Today’s sermon is both
difficult and great at the same time. It’s about a man who is extremely rich who does everything right in the eyes of God, except one thing - he refuses to give away all that he has to follow Christ, the Messiah; Christ, the King. No wait - I am mistaken! Let me restart. This section of Matthew is about a man who is not good, but chooses to obey every command given by God. It’s about the one and only beloved Son - the only person ever born from God’s Spirit and a virgin human. It’s about Jesus. “And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!” Revelation 5:6-13 Let’s press in - “Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Let’s stop here so that we can take in and understand exactly what Jesus just said. Jesus asked the question, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” Jesus wants his followers to know and understand that all good things come from God. There is nothing in a man that makes him good, other than a heart that beats for God. God is the source from which all good things flow, without being connected to him, humans are just evil. This must be why God told Adam and Eve, they could eat the fruit from all the other trees - just not the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It was the only tree that separated mankind from God. Then Jesus said, “But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” The man said, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “You shall not murder,’ “You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” The young man said to Jesus, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” Matthew 19:16-22 I believe Jesus was trying to make a point, that for a man to enter Heaven he must love God above everything else. He must be willing to pick up his cross, and he must be willing to lay his life down. His faith in God must be amplified by letting go of all that he knows. And this is exactly what Jesus did. He trusted God above everything else. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus asked his Father to take this cup of suffering away, and He also said, “Not my will but yours be done.” Jesus laid down his life, all to complete the Will of the Father. “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Isn’t it relieving to know that we do not need to be perfect! There is nothing that any human can do to earn their way into Heaven. All the good works in the world mean absolutely nothing to God when you don’t love Him first. Also, let me just add - “Nothing is impossible with God” is another scripture that has been twisted, and taken out of the original context in which Jesus said it. Jesus was referring to access to the Kingdom of Heaven, not the glory and riches of this world. I’ll just leave it at that - because this whole section could be another sermon! Then Peter said to Jesus, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Matthew 19:23-30 Oh, glory be to God! There will be regeneration! This generation shall come to end. The Lamb will become a Lion! And the Lion of Judah shall reign! “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Revelation 21:1-5 For those of you who do not know me, My name is Cherie, and I am a daughter of God. I have seen the Kingdom of God. Not in full, but in part. Enough to know it exists. God saved me. He turned my wretched soul into a warrior for Christ. All in a boardwalk vision. There is nothing I could have done on my own to deserve access to the throne. All good things come from God. He showed it. This body of mine shall someday pass away, but I believe in regeneration. There will be a New Kingdom. There will be a New Jerusalem. And Christ will be its King. The Kingdom of Heaven is already advancing! And I say, “Lord Come.”
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