Sermon
#43
Series: Mark
Title: Christ’s Amazing
Doctrine
Text: Mark 10:28-34
Readings: Office:
Merle Hart Auditorium: Rex
Bartley
Subject: The
Things Our Lord Taught His Disciples
Date: Sunday Evening - Mach 8, 1998
Tape # U-58
Introduction:
That
which our Lord Jesus Christ taught not only astonished the public, it also
amazed his disciples. Tonight, I want to talk to you about CHRIST’S AMAZING DOCTRINE. You have my text before you in
Mark 10:28-34
Mark 10:28-34 "Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo,
we have left all, and have followed thee.
(29) And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man
that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife,
or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, (30) But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses,
and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with
persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. (31) But many that are first
shall be last; and the last first. (32) And
they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and
they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the
twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, (33) Saying, Behold, we go up to
Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and
unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to
the Gentiles: (34) And they shall
mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him:
and the third day he shall rise again."
Proposition: Those things our Lord taught, his
doctrine concerning his grace, his salvation, and his sin-atoning sacrifice are
amazing things to consider.
Divisions: In this passage of Scripture I want us to behold and thoughtful
meditate upon these three things:
1.
A
Glorious Promise (vv. 28-30).
2.
A
Solemn Warning (v. 31).
3.
A
Faithful Surety (vv. 32-34).
I.
The
very first thing, which caught my attention, as I read this brief paragraph,
was the fact that our Savior’s response to Peter was not a word of rebuke but A
Glorious Promise (vv.
28-30).
A.
Peter’s statement in verse
twenty-eight was an honest, true statement.
He might be blamed for the
reason he made this statement. He might be blamed for the apparent expectation
he had of the Lord rewarding him, as though he had earned a reward from the
Lord of glory. Matthew tells us that this statement as followed by a very
foolish question - “What shall we have therefore?” (Matt. 19:27).
Yet,
when all is said and done, if our faith in Christ does not involve the kind of
self-denying devotion and consecration to Christ that Peter here expresses, our
faith is an empty, vain delusion.
Mark 10:28 "Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo,
we have left all, and have followed thee."
True
faith forsakes all and follows Christ. True faith is the unqualified,
unreserved surrender of myself, my life, my all to the dominion and rule Lord
Jesus Christ as my Lord, my Master, and my King. This is what the story of the
rich young ruler in the preceding paragraph teaches. If salvation can be gained
simply by believing the right things, that man would not have gone away
sorrowful. Salvation involves leaving all for Christ’s sake and the gospel’s.
B.
Our Savior assures us that,
having left all to follow him, his disciples have lost nothing and gained
indescribably more than any of us can ever imagine (vv. 29-30).
Mark 10:29-30 "And Jesus answered and said, Verily I
say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or
father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the
gospel's, (30) But he shall receive
an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and
mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come
eternal life."
Few
promises can be found in the Book of God more comprehensive than this. I know
of none, which hold before us such great encouragements for life in this world
as well as in the world to come. Let every faithful, but faint hearted,
follower of Christ mark this promise, read it often, meditate upon it daily,
and find in this cluster of grapes wine to make his heart merry. Let all who
endure hardness and persecution for Christ’s sake and the gospel’s study this
promise well and drink often from this deep well. It speaks of this life and of
the life to come.
1.
Children of God, whatever it
is that following Christ costs you, you shall receive in this life one
hundredfold!
As
Israel lacked nothing all the while they roamed about in the wilderness, as the
disciples lacked nothing while they walked with the Son of God on this earth,
so our Savior declares that the obedience of faith will never cause us to be in
want, but shall only enrich us a hundredfold in this world.
Not
only does the Son of God promise us pardon, peace, redemption, and
reconciliation through his blood and his grace, he promises us that we shall
have, even here upon the earth, comforts and joys more than sufficient to make
up for that which we have left for him. Child
of God, bear me witness. Is this not so? Have you not found in the
communion of God’s saints new friends, new relationships, and new companions
more loving, more faithful, more lasting, more valuable, and more numerous than
you ever had before? That may seem impossible to you who do not yet know our
God, his grace, or his people; but every believer in this house will say “Amen”
to what our Lord here asserts.
·
Philippians
4:19
2. Moreover, in addition to all this, our Savior promises all who
follow him eternal life in the world to come.
“The Lord will give grace and glory!” He gives grace here and he will give
glory hereafter.
·
As
soon as we put off these earthly tabernacles, we will enter into the glorious
rest of the sons of God (2 Cor. 5:1-9).
·
In
the last day, in the resurrection morning, we shall be given honor, joy, and
glory surpassing our highest, most reverent expectation (1 Cor. 2:9).
·
Our
light affliction here shall redound to our Savior’s greater honor and our
greater joy in eternity.
·
We
shall dwell forever with the Son of God in a world where sin and sorrow,
sickness and death, Satan and temptations, parting and weeping shall be no
more!
My
brother, my sister, take heart. Time is short. Our sorrows shall soon be no
more. Our end is sure. Weeping may endure for the night; but joy will come in
the morning!
II.
Now,
look at the next verse. Here is A Solemn Warning (v. 31).
Our Master saw the
self-conceit, which defiled his disciples and frankly warned them all to be
watchful over their souls. If this warning as needed by Peter, James, and John,
how much more it is needed by you and me. Let us take heed to these words and learn
what they mean.
Mark 10:31 "But many that are first shall be last; and the last first."
A.
Without question, this
waning was applicable to the twelve Apostles to whom it was first given.
There
was one standing among them who was more highly esteemed and trusted than all
the others, who was a devil and would soon be in hell. His name was Judas. He
was the first, in his own eyes and in the eyes of the twelve. But now he is the
last.
There
was another who was not among them. In fact, he was just a young man, a young
Pharisee, being trained at the feet of Gamaliel, a zealous religionists,
leaning to hate Christ, his gospel, and his people. Any who knew him would say,
“This young man is the last man who would be numbered among the disciples of
Christ.” But God had purposed otherwise. The young Pharisee’s name was Saul of
Tarsus. Soon, he would be elevated to the most prominent position in the
kingdom of God.
B.
This warning explains the
entire history of the Church of God in this world.
·
There
was a time when Asia Minor, Greece, and Northern Africa were flourishing with
the light of the gospel, but now their light has been tuned into darkness.
·
Today,
in this land, which was once darkness, God has established the light of his
grace again.
·
Let
us take heed, lest we as a people are again engrossed in utter darkness.
C.
This warning is a warning
which ought to sound like an alarm in the ears of us all.
How many there are known to
us all who seemed once to run well for a season. They stood out in the crowd.
They seemed to be head and shoulders above the rest of us. They were so
zealous, so committed, so knowledgeable, so confident, so sure about
everything. They were the first. But now where are they? They are gone. They
are the last.
·
The
love of the world got one.
·
The
deceitfulness of riches got another.
·
A
bad marriage got another.
·
A
flattering woman took another.
·
False
doctrine destroyed another.
Let
us pray for grace to run our race to the end. It is not enough to begin well.
We must persevere. We must continue in the faith. We must end well. God give me
grace to begin with Christ, stay with Christ, and end with Christ!
III. The last thing I want you to
see is the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ is indeed A Faithful Surety
(vv. 32-34).
Calmly
and deliberately, our Savior told his disciples why he was going to Jerusalem
and all that he must there suffer and do as our great Surety, Substitute, and
Savior.
Mark 10:32-34 "And they were in the way going up to
Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they
followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell
them what things should happen unto him,
(33) Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be
delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn
him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: (34) And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall
spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again."
Let me show you several
things here.
A.
The Son of God went up to
Jerusalem willingly, purposefully, and deliberately, to die there as our covenant
Surety.
Isaiah 50:5-7 "The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and
I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. (6) I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that
plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. (7) For the Lord GOD will help me;
therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint,
and I know that I shall not be ashamed."
John 10:16-18 "And other sheep I have, which are not
of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there
shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (17) Therefore doth my Father love me,
because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. (18) No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have
power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have
I received of my Father."
B.
He went to Jerusalem to
suffer and die at the hands of wicked men on the cursed tree by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God.
C.
The Lord of glory went to
Calvary to make satisfaction to the law and justice of God for the sins of his
people, that he might put away our sins and save us by the sacrifice of
himself.
D.
On the third day after his
death as our Substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ publicly declared that he had
fully satisfied the justice of God and put away all the sins of his people
which were imputed to him, by rising from the dead!
Application: I
am finished when I have made just three statements by way of application.
1.
He
who has satisfied the whole of God’s law and justice for his people will,
without fail, save those people for whom he has made satisfaction.
2.
He
who was able to satisfy the law and justice of God and rise from the dead is
able to save to the uttermost every sinner who comes to God by him.
3.
If
the Lord Jesus Christ so willingly suffered all the hell of God’s wrath for us,
it is but a most reasonable thing that we should devote ourselves to him.
AMEN.