Matthew 19 – Two Impossible Demands
Introduction
A. With a little study, the order and wisdom of God shown in creation: the moon, the sun and the stars; the instinct of birds, and all the animals that God feeds and cares for; The wonder of the body of human beings--everything is inconceivable to us and impossible for man to understand. God is omniscient, omnipotent, and full of majesty, more than we can understand.
B. Matthew 19 presents two demands that Jesus taught which seem impossible for men to carry out: 1. The marriage of a man with a woman, becoming one flesh for life, and 2. The consecration to God that can make the rich man give up his fortune to follow Christ.
1. We think that the man who is slave to the desires of sensuality is not able to deny these pleasures to die with Christ and live in holiness. We think it is impossible for man to tolerate the disagreeable woman for life, or for the woman to tolerate the disagreeable man for life.
2. We think that the man who is so successful in a business that made him wealthy would not be able to choose the way of the Lord, because the Gospel may demand righteous and holy decisions that may cost him everything he has. For man it would be impossible, but with God everything is possible.
I. Is it advisable to marry or not? Matthew 19:1-15
A. We are married to make family, to have children.
1. Matthew 19:13-14, “Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
--After talking about the very difficult burden of marriage, which not everyone can accept, Jesus praised the children and presented them as the kind of people who belong to the Kingdom of heaven.
--It reminds us of Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong…” Luke 1:52-53, “he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
2. Matthew 18:1-5, “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
--God judges that the greatest people are they who have the character of children. Children who are the product of marriage. God loves and defends them, and he commands his angels to take care of them. They have such great value in the sight of God!
B. Marriage protects women, they who are God’s little ones, that they may have the protection of their husbands, the love and care of someone stronger than they. God loves the weak and commands the strong to take care of them.
1. Divorce impoverishes women and leaves them vulnerable to wolves, womanizing men, who think only of taking advantage of the weak sheep, as if they were meat to consume. It also leaves children in poverty and despair, lacking the discipline of the father. The hand of a man is unique in its capacity to guide sons and daughters.
2. “Because of your hardness of heart” 19:8 With these words, Jesus condemns the evil of men who treat marriage so lightly that they leave their women and children unprotected by divorce. Jesus cannot bear or justify men who lack the patience to stay under the yoke when the relationship is unpleasant or difficult.
C. The disciples say, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”
1. They do not understand the great power that the gospel has, to change men and women. The words of Christ change the relationship between men and women and make them capable of maintaining marriage for life, "until death separates them."
2. Ephesians 5:21-33 “This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.”
--Marriage is worthy of being compared to the relationship between Christ and the Church.
--It is part of the new life that is in Christ. Ephesians 4:17-24 The old man is removed when one puts on Christ. The new man is created according to God in righteousness and holiness of truth.
3. Fidelity to marriage is part of dying with Christ and living for him.
-- Colossians 3:1-7, 18-19
-- Galatians 2:20
4. There is power in Christ to create families who truly give glory to God. The history of the church during the first centuries is remarkable because of the changes that were made in the cultures of whole peoples. The early church managed to change the world in the early years, mostly through the success of Christian families. What seems impossible for men is possible with God. Everything is possible with God if we trust him and we put into practice his teachings in marriage.
II. "Who, then, can be saved?" Matthew 19:16-30
A. The disciples ask this question, V25, after hearing what Jesus demanded of the rich young man. He said, "If you want to be perfect go, sell what you have, and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; And come and follow me. " 19:21.
1. Jesus had said, ““Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
2. Many Bible students struggle in the same way as the disciples and they look for ways to soften the words of Jesus. They say the “eye of the needle” is not literal and invent reasons to avoid the problem of explaining what is impossible: that is, that a camel should pass through the eye of a needle. But Jesus said, v26, ““With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Jesus said what he said, and it is precisely what it seems to mean: that it is impossible for the rich to enter the kingdom without the power of God that changes the hearts of men.
B. Jesus' disciples, V27, had already left everything to follow Jesus.
C. Jesus taught two parables in Matthew 13 about the cost of serving Christ.
1. Matthew 13:44, ““The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
2. Matthew 13:45, ““Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
D. Jesus said that we must count the cost of serving him.
1. Luke 14:26-33, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”
--V28, “desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost”
--V31, “Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able…”
-- V33, “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
2. Matthew 16:24-27, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”
3. Matthew 10:24-39 (Acts 8:1-3; 9:1-2; 22:4-5; 26:9-11)
4. Acts 2:44-47; 4:34-37
5. Jesus and the apostles commanded us not to trust in the riches of this life.
-- Matthew 6:19-34,
-- 1Timoteo 6:6-10, 17-19
E. Who can be saved?
1. It's very difficult for the rich. The history of the rich and powerful is very ugly. It is said that "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
2. James 5:1-6
3. James 2:6-7
4. But remember the rich man, Joseph of Arimathea. He took care of the body of Jesus, Matthew 27:57-60.
5. “Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. “ Acts 13:7; “Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.” V12
6. Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
-- Mark 9:14-27, “And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
-- When we think that we cannot obey Christ, Jesus tells us, "For God everything is possible." God can change the heart even of the rich to be useful in the Kingdom of heaven.
-- Philippians 4:10-20 “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
-- We can learn to live humbly, even if we are accustomed to having abundance. The Gospel teaches and prepares our hearts. It gives us the necessary reasons to think like mature men, with joy accepting the loss of the things we have. So powerful is the gospel. It makes us capable of doing what seems impossible.
Conclusion
A. Jesus is our Captain, Hebrews 2:10. “For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.”
--Like any captain, Jesus our Lord demands more than we think we can do, and asks that we trust in him and his power to lead us to glory.
B. Jesus demands two things that we think impossible:
1. That we be married to one person for life.
2. That we accept the loss of all that we have in the service of our Lord.