Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from the book of Matthew.
Matthew 19:28-30 (KJB) And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
In order to become a faithful servant and minister of Christ Jesus, you will have to place yourself last, and Him first. This is a pretty difficult thing to do in a world that is filled up with such selfish objectives and ambitions. After all, what is the old saying, I’m looking out for number one! But in order to become a sincere man of God you must be focused on God’s will rather than being self-willed. The things that you desire and want out of life will have to become last, and the desires of Christ Jesus will need to become first. It’s really just a matter of putting your priorities in order. Many people who claim to be Christian are actually incapable of doing the things that the Lord mentions in this passage, because if they were brutally honest with themselves, they would have to accept the fact that the things of this world are far more important to them than devoting their lives to His service. This is exactly what Jesus warned about in the parable of the sower.
Matthew 13:22 (KJB) He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
People can spend their entire lives furthering their own goals or furthering the goals of Christ Jesus. They can use all their time making money, or invest all their time winning souls! But in order to harvest a crop you must first plant some seeds, and in order for men to have fruit on judgment Day, they must get out there and preach! God’s will must increase, and our own will must decrease, and nothing else in this world can ever hold a candle to the high calling of God.
John 3:30 (KJB) He must increase, but I must decrease.
How many of you can remember sitting down at the breakfast table when your dad told you to cut the lawn after school? Right after you got off of the school bus, you really wanted to go swimming with your friends instead, but you saw that he had already pulled the lawn mower out into the driveway. At that point you had a choice to make, but rather than choosing your own will and pleasing yourself, you chose to please him instead, which is the exact same attitude that any follower of Christ Jesus must possess if they desire eternal life. The Lord wants men to work in His vineyard, and just like the Apostles who dropped everything to follow the Lord, it all comes down to serving His will rather than your own
Matthew 21:28-32 (KJB) But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
In order to enter into eternal life, the Lord teaches that we must be capable of forsaking certain things. I was so convicted by this verse when I became a Christian that I got rid of absolutely everything, and walked off on my home in order to focus more clearly on the things of God. Many people will pour all of their time and finances into a home, spending years of their life chasing after something that only served as an outlet for wasting precious time. Everything on this Earth including the Earth itself will eventually be burned up by God anyway, so what’s the point of investing so much time in a home? The deceitfulness of it all is that it really makes you feel like you are accomplishing something during this life, but the facts are that all it does is blind you to the real purpose and calling for men, which is to seek God and preach the gospel! So once again, you have to have your priorities straight because nothing in this world, whether it’s possessions or relationships can outweigh your service unto God. Anything that pulls you away from this duty must be eliminated from your life, and if relationships stand in the way, then they must be forsaken for Christ.
Luke 9:59-62 (KJB) And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Matthew 10:34-37 (KJB) Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
There is going to be a huge reversal at judgment Day, because those who took last place in order to become a servant and minister of Christ Jesus, will be first in the Kingdom of Heaven. Some people seek after high places of power and authority in this world, but those who chose last place in order to preach the gospel of Christ, will be raised up to everlasting powers of judgment and authority in the kingdom of God. The Saints shall judge the world, but you will need to first prove that you are worthy of this honor through your humble service towards Christ Jesus while here on this Earth.
So, will you be the kind of person who rejects vain ambitions and earthly Glory in order to preach Christ? Will you choose to do the will of God rather than your own? If you want to arrive in in the kingdom of God, you must place His will above and beyond that of your own. He must increase and we must decrease, because the first shall be last, and,…….
……The Last Shall be First
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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