Messiah - Gospel of Matthew - Week 26

0:00 Good morning everyone. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Andrew Harris and I'm on staff here at Knabby working with our young people and also helping out with communications. And it is always a privilege to be given the opportunity to come and to share God's word with you. And I'm looking forward to jumping into today's passage with you in a few moments. We're back into the gospel of Matthew this morning in our Messiah series, just in case you haven't heard. And Gilbert's introduction to the next few weeks, or actually listen in to Gilbert and Chris in conversation ahead of today in our very first Glen Abbey podcast. Both have been extremely helpful to me as I prepared for this morning, and hopefully it has proven helpful to you too. And as I look out, it is encouraging to see so many of you grabbing your guides, lifting them up, getting ready to listen, to learn, and to engage.

0:54 And this is your first chance, I guess, to come to a talk as part of this series and to note down anything that you hear that jumps out at you, that challenges you, that raises a question in your mind. And this is just one of a number of steps that are going to be our pattern over the next nine weeks as part of this series. And the first thing we want to be doing each week in the run-up to each Sunday is to read the passage multiple times. And we have given you in your guides a reading plan and some prompts to give direction and a focus to your readings, if that is helpful to you. And the more you read and familiarize yourself with the passage, the truth is the greater the opportunity you're giving to God to speak to you through it. That is why we are encouraging you to read it through again and again. And so each week, hopefully you'll be doing that, reading or listening even to the passage over and over, and hopefully you'll be taking notes along the way. And then each Sunday as that passage is being taught, you will get the chance to listen to each week's speaker and hear what God has shown them in the passage.

2:00 And then off the back of each talk, you'll be given a set of questions available either by scanning the QR code in your guides or in a paper copy available in the foyer each Sunday. And the first thing you want to do with these questions is actually to look at them and go through them for yourselves, to engage your mind in all that you've been thinking about and reading and searching for a way to actually apply it into your life. And then, of course, there will be things inevitably that we miss, but that others will see in the passage. And that's why it's so important to study the Bible with others. And that's the second thing you're going to do with these questions. You're going to talk them through with others. And one of the best places to do that, as has already been mentioned this morning at Glen Abbey, is in a home group. And let me just take a moment just to encourage you, if you haven't already, to join a home group.

2:51 there are a lot of people in this room and this is really just half office and it is very hard in a church of our size for it to feel like a community for it to feel like family to feel like home if the only opportunity that we get or that we take is to meet others on a Sunday morning but speaking from experience once you get into your home group and you start to build real relationships with other believers around God's word that's when this place starts to feel like family and that's when it starts to feel like home. And if you want to find out more about home groups, you can come chat to me or anyone with a lanyard after. There's some guides in the foyer and you can also jump onto our website too to explore the opportunities that are there to get involved. Now I'm sure a lot of you have been reading hopefully this week Matthew 19 already, which is brilliant and you've come prepared to listen this morning with your own thoughts, your observations, your questions. And for my part, as I look at you with your empty notebooks, I hope they won't remain empty in half an hour. My prayer for us is that our time this morning would be helpful. That God would use me this morning somehow to help you understand a little bit more about what you've been reading this week. And as you continue to explore this week's passage yourself and with others, that the impact of this chapter will not just be an increase in knowledge, but instead a desire and a will to change in light of it as disciples of Jesus and people of his kingdom.

4:19 And so as we begin, let me just take a moment to pray for all of us. Heavenly Father, we thank you this morning for your word. And we thank you that you've given it to us and that you speak to us through it. And I pray that as I share this morning what you've shown me in this chapter and as everybody in this room gets ready to listen, that through your spirit you would show us the truths that you want us to see. And that you would also challenge us on the ways we need to change as your disciples and as servants of your kingdom. And we ask all of these things in and through the name of our King, the Messiah, Jesus. Amen. My focus on Matthew 19 this morning sadly will have to be limited.

5:05 As there is simply too much content, I'm sure you've noticed, to be grappled with and fully explored in 30 minutes. But whilst I am limited by time, you are not. And so in your personal study and with others, I would really encourage you to take the time to explore every aspect of the chapter, even though we won't be able to do so this morning together. And so what I've done is I've simply just chosen two sections of the passage to focus on for the next half an hour. And we'll get started by reading Matthew 19, verses 3 to 10 together. And the words will be behind me on the screen. Or if you have a series guide, you can follow along from page 11. so starting in Matthew 19 verse 3 some Pharisees came to him to test him they asked is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason haven't you read he replied that at the beginning the creator made them male and female and said for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh so they are no longer two but one flesh and therefore what God has joined together,

6:13 let no one separate. Why then, they asked, did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away? Jesus replied, Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife except for sexual immorality and marries another woman commits adultery. the disciples said to him if this is the situation between a husband and wife it is better not to marry here at the beginning of Matthew 19 some of the Pharisees the religious leaders asked Jesus a question to test him is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason and this question comes out of a common debate amongst the Jews at that time one of their teachers Shammai well he taught that divorce and remarriage was permitted for just one reason and that was in the case of adultery but another one of their teachers Hillel he taught that divorce and remarriage was permitted for a lot of reasons not just one including if your spouse burnt the dinner or if you find someone else more attractive which I don't know about the rest of you here married but that last one in particular would put me on some very shaky ground with Robin.

7:37 Now, according to a number of sources, the common practice of the day, despite the various teachings, the common practice in first century Israel was more aligned with what Hillel taught than Shammai, which meant that it was more common back then for people to get divorced and remarried for a lot of reasons, not just one. And as you can say this, I'm sure a lot of you are drawing the clear pileup that there is between then and now. Because in the world that we live in, it's exactly the same. Divorce happens a lot. And not just for one reason, but for many. Which makes this question and Jesus' teaching on it extremely relevant to all of us. And before we think through Jesus' response, I just want to say that I am aware that this discussion on divorce and remarriage will be an extremely sensitive one for some of you. And I want to remind anyone who for this topic is extremely sensitive, that no matter your experiences of these things, that the same Jesus who lays out for us here some pretty clear principles for divorce and remarriage, he is the same Jesus who to the woman caught in adultery and about to be stoned to death for her sins says, where are your accusers?

8:57 Didn't even one of them condemn you? No, Lord, she said. and Jesus said, neither do I. Go and sin no more. Jesus loves you and his grace towards you is so much greater than anything that you have done. He doesn't condemn you. In fact, he took the condemnation that you deserve on himself, on the cross and in its place he instead offers you compassion, mercy, forgiveness and restoration and then calls on each of us to follow him and sin no more. so where does jesus begin in his response well instantly jesus recognizes that at the heart of this question lies a complete disregard for marriage its design its purpose and its seriousness and so at the very start jesus chooses to point the pharisees back to genesis 2

9:53 where marriage was first instituted by god haven't you read he replied that at the beginning the creator made them male and female and said for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh so they are no longer two but one flesh and therefore what God has joined together let no one separate one man one woman together as one in a committed monogamous till death do us part relationship that was at the beginning and still is God's design and purpose and framework for marriage. But then the Pharisees, completely ignoring Jesus' first and pretty important point, ask a follow-up question. Why then, they asked, did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away? The Pharisees point out that if Moses commanded divorce, where does this then leave Jesus in his position on divorce? and Jesus replied, Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard but it was not this way from the beginning. Jesus in his response accepts that Moses really did permit divorce amongst the Israelites and you can note down Deuteronomy 24 to read up on that later if you want to see some evidence of that. But notice that Jesus has changed the verb here from command to permit.

11:23 Jesus is emphasizing that Moses didn't command that a man should get divorced or should divorce his wife, but only that he allowed it, that he permitted it, and only as a concession to the hardness of their hearts as a result of sin. Jesus also tells them again that it wasn't supposed to be this way from the beginning when God first set up marriage. Divorce was never supposed to be on the table. What Moses did command, though, was that if a man wanted to divorce his wife, that he had to give her a certificate of divorce, a legal document that allowed her then to remarry. And this was wise and helpful, especially for women, as it went a long way to protect them. Because if a woman in that day could not legally prove that she was divorced, that she wasn't free to remarry, and then the sad potential would be that she would be left alone and unable to provide for herself. this is what Moses was wanting to avoid not to mention the mess the whole community would be in if anyone could just wake up decide to divorce their husband and wife and then go out and remarry with no due process if you let that go on long enough you would end up with a whole lot of people not really sure who they are married to and who they are not and so introducing this formal divorce procedure demonstrated great wisdom on Moses' part but again it is important to emphasize that Moses didn't command divorce but only permitted it as a concession just because there is alliance for divorce does not mean that it is commanded that is encouraged or that it is at all recommended and that then leaves us with a question for what legitimate reasons can two people get divorced, if any, according to the Bible?

13:18 Jesus states his position very clearly. I'll read it in our passage. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality and marries another woman, commits adultery. Divorce and remarriage is permitted, Jesus explains, but only in the case of sexual immorality, adultery, infidelity. Anybody who divorces and remarries for any other reason is committing adultery themselves. But we also have to bring in Paul's words here from 1 Corinthians 7 where he says this, if any brother has a wife who's not a believer and she's willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so.

14:14 The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances. God has called us to live in peace. Some churches and individual believers have taken the position that when a non-believing spouse has abandoned their partner, a follower of Jesus, that they are married to. That when Paul says here in 1 Corinthians 7 that they are not bound in such circumstances, that this then leaves them free to remarry without committing adultery. And I completely get where they're coming from, and maybe that's the way you understand it too. But for me, I find that position very hard to pair up with Jesus' words here in Matthew 19, which are absolute. Anyone who divorces his wife except for sexual immorality and marries another woman, they commit adultery. And so it seems to me that while Paul is instructing believers to let their non-believing spouses separate from them, if that is their choice, Jesus' statement in Matthew 19 that gives sexual immorality as the only acceptable reason for divorce still stands.

15:29 Meaning that the believer is still, in God's eyes, married to their spouse. And in cases like these, the instruction would then be that they do not remarry in order to avoid committing adultery. Underlying all of this, however, as people of God's kingdom, we need to ask ourselves this question. What would God have us do marriages run aground? When they become awkward, difficult, messy, and unbelievably painful? Even in cases where a husband or wife has committed adultery and been unfaithful to us, would God urge us to move for a divorce as is permitted? Or would he lead us in a different direction. Throughout the Bible, we can see God's heart for reconciliation and restoration.

16:23 And at the very core of our identity as disciples of Jesus, sons and daughters of God, is the truth that we have been reconciled to our father through the death and sacrifice of Jesus. And the response that God is looking for from us as his people is to mirror his heart and his love and his desire for peace and reconciliation in our lives and in our relationships. Which means that first and foremost, even when we have been greatly wronged, and even when a husband or wife has committed adultery and left us utterly broken, God would first and gently urge us to seek restoration, not separation. Peace, not war. reconciliation, not divorce. The people of the kingdom of this world are way too quick to abandon their marriages for any and every reason. Driven by selfishness, driven by self-interest, driven by the message of this kingdom that tells us that our personal happiness is our number one priority. But I believe that God is calling us as people of his kingdom to approach our marriages with a much greater care and consideration than that.

17:44 To remember that in our relationships with all, including our spouses, we are to love them as much and as deeply as we love ourselves. We are to do all that we can to save our marriages and restore them before we even begin to consider any other option. And this is, admittedly, a difficult road to journey along. And it is a road that no one should have to journey along by themselves. And if this is the journey that you're currently on or considering or you're terrified that it is right now bearing down on you and your husband or wife in your marriage, then I would urge you to reach out to our pastoral team here at Glennawy to talk to someone, to find someone to walk alongside you and your husband or wife through this difficult and painful time, to find someone to counsel you and pray with you and offer you wisdom and guidance and support as you seek first and foremost to find restoration and reconciliation in your marriage. But in our broken world, we admit that that may not always be possible. That sometimes our marriages can become damaged to such an extent that reconciliation is no longer possible or even advised.

19:07 Our hearts are hard. and when this happens it is a very sad and painful thing for all involved and there actually may be situations where this happens even without a husband or a wife having committed adultery in which case Jesus's underlying principle for divorce and remarriage again I believe still stands and in cases of divorce and separation where there has been no sexual immorality or adultery from either the husband or the wife the only option left for a follower of Jesus is continued separation, yes, but with celibacy. That is separation or divorce, but no remarriage. As we move into the next section of Matthew 19 that I'm going to cover this morning, just in case you've missed it so far in Matthew's gospel and in Jesus' teaching, the kingdom of God brings surprises. It's completely upside down in its values when we compare it to the kingdom of the world that we are living in, and also when we compare it to our own understanding of how things are and how they should be. The disciples were completely surprised by what Jesus had to say on divorce and remarriage for those living in his kingdom. They actually decided that it was better not to marry at all.

20:23 And now again, we have another episode here in Matthew where the disciples, we are told, are greatly astonished at what Jesus has to say. So why were they astonished this time? let's have a look by reading together Matthew 19 verses 16 to 26 which can be found on pages 13 and 15 in your guides just then a man came up to Jesus and asked teacher what good thing must I do to get eternal life why do you ask me about what is good Jesus replied there is only one who is good if you want to enter life keep the commandments which ones he inquired Jesus replied you shall not murder you shall not commit adultery you shall not steal you shall not give false testimony honour your father and mother and love your neighbour as yourself all these I have kept the young man said what do I still lack Jesus answered if you want to be perfect go sell your possessions and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven then come follow me. When the young man heard this he went away sad because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples truly I tell you it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.

21:46 Again I tell you it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished and asked who then can be saved? Jesus looked at them and said with man this is impossible but with God all things are possible in these verses Jesus is faced with another question only this time it isn't a test this time he's asked a genuine question by somebody looking for a genuine answer teacher what good thing must I do to get eternal life Let's start by thinking about who's actually asking the question. For Matthew we can figure out the following: one, they were a young man; two, that he was interested in inheriting eternal life; three, that in his own estimations he observed the law pretty well; and four, that he was rich. And then in Luke's account of the same interaction in Luke chapter 18, Luke gives us a bit more information showing with us that this rich young man was also a ruler, which means that he was probably a Jewish leader in a local synagogue. And so this rich young ruler comes to Jesus looking for the way to eternal life.

23:03 And the first thing we notice is that this young man's underlying assumption and belief is that to be made right with God and to inherit eternal life, you have to do good things. Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life? And for those of us who have studied and been taught the Bible for many years, as it says in Galatians, we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law. Those are the apostle Paul's words as he wrote to a local church in Galatia. And so we know, we accept that being made right with God, being justified, inheriting eternal life has nothing to do with obeying the law. And so knowing this, we're expecting, right, for Jesus to point that out to the young man, to set him on the straight and narrow, have a conversation about faith.

24:08 But as he always does, Jesus surprises us with his answer. First he points out that only God is good, which we'll come back to in a minute. But then he goes on to say, if you want to enter life, keep the commandments. And then when the rich young man asks which ones, Jesus actually gives him a list. And we're left wondering, where is Jesus going with this? because we know, we've already understood and accepted that inheriting eternal life has nothing to do with obeying the law. So where is Jesus going with this list of commandments? Jesus being Jesus knows more about this man than he even knows himself.

24:52 Jesus knows that this rich, young, powerful, influential religious leader is so blind to the truth that he thinks he can get himself eternal life through doing good things. And so Jesus picks up a mirror. And that mirror is the law. My daughter Evie is four years old and is really quite amazing in my unbiased opinion. There is nothing she can't do, so she tells me. Including this week when she confidently told me that she could spell her sister Sophia's name. Now, I may find rightly she can spell Sophia's name. Most people can't because my wife and I were stupid and spelled it with an F instead of a PH.

25:33 So I thought, okay, Evie thinks she can do something that she can't. Instead of telling her, though, I'm going to help her figure it out for herself. So I said to Evie, okay, go on then. Spell Sophia. And then she said, S. And I thought, oh, wow, she is a genius. How did this happen? But then 10 seconds later, this is what we ended up with. S-T-D-Q-R, Sophia.

26:01 Not her best effort, but on par with what you would expect from a four-year-old. And when Evie claimed and assumed she could do something that I knew she couldn't, instead of telling her, I simply helped her to see the truth for herself. And that's what Jesus is doing here. He's not going against his own teaching and that of the Bible. He's not actually telling the rich young ruler that he can get eternal life all by himself if he keeps this list of commandments. He's holding up a mirror. He's trying to help the rich young ruler to see in himself that he cannot keep the commandments, which means that he cannot inherit eternal life by his own efforts, that he needs someone to save him. And Jesus begins his lesson with a subtle question about God.

26:51 In verse 17, Jesus asks, Why do you ask me about what is good? Jesus replied, There is only one who is good. and Jesus is drawing this rich young ruler's attention to the age old truth that he seems to have forgotten that only God is good that only God is perfect this rich young synagogue leader will have known the books of the law pretty well but it seems that he has forgotten or at least disregarded the words of Ecclesiastes 7 and verse 20 that tell us that not a single person on earth is always good and never sins and following on from this as Jesus continues to hold up this mirror to this young man he goes on to single out his biggest problem you'll be pleased to know that when Jesus asks this man to sell all his possessions and follow him that he is not laying down a universal command for us all to do Linda will not be in the foyer with a card reader expecting you to transfer all of your money into Glenelby's Barnabas Fund and join the staff team that's not the application here that's not what Jesus is asking for all of us. Jesus, although he doesn't quote it here, is again drawing this man's attention back to another verse, arguably the most important verse, that he needs to consider in his quest for eternal life. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. This man, this rich young ruler, by his own estimations, was good.

28:31 He treated others well. He claims, quite interestingly in our passage, that he has never murdered, he's never committed adultery, stolen anything, given false testimony, dishonored his father and mother, and had always, always, always loved his neighbor as himself. Yet the greatest commandment of all, to love God completely, without holding anything back, That was the one commandment he simply could not keep. And Jesus knew it. Because when Jesus asked him to give it up, to give up the most important thing that he held on to, his money, in order to follow him and receive eternal life, he said no. And he walked away.

29:19 Three chapters back in Matthew chapter 16, Jesus asked the question, What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? And right here we have a man so caught up with the money and possessions that were his, that he was willing to exchange it for eternal life, to give it up, to give up his own soul in order to keep everything that he had. What an absolute tragedy. And we can sit here this morning and we can look down our noses at this man and we can call him stupid because really that's what he was being. But are we any better? Am I? Are you?

30:05 If the greatest commandment given to us by God is to love him completely, holding nothing back with all of our heart and all of our soul and all of our strength, how are we doing? It might not be money that's holding us back from complete commitment to God. But it could be. And in reality, it could be anything. It could be a person or a relationship. A job, a dream, your favorite sport. It could be power and influence, popularity. It could be your phone.

30:40 Your weekends and annual leave. Your family, your career goals, your reputation. Alcohol, drugs, sex, pornography. If you were the rich young ruler and Jesus was looking you in the eye, what is the one thing he would ask you to give up that you know you couldn't? And if you have an answer to that question, that right there is an idol in your life that needs torn down. That is something that you've put in God's place and is the thing that could stop you from inheriting eternal life if you put it first above all else and above Jesus and his kingdom. As the rich young ruler walks away from Jesus and he walks away from eternal life, back to his house, his money, all of his possessions, Jesus turns to his disciples and tells them how hard it is for someone who is rich to enter his kingdom. And in verse 24, he emphasizes just how hard that is with the most ridiculous image.

31:44 He tells them that it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. And you've maybe read that Jesus is talking about a small gate in the walls of a city, but he's not. He's talking about an actual needle. The image is as ridiculous as Jesus intends it to be. It is easier, Jesus says, for a camel to get through the eye of a tiny needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. And that's a funny and pretty outrageous way of saying that it's impossible. and strangely the disciples are really shook up by this if it's impossible for those who are rich to enter the kingdom of heaven then who can be saved and Jesus responds with his famous statement in verse 26 with man this is impossible but with God, with me all things are possible

32:43 and as we finish Just think about these things very briefly. And as we consider the money, the possessions, the wealth, and the many other things that can get in the way of our complete commitment and devotion to God, I want to leave us with these two parables from six chapters previous to this one in Matthew. Matthew 13, verses 44 to 46. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all that he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. The rich young ruler had found the kingdom of heaven, and he was actually speaking face to face with its king.

33:40 And the king had shown him the way into his kingdom and to eternal life. But because of the things of this world that he held on to so tightly, he walked away. And if you take nothing else away from these few verses in Matthew 19 this morning, please take away this. The kingdom of heaven is worth everything that you have. Being a part of it is worth your entire life. Nothing held back. there is nothing this world can give you that comes close to what Jesus is offering don't walk away like the rich young ruler from the kingdom of God don't walk away from Jesus who gave his life up for you that you may have eternal life and be part of his kingdom don't let your money or anything else stop you from following him

34:37 as the band come up and get ready to lead us in response to what we've just been considering. I want to leave some space here for everyone just to pause and reflect on what we've been thinking about. It's so easy in life just to jump from one thing to the next and I'll leave a time to reflect on what we've just been thinking about. Is there one thing or a couple of things this morning that has put a stone in your shoe? Take some time to reflect in the stillness for a couple of minutes. Maybe you want to look down through your notes if you took any. Is there anything you want to talk about further with a friend or with your home group? Maybe put a note beside it to remind you.

35:21 Is there something you need to confess to God this morning? Ask forgiveness for? The amazing truth that we learn in 1 John 1 is that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. is there someone you know who's dealing with a breakdown in their marriage pray for them now and ask God to give them wisdom as you come alongside them are you yourself struggling in your marriage right now there's a prayer team available to you after the service down here at the left where you can find someone to talk to and pray with maybe as we've considered the story of the rich young ruler you've realized that there Is an idol in your life that is holding you back from loving God with everything that you have? That is maybe in fact stopping you from putting your faith and trust in Jesus and following him? Talk to God about it now. In the quiet.

36:23 And if you would like again, like to, please come and talk to someone in our prayer team. And so I'm actually going to leave a minute or so here just of quiet. And the band will just play quietly behind us. And take this time just to think, to reflect, and to pray. And then in a minute or so, I'll come up again and pray for us before we sing together. Thank you. Heavenly Father, as we have considered some hard and challenging things this morning when it comes to our marriages and our commitment and love for you, will you continue today and this week to speak to us and lead us to truth? May we respond in the way you want us to respond and may we in all things be praying for each other as your church, as we seek to live for your kingdom and reflect your love and compassion in the world around us.

38:12 Father help our marriages restore what is broken heal what has been hurt bring reconciliation and peace and love and joy to all of our relationships and as we consider the true worth of your kingdom despite the cost we are reminded of your love for us that you demonstrated so clearly through the cross and I pray that as we sing together now that we would truly and deeply believe what we are saying and seek to live for you for the rest of our days. Because your love is so amazing. It is so divine. And it demands and is worth my soul, my life, my all.