pt. 2 Matt. 10:29-31
10/30/16
Last weeki we introduced our text in Mark 10:29-31.
“So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, 30 who shall 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. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first."ii
The context of that passage is the story of the Rich Young Ruler. In verse 17 he runs to Jesus, bows before him, and asks the most important question anyone can ask: “… what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" I trust that everyone here has not only asked that question, but gotten an answer to it. If not, make sure you get an answer. “… what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" He refers to Jesus as “Good Teacher….” Jesus responds with a question, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” Are you recognizing Me for who I am? Are you perceiving me as a nice teacher or do you see more than that? Do you see me as the God who can give you eternal life? In verse 19 Jesus continues His answer, “You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery-- murder—steal--bear false witness-- defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'" The young man replied, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth." Verse 21 “Jesus--looked at him w/ love” (Love urged pinpoint the key to unlocking his heart.) "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."iii
In spite of his initial exuberance for kingdom (running to Jesus) he allowed “one thing” to keep him out of purposes of God for his life. He was a very nice guy; he took care of his parents. He did not violate others’ property, rights, or wives. Yet he would not turn loose of one thing. Verse 22 says Jesus’ word made him “sad” and he “went away sorrowful.”iv In verse 23 Jesus said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" “…how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God.” It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. “Then Peter began to say to Him,” (in verse 28) "See, we have left all and followed You."
That brings us to our text, a passage that assures us that personal sacrifices made for the cause of Christ are not in vain and will be rewarded. “So Jesus answered and said, ‘Assuredly there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, 30 who shall 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.”
I expect two things in the days ahead: (1) an increase in the Spirit of glory resting on the followers of Jesus and (2) more persecution from the world in response to that anointing. We need to know how to handle the persecution. We need to know how to respond to unjust treatment. I
I want to share with you four keys to responding right. This is not exhaustive, but it is something that I have found helpful.
I. See the persecution as a test to pass and as an opportunity to grow.
The way you view the event will affect the way you respond. If you see the attack as a personal threat and a battle to win in the flesh, you will probably not handle yourself very well. You will probably become defensive and spend most of your energy justifying yourself. Even worse, you may spend energy retaliating and gossiping. To respond right, you need some preparation because self-survival is the default response.
View the incident as a test that God wants you to pass, so He can promote you to the next level. “Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time.”v Life is a series of important tests that prepare you for graduation day. Graduation day is the Day of the Lord, the day you stand before Him at the Judgement Seat of Christ. How many have been to a graduation ceremony. In that ceremony there are various levels of recognition. Everyone graduating gets recognized and gets a certificate or degree. But some receive special honor. Some graduate cum laude (with honor). That honor usually goes to those in about the upper 20%. On their tests they performed well. Another group graduate magna cum laude (with great honor) usually the upper 10% or so. Then a few graduate summa cum laude (with highest honor) which is the top 4 or 5%). There were a lot of tests and preparation for tests that went into these final evaluations. When you and I stand at the Judgement Seat of Christ, His evaluation of how we did will be perfectly accurate. And He will reward each of us justly.
Consider with me the rewards at the Judgement Seat of Christ from five perspectives. These are interrelated.
(1) You will have become the person that you allowed the Holy Spirit to make you. We will conclude the journey at different levels of maturity. The Holy Spirit is working in every Christian’s life to conform us to the image of Christ.vi He does not do that apart from our cooperation. We could never do it without Him. He won’t do it without us. That’s why Phil 2:12 says, “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” You can’t earn your salvation. Jesus already did that for you on the cross. But you can work with the Holy Spirit as He gives opportunity to grow in Christ. So one day you will be at the end of this brief preparation period we call life. Where the tree falls, there will it lie.vii What you have become is what you will be for all eternity. Not everyone will be at the same capacity for authority in the eternal kingdom. “Many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” But you will be what you are; and you will be that forever and ever and ever. So in my mind rewards at the Judgement Seat of Christ has a lot to do with what you have become under the tutoring of the Holy Spirit.
(2) Your glorified body will reflect the level of your capacity to carry the glory of the Lord. When Paul talked about the resurrection of the just in 1 Cor. 15: 41 he said, “There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead….” He is primarily talking about the difference between a mortal body and a resurrected body. But Dan 12:3 also likens the stars to resurrected saints. “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever.”
This is debatable, but it seems to me there is some indication that the degree of glory will vary. It is logical since angels differ in strength and glory.viii
Even people in this life have different levels of capacity, depending on how they allow God to grow their capacity. All our resurrected bodies will be like Jesus’ resurrected body, ix but the degree of glory may vary from one person to the other. 2 Cor 3:18 talks about the process of transformation God is bringing us through. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. The NIV says “ever-increasing glory.” The Amplified Bible translates it this way. “And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of the Lord] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured in His very own image in increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.”
(3) Special recognitions will be carried throughout eternity. Paul talked about a crown of righteousness that was laid up for him. 2 Tim 4:7-8 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” James talked about a crown of life for those approved for it. James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” The test of temptation comes; the one who endures and overcomes by the grace of God is approved to receive the crown of life. Jesus said to the Church at Smyrna (Rev 2:10) “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Peter exhorted pastors/elders to unselfishly care for the flock and then added, (1 Peter 5:4) “and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”
A five-star general in the army does not just get that honor on the day it is conferred on him; he carries that honor from that day forward. The honors the Lord hands out at the Judgement Seat of Christ are honors that last for eternity. 1 Cor. 3:15 talks about Christians who are saved “so as by fire.” Their lives, their ministries, are such that all is burned up under examination. The picture presented is like a person who has built his house, filled it with furniture and other things. But it catches on fire and the man barely escapes with his life. All is lost, but he himself is saved. He will be like a private compared to the five-star general. And it will be forever. He expended all his energies on temporal position and material stuff; none of it was of enduring value. So the Apostle John gives this exhortation, “Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward” (2 John 8).
(4) Assigned levels of authority will vary according to capacity. Jesus gave several indications that reward was tied to the assignment you would receive at the Judgement Seat of Christ. In the parable of the talents and the parable of the pounds the reward for faithfulness was rulership. The one who had gained 10 pounds with his one pound was made ruler over 10 cities. The one who had gained 5 pounds with his one pound was made ruler over 5 cities.x
(5) Treasures will be included in Judgement Seat rewards. Jesus told the rich young ruler in Mk 10:21 “sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven….” The Greek word translated treasure is thesauros. It could be translated deposit or wealth. The wealth of heaven is of a higher quality and different substance than the material wealth of this world. But it is more real, not less real. 1 Peter 1:4 calls it “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.”xi Jesus said to the Church at Laodicea, “I counsel you to buy gold tried in the fire that you may be rich….” Rev. 3:18. Are you making deposits in heaven and not just in this temporal world?
So the test you’re in is important:
(1) It is used by the Spirit to shape your character
(2) It is probably associated with the degree of glory you can reflect in your glorified body.
(3) It may result in crowns and honors you carry throughout eternity
(4) Passing it is preparation to be entrusted with authority in heaven.
(5) Treasures of enduring substance are being deposited in your heavenly account.
We are all moving toward a powerfully significant day—the Day of the Lord when He returns and we stand before Him and give account of our lives. 2 Cor 5:9-10 “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
Every incident is an opportunity to honor the Lord in our behavior—to represent Him well—to represent His character and nature as it truly is. Every incident is an opportunity to grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is an opportunity to humble ourselves and learn. It is an opportunity to influence someone toward the Lord. Stephen influenced Saul of Tarsus as Saul stood watching over Stephen’s stoning. What did it do to Saul (who later became Paul) as he watched Stephen look up into heaven and pray "Lord, do not charge them with this sin" (Acts 7:60). The sound of those words probably worked on Saul’s soul as he made his way down the Damascus Road. It helped prepare him for his encounter with Christ. God may be using you to soften a hard heart.
So the way you view an event strongly influences how you respond to it. When you are being persecuted for the name of the Lord, see it as a test to be passed and an opportunity to honor the Lord.
II. Focus on what God is doing in your life.
Most of these situations are not as black and white as I have presented it. Being the imperfect people that we are, it is likely that we have misstepped at least some in the situation. Seldom are we 100% right. It can happen, but after mediating hundreds of conflict, I know it’s rare. So say you have a conflict in which the other party is 80% wrong and you are 20% wrong. Most of the conflict is because of a flaw in the other person. Does that justify your 20%? No, in fact, what you need to focus on is the 20% flaw in yourself. Jesus gave this principle in the Sermon on the Mount. “And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye” (Matt 7:3-5).
First (priority one) is to deal with our own side of the issue. Suppose it is only 5% me and 95% them. Still deal with your issues. Understand that God is shining His light on that. What the other person is doing with his or her 95% is their problem. You cannot fix the other person. This is the mistake we tend to make. “If I can just get that other person to change, then we will be fine.” But God does not have you there to change the other person. He has you there so you can see the beam in your own eye and deal with that. Even if you are being unjustly treated, even if you are being persecuted for righteousness sake, there still may be something in you that God is trying to get to in the heat of all that.
Two principles you want to always remember.
(1) You can’t change the other person. Only that person can repent and change course. You can change yourself. Only you can do that and you are responsible to do it, regardless of what the other person does. If you simply do unto others as they do unto you, you are allowing them to change you (by your own decisions) into what they are. Instead decide you’re going to be a person of integrity, compassion, love, kindness, mercy, etc. whatever anybody else does. You can make decisions that take you in that direction.
(2) Life events, especially conflict, are opportunities to grow up—opportunities to overcome evil with good—opportunities to tap into the grace of God at a deeper level than ever before. You either capture the opportunity and take advantage of it or you don’t. How does a person take advantage of the opportunity? By doing the things we’re talking about here today. By humbling yourself and focusing on your own flaw and working on that, instead of trying to straighten the other person out. Ultimately you will have more positive influence by getting your own act together than trying to pressure the other person.
Never forget the good intentions God has toward you in all this. He has you in a place where you can grow—He is shaping you and molding you through all this—He is preparing you for a glorious eternity.
So we have talked about the way we view the event—as a test and as an opportunity. We have talked about the focus we should take—how can I deal with my own stuff?
III. Follow the directions of what Scripture tells you to do in these situations.
First, rejoice that you are counted as worthy to suffer persecution for the gospel. That’s what the Apostles did when they were beaten and threatened for preaching in the name of Jesus. Acts 5:41 says they were “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” Have you suffered any shame, any rejection for His name? Rejoice that God counted you worthy to do that.
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” Matt 5:10-12.
What should you do when someone is treating you unjustly? In verse 38-48 Jesus continues.
"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. 43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Instead of cursing the other person, instead of calling down God’s judgement on the other person, you pronounce blessing.
Matt. 5:44 gives you three things to do and it will keep you pretty busy.
(1) Bless instead of curse. They’re cursing you; you bless them. You overcome evil, not with more evil, but with good.
(2) “ do good to those who hate you.” It’s not enough to just refrain from doing evil back. You have to actively do good toward the person. Not easy to do; but there it is in the Bible.
(3) “pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” Even if they’re doing it out of pure spite, you pray for them—you don’t pray against them—but for them. This is a delicate matter. If God has given you spiritual authority, you’re responsible to use it the way He wants it used. It is tempting to use it in a prayer against the person that might unleash evil on the individual. But we are here to save life, not destroy it. Jesus had to teach James and John that lesson.xii We bless; we do good; we pray for the other person—regardless of what they do.
IV. Trust the Lord with the Outcome.
When the other party is doing everything they can to destroy you, it is tempting to spend your energy defending yourself and maybe even giving them back some of what they gave. That is what you do when you’re trusting in yourself. But these are times to apply Prov. 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Three things you’re to do. (1) “Trust”
(2) “lean not on your own understanding”. In the natural, it may look and be for a time very unfair. If you start leaning on what you see, you may decide to take it into your own hands—not a good idea.
(3) “In all your ways acknowledge Him.” What does that mean? It means you keep your eye on Him every step of the way. You continually ask Him for guidance. You continually thank Him for His help. You continually lean on His strength. You never forget that He is with you and for you. David said in Ps 16:8 “I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.”
The outcome you’re looking for seldom comes as quickly as you would like. Why, because God is doing more than you know. You’re seeing one part of the outcome. He is seeing it all.
Joseph was treated unjustly by his brothers. He was later treated unjustly by Potiphar’s wife and later by Potiphar himself. He continued to trust the Lord and do good. What happened next? He was treated unjustly by the butler that he helped in prison. More injustice! God eventually turned it all around for Joseph; but not before He had developed in Joseph what Joseph needed for all eternity.
What outcome is God looking for in these situations?
(1) In the end, He wants to bless you. The objective is not the hardship. The objective is blessing.xiii
(2) Most importantly, He wants to shape your character; mold you and shape you into the being you were created to be; develop your full potential. There are two sides to that process. On the one hand, there is the sovereign call of God on your life. You could never have found God in all your groping around in the dark. He found you and called you unto Himself. On the other hand, He honors your free will. He sets up events and circumstances that give you opportunity to progress. But you have to embrace those opportunities and do it His way. When you do, the process brings positive change in who you are.
(3) He also wants to use your life to turn other to Him. Joseph became the source of salvation for the very people who had sold him into slavery. Because he kept his heart right, God could use him
as an instrument to bring his enemies to the Lord. Sometimes when we ask God to use us, we don’t know exactly what we’re asking for. We may be thinking a big auditorium with people listening to us preach. But it could include persecutions in which people mistreat us because of the Spirit of glory is resting on our lives. Are you willing to let God make those choices? Are you willing to follow the Lamb wherever He leads?
"Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, 30 who shall 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.” God will abundantly reward those who follow Him with a sincere heart—but the promise comes with these two words,” with persecutions.” When those persecutions come, may God enable us to represent Him well!
Pray
END MOTES:
i This message is part 2 of a sermon begun last week (10-23-16) entitled “How to Handle Unjust Treatment (I).”
ii All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
iii James 2:10-11 “ For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.” Best 8 out of 10 not good enough
iv We do not know what may have happened in his life beyond this.
v 1 Peter 5:6; Phil. 2:3-11.
vi Romans 8:28-29; 1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 1:5-7; 3:18.
vii Eccl 11:3 “So man's character is unchangeable, whether for hell or heaven, once that death overtakes him.”
(from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
viii Daniel 10:13
ix 1 John 3:2-3.
x Luke 19:12-27; Matt. 25:14-30; Rom. 8:18. Notice the conditional clause in 2 Tim. 2:12
xi Col 3:23-24 “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance….”
xii Luke 9:52-56
xiii Job 42:10 (Job was treated unjustly be his so-called friends. But notice Job’s blessing came when he prayed for them.) Jerm. 29:11.
