The admonition to seek God first continues to flow into that aspect that we’re so familiar with in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew.  He says, “Listen, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these other things will be added to you.”  Amen?  Why are you caught up with stuff?  What are you worrying about?  What are you laying up for?  Take no thought for the morrow.  We say we’re believing God and trusting God.  What’s the fruit?  He goes on, Matthew 19, verse 23, “Verily, I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”  Has that gotten your attention, yet?

We said it’s tough for a rich man to get into heaven.  That’s what Jesus said.  Now we begin to see an illustration, here.  It kind of goes from tough to impossible unless God’s the source of it; amen?  Because “with God all things are possible.”  But if God is not the Lord of all our money, it is impossible.  That’s basically what’s being said, here, in this context.  What is the power of this stuff?  What is this stuff gaining its power from?  Pride.  Selfishness.  Personal lordship.  Ambition.  Boy, that doesn’t sound like the fruit of the Spirit, does it?  You see what it appeals to, and what appeals to it?  It’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.  His disciples heard that and were amazed, saying, “Who then can be saved?”

Now the faith teachers would tell us that his disciples were all filthy rich and were astonished at this doctrine because they were so wealthy and taken aback.  They were relatively wealthy, but you had a common business in those days, they weren’t in poverty.  They were people that had abundance.  Peter and Andrew and the fishing family.  Peter, interestingly to me, “We have left all and followed you.”  Hmm.  Then what was it he went back to when things began to fail around him?  He said, “I go a fishing.”  You know what would be a good idea?  Don’t leave any bridges back to the world or to self or to natural trust, and believe God.  Jesus’ response to him was very clear, “There’s no man that’s left everything and followed Me, but that he would receive in this life a hundredfold and in the life to come eternal life.”

But it’s not like the faith teachers teach it.  “Give us 10 bucks and God will give you a thousand.”  He said, “There’s no man that has left all and followed Me but that he would receive…”  Jesus, speaking to this rich young man said, “You’ve got to get rid of all of it.”  Now is that a Bible principle, then, that we can look at and go “That’s the standard”?  Well, not really.  Because when he dealt with Zacchaeus, it was 50 percent that he gave and went back and made restitution.  It’s a matter of the heart.  These are matters that all of us have to resolve in our own hearts as to how much we’re under the control of our flesh, of the world’s system, of the lusts of the flesh, the pride of life.

How powerful this is!  I just wish that it could take hold of our spirits.  Come to the place of absolute abandonment of everything that this world is offering you.  You’ll receive in this life a hundredfold and in the life to come eternal life.  How does that hundredfold come to us?  It doesn’t necessarily come in our bank account and add two more zeros.  It comes through what Jesus taught on the Sermon on the Mount, “Seek first the kingdom of God.”  Well, there are other laws that go into effect.  I’m seeking first the kingdom of God.  As I sow, it’ll be given to me again; amen?  There are laws of sowing and reaping.  You may not ever receive it in your own personal bank account.  But a hundredfold, we have brothers and sisters around us that help us in times of adversity; amen?