Don’t I Have The Right To Do What I Want?

Matthew 20:1-16

The Lord Jesus Christ likened the kingdom of Heaven to a landowner who hired laborers for his vineyard.

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The landowner agreed to pay the first group of workers the normal daily rate of a denarius for their 12 hours labor.

Others were taken at 9.00 am, 12.00 midday, 3.00 pm, and 5.00 pm.

They agreed to work for what the landowner considered right.

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Those who did less than 12 hours work were delighted to receive a denarius each.

Those who had worked the full day, after seeing the generosity of the landowner, expected to receive more than the agreed rate.

They murmured against the landowner when they too received a denarius!

They had worked the full hours, and had toiled in the burden and the heat of the day!

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The landowner pointed out that he had done them no wrong for they had agreed to that wage.

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In the kingdom of Heaven, God’s rewards for our service are all of grace.

Like the landowner, God would say, “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money?”

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There are some lessons for us here:

• We must beware of envying other believers when God appears to bless them more than He blesses us.
• We must remember that reward is an extra incentive for us to serve the Lord.
• We should count it a wonderful privilege to serve God who has graciously saved us from our sins.

God do have a right to do what He wants with His rewards to His people!

With God All Things Are Possible

Matthew 19:23-30

The disciples were exceedingly amazed at the comments of the Lord Jesus Christ as He warned them that riches were a great hindrance to any who wanted to go to Heaven.

The Lord Jesus Christ said that “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” (24).

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The disciples asked, “Who then can be saved?”

The Lord Jesus Christ reassured them with a glorious truth: “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (26).

No one is too hard for the Lord to save!

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The Lord Jesus Christ very soon demonstrated this truth to his disciples when he saved Zacchaeus, who was very rich and also a chief tax collector (Luke 19:1-10).

Tax collectors were generally wicked cheats.

As far as many Jews were concerned, they were beyond redemption.

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We must never lose heart when we encounter people who are hardened or indifferent to the message of the gospel.

The Lord Jesus Christ is able to melt the hardest of hearts.

He is able to save the vilest sinner.

He can easily break the chains of sin which enslave people!

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We think, ‘Impossible,” but Scripture says, “with God all things are possible.”

Let us persevere in prayer and in evangelism!

The Lord Jesus Christ has many a surprise for those who wait upon him.

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Peter began to speak about their commitment in following the Lord Jesus Christ.

He asked, “Therefore what shall we have?”

The Lord Jesus pointed out to him that no one is the loser for following him (27-29).

He said, “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 everlasting life.”

And this promise is for everyone!

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Earthly treasures and pleasures may be sacrificed, but what can compare with God’s blessing upon us, with eternal life and treasure in heaven?

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Come to the Lord God today and put our trust in Him.

With God all things are possible!

He Went Away Sorrowful

Matthew 19:16-22

The young man who came to the Lord Jesus Christ was rich.

He was esteemed in religious circles.

He was a ruler, probably an official in charge of the local synagogue (Luke 18:18).

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He asked the Lord Jesus Christ, “What good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

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He might have sincerely felt that he had kept the Ten Commandments.

But he was ignorant of the state of his own heart.

He forgot that he had sinned and broken God’s commandments from a very early age!

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His wealth was a great idol in his life and a proof that he was guilty of breaking the first commandment.

He also failed to understand that salvation is by grace alone and his good works couldn’t save him.

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Had he given away his wealth, it would have been an evidence of his repentance and trust in Christ.

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He was wealthy and religious, but these things did not meet his deepest need.

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He wanted eternal life, but he also wanted to hold on to his possessions.

His wealth was his god.

His riches meant more to him than his religion.

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He went away sorrowful because he was not willing to face up to the cost of following the Lord Jesus Christ.

This involved getting rid of anything that had become a god in his life.

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Some thoughts...

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Becoming a Christian is more than making a decision for Christ.

It means taking up the cross.

The cross is a symbol of self-denial, of shame, of suffering, and of death.

We must die to the old selfish life if we want to be disciples of Jesus.

We must embrace his lordship.

If He is not Lord of all, he is not Lord at all!

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Many have turned away from the Christian faith disillusioned because they find the cost of following the Lord Jesus Christ too great.

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There is a price to pay for treasure in Heaven.

But what blessing is enjoyed by all who truly follow Christ!

There is a greater price to pay for refusing to follow Christ.

It is an eternity of separation from God!

Celibacy & Children Ministry

Matthew 19:11-15

The Lord Jesus had so stressed the solemn commitment involved in matrimony that the disciples wondered if it were better for a person to remain single.

The Lord Jesus pointed out that some do not get married because they were born eunuchs (they have some defect at birth) or have been physically castrated by other man.

There are others, however, who choose the single state for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.

These verses do not sanction the compulsory celibacy of those who serve as ministers in the church or for pressure to be put on young people to take vows of celibacy.

If a person chooses to remain single, it is their personal choice and should never come from group pressure.

Whether single or married, we should always seek to glorify God in our lives!

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The Lord Jesus always had time for children, but the disciples would have sent them away.

We must never despise children or work among the young.

Those of us who are parents have the great privilege and solemn duty to train our children by teaching them the word of God.

We are to show them how Scripture is applied to everyday life in the home, and teach them how to pray.

We are to be a godly example to them.

The Lord Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Gospel work among children in Sunday School and other activities is very important because we are receiving children in Christ’s name.

Most children are ignorant of Bible teaching and do not know the message of the gospel.

If we are serving Christ in teaching children His word, persevere.

There is a great joy, blessing and reward in such work.

Remember, children need to be saved from their sins too.