore what their eyes are telling them. Their eyes tell them that the Rich Young Ruler has it better. They had been traveling with Jesus for three years. Sometimes they had a place to sleep and sometimes they didn't. They had been near death more than once, and Jesus was telling them now of the suffering that was ahead. Surely, these men were battle weary, and yet Jesus was telling them that the war was just beginning. So, to hear this young ruler tell of how he had obeyed God's law and how he had loved God and how he had been given what must've been apparent prosperity by God, their worldview would have left them wondering if Jesus is really right.

Jesus sums up all that he is teaching in verse 30 by telling his disciples to ignore what their eyes are telling them. Their eyes tell them that the Rich Young Ruler has it better. They had been traveling with Jesus for three years. Sometimes they had a place to sleep and sometimes they didn't. They had been near death more than once, and Jesus was telling them now of the suffering that was ahead. Surely, these men were battle weary, and yet Jesus was telling them that the war was just beginning. So, to hear this young ruler tell of how he had obeyed God's law and how he had loved God and how he had been given what must've been apparent prosperity by God, their worldview would have left them wondering if Jesus is really right.

And so, Jesus sums it all up for them: "Don't believe what you're eyes are telling you. Don't believe what makes sense to you now. Your eyes tell you that the Rich Young Ruler is first and that we are last, but what your eyes can't see is the Kingdom of God that I am going rule. You believed you were following me to throne of Israel, but my brothers, you will instead follow me to throne of heaven. And, you will leave this world bearing the scars of this war. You will leave this world with marks of brokenness in your body. You will leave this world looking like you came in last, but my brothers, hold fast to this promise. In the greater Kingdom, in the new world, in the everlasting Nation, you will be first! You will be triumphant! You will be glorified with me! Don't trust what your eyes are telling you. Trust what I'm promising you."

And so, Jesus sums it all up for them: "Don't believe what you're eyes are telling you. Don't believe what makes sense to you now. Your eyes tell you that the Rich Young Ruler is first and that we are last, but what your eyes can't see is the Kingdom of God that I am going rule. You believed you were following me to throne of Israel, but my brothers, you will instead follow me to throne of heaven. And, you will leave this world bearing the scars of this war. You will leave this world with marks of brokenness in your body. You will leave this world looking like you came in last, but my brothers, hold fast to this promise. In the greater Kingdom, in the new world, in the everlasting Nation, you will be first! You will be triumphant! You will be glorified with me! Don't trust what your eyes are telling you. Trust what I'm promising you."

APPLICATION: Brothers and sisters, do not believe what your eyes say. Your eyes will tell you that Christian life is a miserable and unfair one. Your eyes will tell you that the self-denial that the gospel demands is too high a price. Your eyes will tell you that the Bible's standards are too high. Your eyes will tell you that your success is measured by how high you rise at school, at work, or in your financial portfolio. But, what your eyes see will not last. Disciples of Jesus, we are people of faith; we are people of hope. We are people living for that which the naked eye cannot see and the natural man cannot love. "For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we will wait with patience." (). And, brothers and sisters, you will not be disappointed; you will be glorified! Take your eyes off of the world, and put your faith in the words of Christ! Don't trust what your eyes are telling you. Trust what Jesus is telling you!

APPLICATION: Brothers and sisters, do not believe what your eyes say. Your eyes will tell you that Christian life is a miserable and unfair one. Your eyes will tell you that the self-denial that the gospel demands is too high a price. Your eyes will tell you that the Bible's standards are too high. Your eyes will tell you that your success is measured by how high you rise at school, at work, or in your financial portfolio. But, what your eyes see will not last. Disciples of Jesus, we are people of faith; we are people of hope. We are people living for that which the naked eye cannot see and the natural man cannot love. "For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we will wait with patience." (). And, brothers and sisters, you will not be disappointed; you will be glorified! Take your eyes off of the world, and put your faith in the words of Christ! Don't trust what your eyes are telling you. Trust what Jesus is telling you!

Landing

So, Church, leave everything to follow Jesus, and be happy about it. Your reward is rich, and He is worth it.