Well, I do invite you tonight to turn to the Gospel of Matthew chapter 19, Matthew chapter 19, and in your Forms and Prayers book, we're going to continue our reflection in the Heidelberg Catechism tonight. And that is Lord's Day 24, which is found on page 225 in the back of the forms and prayers book. Lord's Day 24, we're going to look at these three questions and answers. And I will ask the question, please respond with the answer, and then we'll read a section out of Matthew 19 and 20. So this is Lord's Day 24. Why can't our good works be our righteousness before God, or at least a part of our righteousness. Because the righteousness which can pass God's judgment must be entirely perfect and must in every way measure up to the divine law. But even our best works in this life are all imperfect and stained with sin. How can our good works be said to merit nothing when God promises to reward them in this life and the next? The reward is not merited, it is a gift of grace. But doesn't this teaching make people indifferent and wicked? No, it is impossible for those grafted into Christ by true faith not to produce fruits of gratitude. We're going to read a longer section tonight to show you the whole story here. at Matthew 19, verse 13, and then we'll move to 20, all the way through 20, verse 16. Let's give our attention tonight to the reading of God's Word. Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them and went away. He told a man came up to him saying, teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life? He said to him, why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments. He said to him, which ones? Jesus said, you shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. you should not bear false witness, honor your father and mother, and you shall love your neighbors yourself. The young man said to him, all these I've kept, what do I still lack? Jesus said to him, if you would be perfect, go sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come follow me. When the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus said to his disciples, truly I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again, I tell you, it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, who then can be saved? But Jesus looked at them and said, with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Then Peter said in reply, see, we've left everything and followed you. What then will we have? Jesus said to them, truly I say to you in the new world when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne. You who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for my namesake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last and the last first. For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. Going out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace and said to them, and to them he said, you go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you. So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour, and the ninth hour he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found standing, others standing, and he said to them, why do you stand here idle all day? They said to him, because no one's hired us. He said to them, you go into the vineyard too. And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, call the labors and pay them their wages, beginning with the last up to the first. And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more. But each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it, they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, These last worked only one hour, and you've made them equal to us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat. But he replied to one of them, Friend, I'm doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity? So, the last will be first, and the first last. And there ends the reading of God's Word. Tonight, as we have continued to work through the Heidelberg and what we believe and what we confess, last time we considered that great article upon which the church stands or falls, the article of justification by grace through faith alone, That we are declared righteous in Christ, and his righteousness is freely imputed and given to us, as if we had never sinned or been a sinner. Upon receiving that by faith, we have everything that we need. I want to tonight move, as the catechism does, with the specific question of what place do the believers have, good works have in the believer's life, in relation to justification. Now, that's a little bit different of a question with regard to the place of good works and sanctification. But we're looking particularly in relation to justification because that's the great question. Isn't there a little bit we should do? Don't they have any place at all in our right standing with God? Don't we enter the kingdom at all based on our works? And that's the question that we're engaging and thinking about a little bit tonight. And as we looked it last time you remember the the great separation that is made in Romans chapter 11 that listen it's it can't be a middle ground on this question and by the way this is a very important question to the Lord I kind of wonder sometimes if if we've we've had this discussion about works and faith and grace and and and justification that we said well we've we've kind of settled all that and let's just move on. And the reality is this is really important to our Lord that we understand this and appreciate this and not say, ah, I get this. Because the human heart doesn't get this. The human heart fights against this. That's what we're going to see tonight. And so that's what we're going to consider tonight, as Paul said in Romans 11. Listen, if it's all by grace, if it's grace, it's all grace. It's not on the basis of works. Otherwise, Grace would no longer be grace. See, there's no middle ground on this question. When it comes to the right to eternal life, when it comes to the standing that you have before God upon which you will enter eternal life, the point is, it all operates on the principle of grace. All of it. All of it. If God decides to reward you on the last day, well, look at that. that too is on the principle of grace. That too, not on the principle of works. Now, we'll look at what that means and how that fleshes out here. It's all on the principle of what he does and what he's given us. Now, this matters because it has to do with the glory of God. This matters because it has to do with his great work on your behalf to give his beloved son for you so that you would live. That's a great gift. That's a great sacrifice that was made. That's something that he cared a lot to do to give you his beloved son. And that cost everything. So that's why this question is important tonight. The only way possible that someone could get to glory and boast before God, which was a big issue in Romans 4 last time, on the principle of boasting is out. But let's just say somebody could get to glory and boast before God, then they would have to meet God's standard. That's the whole message of Scripture. They have to meet the standard. And if that is at all possible, then we have to say here that tonight, then it is a reward based on a perfection in the standard. And that's what we'll look at as we look at this as we work through Matthew 19 and 20. But what the Bible teaches for us through and through is that our personal works do not merit salvation. They do not merit salvation. The works that we do and the rewards that we receive on judgment day is all of grace. That's the running point tonight. That's the point we're looking at through Matthew 19 and 20. So what I want to do is show you that, to let you see it play out right here in the narrative of Scripture and how Jesus deals with his disciples on this question, on this particular issue. We're going to see what, just what the Heidelberg does here in asking the questions, and it's really kind of remarkable. I don't think you'll say this was forced at all at the end of the sermon. Sometimes that's a challenge of catechism preaching is that you can't, how do you bring a text together and it feels forced. I think you'll walk away and I say, that did not feel forced. And if it did, you could talk to me afterward and we'll have a pal about that and talk. I want you to notice here the standard that's emphasized. The emphasis on the reward and then the consequence of this truth. The first question tonight asks something really important in Lord's Day 24. A very important question in Lord's Day 24. You'll notice it tonight. Why can't our good works be our righteousness before God, or at least part of them? And the clear answer to that, the clear answer to that question is, God's standard is perfection. We all know. I might have you think a little bit about how much we've missed that standard tonight. I think we'll do a little bit of that, but I think that's partly the whole point of reading the law every Sunday is that we, even as Christians, still miss this standard of perfection. And that's why we have to read the law and confess our sins together and receive forgiveness from the Lord. That's an important part of worship, isn't it, boys and girls? But we fight this mere fact that we still have this sinful nature and that really the sins that we commit sometimes are very hard to see. So I want to begin with a scene that opens up here everything in answer to that first question of Lord's Day 24. The first question there, why can our good works be our righteousness before God, or at least part of our righteousness as we're considering the standard? And I want you to notice here, the key to this entire section tonight is a little phrase that is permeated all throughout those sections that I read. Anyone catch it? Entering the kingdom of heaven. It's a big phrase in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew talks a lot about entering the kingdom of heaven. And that little phrase is used, I didn't count all the times. It's a lot in Matthew. Matthew finds that phrase very significant in his use. In fact, listen to how Jesus spoke to the Pharisees for a minute. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. That's quite an indictment. Jesus in his coming to earth brought the kingdom of heaven. Coming to Jesus was coming to the kingdom of heaven. Coming to Jesus and entering Jesus, you entered in to the kingdom of heaven through him by faith. You believed and you came to him. And what Jesus was dealing with all over Matthew was the Pharisees causing this great problem. So I think that's why it's really important that Jesus has to root this thinking out of his disciples. What did the Pharisees do to keep people out of the kingdom of heaven? And that's where we begin. Jesus is preaching and teaching and little children are being brought to him. Then the children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people. Now think about what I just said. The Pharisees shut people out of the kingdom of heaven. What just happened? They just shut people out of the kingdom of heaven. See, this is, now I could go off on baptism right now and tell you how important infant baptism is, couldn't I? Calvin said, why would we deny the sign of entrance of the kingdom of heaven to infants? It's an important question. It's a sign of the entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Why would we do that? Because they're so weak? Because they don't have great minds? Because they can't walk to the baptismal font? Because they can't make the decision for Jesus right now? These are important questions, aren't they? So here they come. They're being carried to Jesus. And the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, no. You let the little children, little infants, come to me and do not hinder them. For to such belongs the kingdom of heaven. Wow. Pharisees shutting people out of the kingdom of heaven. these get into the kingdom of heaven. That must have been mind-blowing for the disciples. They can't do anything to get in the kingdom. That's really perplexing. Must have been one of those moments, oh, here he goes again. I just, I have no idea what that means. I have no idea what Jesus means. They're crying in church again. You know, you felt that. Little infant crying off in the corner, you know. Take him out. Of course, you're not like that anymore. You're not troubling at all anymore. See, this is the mentality of the disciples. These attitudes toward the infants and their parents. Don't bother Jesus with these people, these infants. They can't think. They can't walk. They don't have minds to process. They haven't professed faith yet. Put them out. No. You bring them right now. Bring them right up here to me. now Jesus stops and he lets the little children come and they come I don't know if you've given any thought to this but what's clear is that Jesus here is having the disciples it's a training moment for the disciples to look upon these little infants being carried by their parents to which the sign of baptism is the sign of the kingdom theirs is the kingdom it's a remarkable statement what Jesus just said is to enter eternal life to enter the kingdom you have to be carried to me you have to be brought you don't have the power or the worthiness or the strength to come you have to enter like an infant you have to enter like that little child It's one of the precious things about children until they get to about age 10, 12. They'll believe anything, won't they, dad says. And then it comes out, what, what? And then they challenge dad. Okay, we get the point. I'm working on my family here. I don't know if you knew that, but I was trying to. So you have to enter recognizing here that you have no strength. So Matthew records this mighty now public figure in the next breath that comes to Jesus. It was everything everyone wanted to be in life. rich, young, probably very handsome, powerful, and he asked to enter the kingdom. This is a remarkable thing. He wants to enter the kingdom of heaven. He wants to enter, listen, and behold, a man came up to him saying, teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life? It's an interesting moment that the question of good deeds is raised, isn't it? I mean, the Pharisees, you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. How were they doing, just like the disciples, to keep people away from Jesus? How were they doing? With a natural assumption that the way to God, the way to please God, the way into the kingdom has to do with the righteousness that must exceed that of the common folk. It's exactly why Jesus said at one point, well, if you want to talk that way, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you're not going to enter the kingdom of heaven. You're not going to enter my kingdom. So there's the standard. It leaves open the question, what level of righteousness, what amount of good deeds, what good deed do I need to do and what standard of which to keep to enter the kingdom and the question of the rich young ruler captures how people naturally think about salvation, not even salvation, salvation's out in this discussion, about pure entering on our own merits eternal life, what's naturally built into us. Now you see why question 62 is so important. Why can't our good deeds be our righteousness before God? Or at least part, what good deed? Just give me one. And I'll do it. Some in the history of the church have said what is being communicated here is that God gives us an ability to produce the righteousness that we need to enter so that it's still something we do to enter. It's not what Jesus does here. What I want you to notice here is how Jesus addresses him. So we've had the infants brought. Now comes this figure to Jesus. Why do you ask me about what is good? There's only one who is good. You're asking me about good deeds to enter the kingdom? And you think you can perform them? Or you just look at me as some, clearly Jesus is responding to the real lack of respect that he had no idea who he approached. You look at me as just someone who can do these good deeds as some natural person along with you? Truly God is good. But here's the standard. There is a standard. If you want to enter eternal life. Again, the question is not salvation. When people came to Jesus and said, what must I do to be saved? Book of Acts, repent and believe. If you want to enter eternal life on your own, no salvation, on your own, merit it yourself. Here's the standard. You shall not murder. Keep the commandments. he said, which ones? Jesus said, you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor your father and mother, and you shall love your neighbors yourself. So Jesus goes after the second table of the law, and in order, the commandments are six, seven, eight, nine, and five. There's a purpose to that. I just haven't figured that out yet. Maybe Dr. Godfrey knows. You could ask him afterward. He likes those kind of things to figure that out. What everyone should ask is, what is the commandment that is left out of those? And that's the 10th. Of course, the first four are left out. That's another important question. But we'll stay with this question. Jesus purposely avoided the 10th because he's putting something on display for the disciples. What good deed do I need to do? How will this man measure up to the standard? Let's put the standard in front of them. And Jesus does that. Will he enter with his own righteousness? And the young man says, yes, I can do it. I've kept them all. All these I've kept. What do I still lack? What an arrogant question to Jesus. What an arrogant question. Here's the holy God of Israel, human flesh, kind of taking on a human nature, standing there. I've kept your law. Well, Jesus said to him, if you would be perfect, here's the standard. Go, sell what you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow me. when the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions. The commandment that he did not keep was the tenth. Thou shalt not covet. You have this, you have a lot in life. You're very successful. You want glory on your own terms. You want eternal life on your own terms. You want eternal life on your own performance. Let me tell you, Here's your problem. You're holding on to your stuff. Really. You can't carry that to heaven. So, you want to enter glory. You want perfection. Because that's the standard of God. Then you'll have true treasure if you sell everything you have and you give that to the poor. Because that's your problem. You're a covetous person. Then come back and we'll talk. You have all this baggage holding you back. Now this is all set in contrast to what? Children being brought to Jesus. Who can't walk. Who can't do anything. Who are being carried by their parents to Jesus. And Jesus says you need to be like that to enter. I mean I could start tonight. Right here. You don't trust God as a little child does. If he told you to sell your homes, give it all to the poor down in Mexico, stop the facade, lead a perfect life, and then you'll enter glory. Feel the weight of that. Anyone here putting up the hand? I don't think anyone's putting up the hand. I don't think anyone's putting up the hand. Well, then if you say, oh, I'd do it. I'd do it for Jesus. Then he might go to the sixth commandment. You've got a lust problem. Or he might go to the seventh commandment. What about that person you're not reconciling with? Or he might go to the eighth commandment. I know what you've been taking. Or he might go to the first. You haven't bowed down to me. Walks away sad. Truly, truly, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again, I tell you, it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished. Who then can be saved? That's the question of the text. And the gospel here is that with man, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible. Jesus is here. That's why it's possible. Because the true, holy, just one, the perfect one has come to lay down his life. But all of a sudden, Peter pipes up. Well, hold on, hold on. We've left everything for you. We left the fishing business. It's not really sinking in yet, is it? It's not really sinking in yet with the contrast of what has just happened here. And so, notice immediately the theology of the little bit comes out, the good deed. What do we get? Now, isn't that question an answer here? 63. I think you could put this right here in the text. How can our works be said, good works be said to merit nothing when God promises to reward them in this life and the next. How can you say that, Jesus? Haven't you talked about promises and rewards? Haven't you talked about we've left everything for you? And isn't that the issue that comes up? And Jesus now says something absolutely surprising. Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who followed me will also sit on 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for my sake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. You're right. You're going to be given something great. You're going to be given a great position in heaven. You will sit on thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel. Yep, see, told you, we left all for this, you know. And everyone who's left everything for me is going to receive a hundredfold, and they will inherit eternal life. You're going to be given all this. You're going to get great rewards in the kingdom. Do you know that? Jesus is not just saying this superfluously. He's saying this, and he really means it. You're going to be given great rewards on that day. He is going to reward the good works that you have done. But then comes a bomb. But many who are first will be last, and the last first. To which you stop and say, that's the crucial key of this text. What does that mean? Okay, infants brought, they're last. Me, I've left everything, I'm first. Uh-oh. Who goes first? Me or the infant? If we say that entering eternal life is based on our works, who enters first? Not the infants. How can you say that? You can't say that. Because if it's based on our works, the infants can't go first. But, but, but, no, they're going first. I'm confused. They've done nothing. I'm confused. Jesus is saying just what our Heidelberg says, by the way. The reward is not merited. It is a gift of grace. the reward is not merited. It is a gift of grace. Whatever you have, whatever you've done, it's a gift. God gave you to exercise and he's going to reward it all in the principle of grace. And Jesus drives it home with a parable. If you're teaching Jesus that we enter it's all of grace, won't that make people apathetic and indifferent? Isn't that the last question here? Really? The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard and agreeing with the laborers for denarius a day. He sent them into his vineyard and going out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace and said to them, you go in the vineyard and whatever's right, I'll give you. So they went. Going out again, sixth hour, ninth hour, he did the same. The first ones were there for a long time in the vineyard doing a lot of work. They built that vineyard beautiful. They worked hard for the Lord. Daenerys, of course, was a day's wage for the average labor. And the thing you get is that they had come to this agreement, this contractual agreement. But it's striking for notice here, it doesn't seem to be that they're there for the wrong reasons. It seems like they're there for the wrong reasons. It doesn't seem like they really appreciate working in the vineyard. It seems like they're just there. And then comes this remarkable thing in verses 3 through 7. You have the opposite thing portrayed. The landowner seeks to add to his vineyard. And so he goes out at the third hour, and he saw some standing in the marketplace, and he says, you go into the vineyard, and I'll give you whatever's right. Nobody knows what that was. Rewards. So they went, and then the sixth hour, and the ninth hour. He did likewise, and then he went out at the eleventh hour. You've been standing here idle all day, said this gracious landowner. Oh my, come into my vineyard at the eleventh hour. That's 5 p.m. at the end of a work day. You don't bring in a worker then. He's no good to you. He went out at nine, twelve, three, and five to bring people into his vineyard. These workers, I'll give you whatever I decide, whatever's right. How much are you going to pay? No, it's not there. That's not there. We get to come into the vineyard? We get to come into your vineyard? We're coming. Let's go. Let's go. So they went. Think of Peter's question. We've left all to follow you. What do we get? Great things, says Jesus. Great things. Imagine hiring somebody at 5 o'clock when the workday ends at 6. How much does that say about the unspeakable mercy and grace of the landowner who would hire somebody for one hour of work? He's not getting much out of them. Did you know that? The landowner seemed to care more about the idleness of the people than the fact of saying, what can I really get out of these people that's going to make me something? Jesus leaves this to consider. When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his servant, Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first. Now when he hired, the hired servants later in the day said to Lanner, I'll give you what's ever right. We might expect them to receive less. What did they get? The denarius. Even those at the 11th hour got the denarius. I mean, that's not fair. I bore the hardship of the day. I was in the sun. You brought him in in the cool of the day to work. You've given him the same amount of money? This is what comes out now. That's verse 12. These last have worked one hour and you make them equal to us. But this gracious good man, this gracious landowner, said, friend, I'm doing you no wrong. Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to the last man the same as you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things, or is your eye evil because I am good? And the question of the text, where would you be without sovereign grace in God bringing you into his kingdom? at whatever point in your life. He will reward greatly on that day. He will reward greatly on that day the works that he gave you to do, all on the principle of grace. None of it merited your entering. Jesus came to die for you to make salvation possible and accomplished. And I think that's why Jesus ends with, so the last shall be first and the first last. All those who despise grace and think that it's based on their performance are the hearts whose ones are evil. But those who come in by grace, who appreciate the landowner and have a place in his kingdom and understand the marvelous gift that's been given to them, it's impossible for them not to produce fruits of gratitude. That's the end of the Lord's day. Because they were brought in on that principle and they were rewarded on that principle. The first are those who think by their strength that they do a lot of good deeds to deserve the greatest reward. The last are those like those infants who realize their whole life they've been carried by God, have been brought by His grace starting right from the beginning of their life or whenever they were brought into the kingdom and baptized. They were carried to that place no matter the age. And it's always been that way. And that's the principle on which the kingdom of heaven operates. That's how we enter. All of it is wonderful, sovereign grace. That's really good news. Grace doesn't make people indifferent, beloved. It champions people, wins their heart to want to serve in the vineyard with this kind of humble, contrite, thankful heart that God would consider them and graciously bring them in to the vineyard and save them through the blood of his own son. This is the good news. This is the place works have, and that's what God has done for you through Jesus. Let's praise him together tonight. Heavenly Father, thank you for showing us this big story to help us understand your great work in our lives. Yes, your rewards will be great, and what a day that will be. But we stop and realize tonight, no matter when we were brought into the vineyard, You graciously brought us all in and the works that you gave us to do were prepared beforehand that we should walk in them for your praise and your glory. May this produce in us humble hearts, thankful hearts, and active servants in your kingdom who appreciate the landowner, who love the landowner for so great a gift. May we realize, oh Lord, The privilege it is when a little infant is being carried up here that we are being shown how we are brought into the kingdom of heaven. Thank you, O Lord, tonight for your word. In Jesus' name, amen.