Very glad to have this opportunity of seeing you, dear brothers and sisters.
I would like to read from the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 4. We begin with verse 17.
From that time began Jesus to preach, and to say, Repent ye; for the kingdom of the heavens is at hand.
And walking by the sea of Galilee, He saw two brethren, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishers.
And He saith unto them, Come ye after Me, and I will make you fishers of men.
And they straightway left the nets, and followed Him.
And going on from thence He saw two other brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them.
And they straightway left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
And Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom.
As we open the New Testament, we find four Gospels there: the Gospel according to Matthew, the Gospel according to Mark, the Gospel according to Luke, and the Gospel according to John.
We are told by the apostle Paul in Galatians that there is only one gospel. If anybody should come and preach another gospel, that is not a gospel. And yet we find, at the beginning of the New Testament, four Gospels.
Of course, we know that this does not mean that we have four different gospels, four gospels of different kinds. Actually, what we have here is the four aspects of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus is so full and rich that we have to approach Him from four different directions. Or, to put it another way, these four Gospels are four different presentations of our Lord Jesus as these men knew and experienced Him.
In a sense, I think today we know more of the Gospel according to Luke. Why? When we think of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we usually think of how our sins can be forgiven. The Gospel according to Luke shows us that our Lord Jesus has come, and because He has died for us on Calvary’s cross, our sins can be remitted.
And probably some other Christians come to know a little bit more, and they know the Gospel according to John. Why? Because as they believe in the Lord Jesus, not only are their sins forgiven, but they have received eternal life. That is what the Gospel of John shows us. Our Lord Jesus has come. He who has the Son has eternal life.
And maybe some other Christians come to know the gospel a little bit more than that—not only knowing the gospel as forgiveness of our sins, or as receiving eternal life, but seeing that Christ came into this world not to be ministered unto, but to minister. In other words, after they have believed in the Lord Jesus, they feel that they should serve the Lord; they should work for God.
But, dear brothers and sisters, I feel very deeply that among God’s people, it seems as if the Gospel according to Matthew is very much overlooked.
As we approach the gospel of Jesus Christ, we see forgiveness of sin there. As we approach the gospel of Jesus Christ, we see eternal life there. As we approach the gospel of Jesus Christ, we see service there. But somehow, among God’s people, the Gospel according to Matthew is very much neglected.
But as we look into the New Testament, we find that, in God’s sovereignty, the Gospel according to Matthew comes first. Of course, this is not chronologically true. But in God’s sovereignty, we find that the Gospel according to Matthew stands first, and then it is followed by the Gospel according to Mark, according to Luke, and according to John.
And I do believe that there is a meaning to it. In other words, as the gospel of Jesus Christ is presented to us, it is the will of God that we should see Christ according to the Gospel of Matthew, and know why He came into this world. If we see this first, there we find the purpose of the gospel.
I believe, in a sense, we all know what the Gospel according to Matthew is, because the Gospel according to Matthew presents Christ to us as the King. The purpose of His coming into the world is to establish His kingdom upon this earth.
We can say that the Gospel according to Matthew is the King and the kingdom. The King has come to this world, and He comes to establish His kingdom upon this earth. Now, this is the Gospel according to Matthew.
But even though we know what the Gospel according to Matthew is, probably, so far as our life and experience go, we know very little of how Christ is King in our life. Probably we know very little about the kingdom of the heavens. What is the kingdom of the heavens? How does it come? When? Where? What is His relationship with us today, so far as our daily life is concerned?
So I do believe that there is a need for us to enter into a clearer understanding and appreciation of the Gospel according to Matthew.
We find in Matthew chapter 24 that it is said:
This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.
Now, I believe that oftentimes we say that the gospel must be preached to all the nations. We want everybody to hear the name of our Lord Jesus. We want to evangelize the world. That is true.
But sometimes we forget that in the Gospel according to Matthew it is very clearly stated: the gospel, or the glad tidings, of the kingdom must be preached to all the nations as a witness to them, and then the end shall come.
Dear brothers and sisters, I do believe that we are living toward the end of this age. It does seem that this age cannot last very long. We do have the feeling that the end is coming soon.
And because we are living at the close of this age, it is of immense importance that the gospel of the kingdom must be recovered. In other words, this aspect of the gospel must be recovered.
The aspect of the gospel concerning the forgiveness of sin has been preached and understood. The gospel of Jesus Christ in the aspect of eternal life has also been proclaimed and received. And the Gospel according to Mark—how we need to serve as Christ did serve—has also been practiced by Christians.
But, dear brothers and sisters, how much of this aspect of the gospel, of the kingdom, do we really know and enter into, so that it becomes a reality and a power in our life? I do believe that this aspect of the gospel must be restored, because the gospel of the kingdom must be preached to all the nations, and then the end shall come.
People are talking about the Great Commission. When our Lord Jesus was received up into heaven, He gave this great commission to the church: “Go ye to the nations.”
According to Matthew chapter 28, it is, “Go ye to the nations.” To do what? To evangelize the nations? No. Go ye to the nations and disciple the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them all that our Lord Jesus has enjoined us. And He will be with us until the end of this age.
What is the Great Commission? The Great Commission is, “Go ye.” What are we to do? It is more than to evangelize the nations; it is to disciple the nations.
Now, what do you mean by discipling the nations? What do you mean by bringing people into discipleship to Christ? Here you find two qualifying clauses. One is baptizing them into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Now, oftentimes we hear people say, “I believe in the Lord Jesus. Why must I be baptized? Can I be saved just by believing in the Lord Jesus and not being baptized?” Should we insist that if you only believe in the Lord Jesus and are not baptized, you are not saved, as some people do?
Now, we do acknowledge that if we believe—“He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life”—we believe with our heart and are justified. Then why should we be baptized?
One reason why we must be baptized is in relation to this matter of discipling. To be discipled to Christ requires baptism. Why? Because what is baptism? Baptism is going through death, burial, and resurrection.
In other words, if a person is to be discipled to Christ, he has to die to the past, be buried out of sight, and then come up in a new way. That is what baptism really means. Unless this is true, you cannot be His disciple.
But, of course, discipleship is more than that: teaching them all that our Lord Jesus has enjoined us. And that is discipling.
Now, what is discipling? It is the gospel of the kingdom. In other words, it is more than just a matter of believing in the Lord Jesus and receiving all the blessings. It is committing yourself to the Lord, coming under His rule, and letting Him transform you.
So, as a matter of fact, this is the Great Commission. The Great Commission is more than evangelizing the nations; it is discipling the nations. It is the gospel of the kingdom. The gospel is more than something to believe; it is also something to obey.
But, dear brothers and sisters, this aspect of the gospel, I am afraid, is very much neglected. Therefore, as we are drawing to the close of this age, I do believe that the gospel of the kingdom must be recovered. It must be recovered among God’s people, and unless that is recovered, the end will be prolonged.
So it is of utmost importance, dear brothers and sisters, that we come to know the gospel of the kingdom, this aspect of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
As we open this Gospel according to Matthew, we find that it begins with the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.
Our Lord Jesus, in His genealogy, is the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. As the name of David is mentioned, I believe immediately we see David the king. David, in Scripture, is the representation of kingship.
Even though in the genealogy you find the names of a number of persons who were kings, only David is entitled “David the king.” Why? Because David is the embodiment of kingship.
Now, in the genealogy of our Lord Jesus, it is especially pointed out that He is the Son of David. Yes, He is the Son of David, and yet He is greater than David. He is the Lord of David. He is the King. David is just a type of Christ.
David’s kingship is but a shadow, a representation. The reality is in Christ Jesus. He is God’s King. He is the King that God has anointed on Zion, and to Him God has given the earth as His inheritance.
He is the Son of Abraham because in Abraham, being his Seed, all the nations shall be blessed. And we know the seed is not seed in the plural number, as Paul points out in Galatians; it is seed in the singular number. That is to say, it is Christ.
So our Lord Jesus is the Heir of all things. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. The very reason for His coming into this world is to establish His kingdom upon this earth.
Now, sometimes we think that the Lord Jesus came into this world to save sinners. It is true: His very name, Jesus, means that He shall save His people from their sins. He came into this world that He may save us. He may forgive our sins. He is our Savior. Thank God for that. He is.
And sometimes we know that He came into this world that we may have life, and have it more abundantly. He said that in John chapter 10: “I am come that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” That is why He came into this world, and that is true.
He came into the world, saying, “I came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give My life a ransom for many.” And He did. It is true: He has served us, and He has redeemed us.
But there is another reason why He came into this world. He came into this world to establish His kingdom upon this earth.
He was born a King. Even though He was born in a manger, the wise men, seeing His star, came to Jerusalem and said, “Where is He that is born King of the Jews?” When they found Him in Bethlehem, they worshipped Him, because He was born King of the Jews.
And yet His kingdom does not belong to this world. We remember our Lord Jesus said, “I am born a King, but My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, that I should not be delivered; but now is My kingdom not from hence.”
Now, even though His kingdom is not of this world, this is the reason why He came into this world: to establish His kingdom upon this earth.
Dear brothers and sisters, do we recognize Him as King? Do we see His kingdom? What is His kingdom? What is it that He comes to set up and establish? Are we involved in it? Do we belong to it? In what respect are we related to it? I think these are the things that we have to ask ourselves.
When our Lord Jesus began to preach, the Bible says that after John the Baptist was put in prison, our Lord Jesus came forth in His public ministry. When He started in His public ministry, what was the message that He preached?
“Repent; for the kingdom of the heavens is at hand.”
In other words, His message to the Jews at that time was, “Repent; for the kingdom of the heavens is at hand.” It was the same message that John the Baptist preached.
If we think just for a little while, it sounds very strange in a sense. Why? Because the Jews at that time were not in Babylonian captivity.
Once they were in Babylonian captivity. Jerusalem lay in ruins. The temple was destroyed. There were no sacrifices. But God, in His mercy, allowed His people to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.
During that period, when the children of Israel were in Babylonian captivity, God was never addressed as the God of the heavens and of the earth. He was only addressed as the God of the heavens. Not that God did not rule over the earth, but it was because He had no testimony upon earth.
The children of Israel were God’s testimony on earth, but they failed in bearing the testimony of God among the nations. They were in captivity. So during that time God was no longer recognized as the God of the heavens and of the earth; He was only recognized as God of the heavens. He had no testimony upon this earth.
But, thank God, after seventy years of captivity, the children of Israel returned to Jerusalem. Even though it was only a remnant that returned, they came back. They rebuilt the temple, reinstituted the priesthood, restored the sacrifices, and, under Nehemiah, rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem.
Even though later on they were under Roman control, at the time of Christ the Jews were not a free people. They were under the rule of the Roman Empire. Yet many Jews resided in Palestine, though many were still scattered all over the world. There were Jews inhabiting the promised land.
Jerusalem as a city was restored. The temple was there. It was even enlarged and beautified by King Herod—a tremendous edifice. The priesthood was functioning in the temple. Even though when they came back they did not have twenty-four courses, they managed to make twelve courses. So day and night the priests served in the temple. The sacrifices were going on, and the songs were sung.
And more than that, when they came back from Babylonian captivity, they brought back the system of synagogues too. During the time of captivity there was no temple, and they wanted to worship God. So they developed this system of synagogues. They could worship God wherever they were.
If there were ten Jews, they could have a synagogue. So synagogues sprang up everywhere. It was so convenient. In the synagogue they sang songs, they prayed, they read the Torah—the five books of Moses—and the prophets. They exhorted people. There was quite liberty in synagogue services.
The only thing they could not do was sacrifice. That was the only thing they could not do. But according to the law, without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. So when they came back to rebuild the temple and restore the sacrifices, they brought back the system of synagogues. Aside from the temple, they had many synagogues. They came to the temple to worship, but they also gathered in the synagogues.
And not only that, you find there were the scribes and the Pharisees. They were people who copied the Bible and made a special study of the Bible. There were people who tried to keep, to the very letter, the word of the law. There were rabbis and teachers.
Outwardly, the nation of Israel—the Jews at that time—were a very religious and pious people. Their religion was of such a nature that many Gentiles were attracted to Judaism.
We know that at that time many Gentiles left their heathen religions and joined Judaism as proselytes—sometimes full proselytes, sometimes half. But anyway, you find that the Jewish people at the time of Christ were considered a most religious and pious people. They were worshippers of the true God, and their Judaism was admired by the heathen world.
And yet, when our Lord Jesus began to preach, He had only one message for this people. It is true that the same message was preached by John the Baptist.
Now, brothers and sisters, you must remember one thing. After the voice of God in Malachi, the prophet Malachi, for four hundred years God did not speak a word. For four hundred long years, God was silent to His own people. There was no prophet. There was no voice of God.
But suddenly the voice came. No wonder it stirred the whole nation. When God began to speak to His people through John the Baptist and through our Lord Jesus, God had only one word for His people. God had only one message for His people, and the message was, “Repent. Repent.”
Certainly, we would appreciate this message if it were given to the world. The world needed repentance. And that is the reason why, at that time, the Pharisees and the scribes did not appreciate that message. As a matter of fact, they were very hostile to such a message.
Why? Because they thought that certainly the world needed repentance, but not them. They were a religious people, a pious people. If the message said, “Reform, improve,” I believe they would have accepted it. Certainly, there is always room to reform and to improve.
Even Nicodemus, the rabbi of Israel, came to the Lord Jesus with the idea that there was room for improvement. Nicodemus was not just one of the rabbis; he was the rabbi of Israel. He essentially represented the thought of the rabbis at that time. He was a humble man.
But to repent—that was something they could not accept. That is one of the reasons why they rejected the Lord Jesus. Yet God had only one message for His people at that time: repent.
Why? Why repent? Did they need to repent of their temple service? It was instituted by God. Did they need to repent for offering sacrifices and gifts? They were ordained by God. Did they need to repent of their study in the Word of God? The oracles of God were given by God to them.
Was it wrong to pray? Was it wrong to sing songs? Was it wrong to keep the law? Did they need to repent of these things? Certainly not, because these things were given by God and commanded by God.
They were not perfect. They needed to be perfected, improved, developed. But certainly not repented of. Why? Because the word repent is a very strong word.
Now, what is the meaning of repent, or repentance? We know that according to the word itself, it means a change of mind—a change of mind. You change your mind so completely that you change your direction.
It is not just turning to the left a little, turning to the right a little, correcting five degrees or ten degrees. No. Repentance means a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree change, a complete change. You acknowledge that the direction in which you are heading is the wrong direction, and you have to turn completely around and go the other direction.
Now, that is repentance. A change of mind is a strong word. How could the Jews accept that? They could not, because they were religious, because they were pious, because they were doing the things that God commanded. They felt that they could not change their mind. They were in the right direction. They might have deviated a little bit and needed to be corrected a few degrees, but certainly not to repent.
Now, you can understand why the Pharisees and scribes found it so difficult to repent, because they just could not see it.
Once upon a time, there was a convention of theologians. Theologians of different countries and different backgrounds came together. It was a convention on the doctrines, the truth, and the teachings of the Bible.
During the convention, many learned doctors and theologians gave their dissertations on different subjects. One of the subjects was repentance. Some of the learned doctors gave their dissertations, and they tried to tell the people what repentance is. But the more they talked about repentance and gave their dissertations, the more confused the people became, because it was too deep.
Finally, an elderly retired missionary from the foreign field sat at the back, listening to all the dissertations of these learned doctors. He could not stand it anymore. So he raised his hand and said, “Mr. Chairman, can you give me a few minutes to speak on repentance?”
The chairman looked at that elderly retired missionary and thought, “What learning does he have? What can he talk about repentance?” But out of respect for his many years of service in the foreign field, the chairman said, “All right, I will give you five minutes.”
So that missionary got up. He was sitting right at the back, and he started to walk toward the platform, the pulpit. As he walked down the middle aisle, he raised his two hands and began to shout, “I am going to hell! I am going to hell! I am going to hell!”
When he shouted, it electrified the whole assembly. People all looked at him and said, “Now he must be mad. This missionary must be mad.” But he shouted all the way until he got to the pulpit.
Then, as he got to the platform, he suddenly turned around and shouted, “I am going to heaven!” He said, “This is repentance.”
Now everybody knew what repentance is. There is repentance: turn around completely. It is a very serious, thorough, drastic word. No wonder the ruling class at that time could not accept that message.
Dear brothers and sisters, I wonder, as we are entering toward the end of this age, as we are expecting our Lord Jesus to return, what message does our Lord have for His people as a preparation to bring this age to an end and to bring in the King?
Does the Lord have a word for His people today? I believe He does. And what is the word? Repent.
Are we not a religious people? Are we not pious? Do we not have churches everywhere? If you go to any city, in the public square, probably three corners of the square are occupied by church buildings.
Do we not hear the gospel and hear the Word through radio and television? Do we not have more Bible schools in this country than anywhere in the world? Are we not very religious?
But, dear brothers and sisters, I do believe that God does have a word for us today, and the word is, “Repent.” We need to repent. Why?
We often think of repentance in terms of sins, shortcomings, faults, failures, defeats, and wrongs. Certainly, if we have sinned, we need to repent. If we come short, we need to repent. If we have done wrong, we need to repent. In other words, repentance to us is on negative ground. It is because of negative reasons that we need to repent.
But, dear brothers and sisters, when our Lord Jesus said, “Repent,” why did He say it? He gives a reason, and the reason is, “The kingdom of the heavens is at hand.” Do you see the connection here?
He called the Jews to repent, not because they had sinned—of course they had—not because they had shortcomings—certainly they did—but the reason why our Lord Jesus called them to repent was because the kingdom of the heavens was at hand.
Before the kingdom of heaven comes, you may be religious and pious, and you may be all right. But if the kingdom of heaven comes, what you are, how you live, and what you do are completely inadequate.
God may permit you to be religious for a time. But when the fullness of time comes, when Christ shall come, when He shall come to establish His kingdom upon this earth, all that you have done and all that you were are nothing. They do not help you a bit. On the contrary, they stand in the way. You have to repent.
They had to repent of their sacrifices. They had to repent of their priesthood. They had to repent of their temple worship. They had to repent of their prayers, their fastings, and their tithing. They had to repent of all these things. Yes, they had to.
Why? Not because these things did not originate from God, but because the reality had come. The shadows must disappear. If you continue to hold on to the shadows, you will reject the reality. That is the reason why you have to let the shadow go.
You cannot lean upon the shadows. You cannot lean upon the sacrifices anymore. Why? Because the Sacrifice has come. So all the sacrifices are past. If you still lean upon the goats and the bulls, the blood of goats and bulls, your sins will not be covered. You have to depend on the blood of the Lamb of God, Christ Jesus.
Do you see the point? You need to repent. You need to see that this thing has to go to death, to be buried out of sight. The shadows must pass, for the reality has come.
Dear brothers and sisters, is it not true with us today? We are on the verge of a great change. Yes, the end is coming soon. This age is drawing to a close, and our Lord Jesus is returning to establish His kingdom upon this earth.
This is enough reason for us to repent. Do not think of repentance just in negative terms. You may be good. You may be upright. You may be religious. You may be pious. But, dear brothers and sisters, the question is: What about the kingdom of the heavens?
What is your relationship with the kingdom of the heavens? What is your relationship with the King? In your life, is He the King?
And you know, the King there is not a constitutional king. He is an absolute monarch. Therefore, in the Bible, sometimes you find our Lord Jesus called “Lord.” The word Lord in some places is despotēs—despot. Not in the bad sense, but in the good sense.
In other words, does He have absolute authority over your life? Do you recognize Him as your King? Does He have absolute authority over your life—absolute, not relative? Is it true?
What is the kingdom of the heavens? The kingdom of the heavens is that the heavens do rule. The heavens do rule. That is to say, Christ rules absolutely over our life. Is that true with us?
If this is not true, we need to repent. Why? Because all our religiosity, all our piety, all our activities, all our services, all these things that are done in the name of the Lord Jesus, would not help us when His kingdom shall come.
Are we right before the Lord in relation to His kingdom? Dear brothers and sisters, I do believe that if we really see Him as the King, the absolute monarch, there is ground for each one of us to repent.
We need to see that our life has to be redirected. We need to see that our family life has to be redirected. We need to see that our church life has to be redirected.
We have to acknowledge that what we depended upon in the past is not sufficient—not only insufficient, but unfit for us to be in the kingdom of the heavens. Oh, we need to repent. That is the first thing that we must do.
Have we ever repented because we realized that the kingdom of the heavens has drawn nigh? If the message was true two thousand years ago, how much truer it must be with us today.
When our Lord Jesus said, “Repent; for the kingdom of the heavens is at hand,” He was presenting Himself to them as their King. He was to establish His kingdom among them.
But remember, the kingdom that He offered to the Jews at that time was not the Messianic kingdom that they expected. It was the kingdom of the heavens.
The Jews at that time were waiting for the Messianic kingdom. According to the prophecies, when the Messiah should come, He would restore the nation of Israel to be the first of the nations instead of the tail of the nations.
They thought that when Christ came, when the Messiah came, they would be delivered from the Roman yoke, and they would become the greatest nation in the world. They would teach all the nations.
When Christ came, in the beginning they gave Him the benefit of the doubt. He might be the Messiah. They were still willing to listen to Him. But their concept was the Messianic kingdom.
But Christ did not come to present to them the Messianic kingdom. He presented to them the kingdom of the heavens. He said, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
How the Jews misunderstood! There is a funny theory, the so-called postponement theory. They say that Christ presented a kingdom to the Jews, and because they rejected the kingdom, the kingdom was postponed and came to us, the Gentiles.
No, not so. In the first place, Christ never presented the Messianic kingdom to them. That He will do in the second coming. He presented the kingdom of the heavens to them—a heavenly kingdom, spiritual in nature.
No wonder they did not understand. They rejected Him. They said, “You are not the Messiah. You are not the Messiah that we expected, because You did not do that work.”
But that was not the reason why He came. Thank God, He was presenting to them the same kingdom as He is presenting to us today. It is the kingdom of the heavens. He is presenting the heavenly kingdom to us.
Brothers and sisters, how do we accept that offer? Number one, we have already mentioned: repent. We have to repent, brothers and sisters.
I believe the best way to prepare ourselves for the kingdom of the heavens is the spirit of continuous repentance.
Once a friend of mine, an elderly man, came to me. His son was a very famous medical doctor in Philadelphia, a brain surgeon. His daughter-in-law was a concert pianist. I knew the daughter-in-law when she was a little girl. They loved the Lord very much.
They felt that the Lord was coming soon, and in order to prepare themselves for the return of the Lord, they had to leave the world. So they led a group of people who migrated to northwest Canada, to the desert.
They got a piece of land, built their own cabins, and cultivated the land to be separated from the world and not contaminated. They thought they might prepare themselves for the return of the Lord.
This elderly father came to me with tears in his eyes. He said, “Brother Carl, is this the way to prepare for the return of the Lord?” They had left their elderly father behind.
The intention was good, but is it the way to prepare for the return of the Lord? Will that make you fit for His kingdom? How do you prepare yourself for the coming of the kingdom? How?
I heard some people say, “Well, if Christ shall come and find me on my knees praying, then suddenly I will be taken. I will be raptured. Or if, when Christ comes, I am preaching, I am preaching there—now that is the best way to go.”
Some people say, “Well, before Christ comes there will be difficult days. How do you prepare yourself? Store up enough food.” How? I know of only one way: repent.
Dear brothers and sisters, the more you see the Lord, the more you see the kingdom of the heavens, the more you need to repent. That is the reason why we should be in the spirit of continuous repentance. That kind of spirit will prepare us for the kingdom and for the King.
Number two: after the Lord had preached, “Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” a number of people did repent. Many of them repented under the ministry of John the Baptist. They became disciples of John the Baptist. Many more repented under the ministry of Christ.
But whether under the ministry of John or under the ministry of Christ, it was one ministry. Many repented and were baptized. The very fact that they were baptized proved that they repented. Why? Because baptism was a drastic act.
You went into the water to die, to be buried, and then out of the water in resurrection. In other words, they denied their past completely—the good end of it—that it was completely unfit. They were willing to deny all the past, let it be buried out of sight, and then come up on a new ground. That is what baptism was. So they did repent and were baptized.
Then the second thing came. Our Lord Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee. As He passed by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting nets because they were fishermen, and the Lord Jesus said, “Come, follow Me.”
They left all and followed the Lord. He went a little further and saw the two sons of Zebedee. They were mending the nets with their father. After you have cast the net, some might be torn, so you need to mend it to prepare for the next casting. They were mending the net, and the Lord Jesus said, “Come after Me.” They left all and followed Him.
Brothers and sisters, how do we enter into the kingdom of the heavens? After we have repented, then we come and follow the Lord. Follow Him. Now, this is discipleship.
The Lord said, “Come after Me.” The Lord did not say, “Come after My teaching. Come after this or that doctrine.” The Lord said, “Come after Me.”
When the Lord called, how did they respond? You find there was only one response: they left all and followed Him. Or, to put it another way, if you do not leave all, you cannot follow Him. It is as drastic as this.
Oftentimes we think that we can follow the Lord without leaving all. So far as the kingdom of the heavens is concerned, that is impossible. If you want to be in the kingdom of the heavens, you have to follow Him. But the only way to follow Him is to leave all and follow Him.
If you still cling to anything, you cannot follow Him. There is no way. Every time you find a call of discipleship, there is the response of leaving all.
Even when people came to Him and said, “I want to follow You, but let me go back first and say goodbye,” the Lord said, “No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Even when people came to Him and said, “Lord, I want to follow You, but let me bury my father first, and then I will come and follow You,” the Lord said, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
The kingdom of the heavens demands our leaving all and coming to Him. That is discipleship.
Dear brothers and sisters, I feel discipleship is very much misunderstood. I do not know anything in our Bible—in the New Testament, anyway—that says we are to be discipled to anybody else but to Him.
Can you show me a place where we are to be discipled to any human being aside from Christ? Even though Paul did say, “Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ,” how many disciples did Paul have?
There is only one place in the book of Acts, but it is a matter of manuscripts. After Paul was saved, he was in Damascus and began to preach. Then they wanted to arrest him, and the Bible says, “His disciples took him by night, and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket.”
But according to some manuscripts, it says “the disciples,” not “his disciples.” I personally doubt that it was “his disciples.” Why? Because he himself was a new Christian.
We are disciples of Christ, not of anybody else. It is true that some elderly or spiritually more advanced brothers and sisters help us in discipleship, but we are never discipled to anybody else but Christ.
The Lord said, “Come after Me. Come after Me. Put yourself under Me. Let Me transform you. Let Me conform you to My image. I am the only One who can do that.”
But in order that I may do that, you must leave all and follow Me. You must be detached from everything in order to be attached to Me. It is an absolute demand. Why? Because He is the King, and it is the kingdom of the heavens.
When a rich young ruler came to the Lord and said, “What can I do to inherit eternal life?” the Lord said, “Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but One, even God.”
“If thou wouldest enter into life, keep the commandments.” The young ruler said, “What commandments?” The Lord said, “Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery,” and so forth—the second table of the law.
The young man said, “All these things have I observed from my youth.” The Lord looked at him and loved him, and said, “Go, sell all thou hast, come and follow Me.”
That young man was sad. He was very rich. He loved his riches. He was attached to them; he was actually imprisoned by them. He could not let his riches go. Therefore, he went away.
And the Lord said, “How difficult it is for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
His disciples were amazed and said, “Who then can be saved?” The Lord said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”
Now, do not think that it is possible for men to leave all and follow the Lord. It is impossible. The Lord demands that which is impossible to man. He is the only One who has the right to make such a demand.
Do you think anybody else in this world could make such a demand? They have no right. But our Lord has every right to make that demand. He has to, because He is the King, the absolute Monarch. He is to build His kingdom among His people.
With men it is impossible. Brothers and sisters, are you able to leave all and follow Him? If you say you can, you do not know what is involved. You cannot. Nobody can.
But thank God, as you read on in the next chapter, you find there was another rich man, Zacchaeus. Possibly Zacchaeus was richer than this young man. This young man probably inherited his riches because he was still young. But Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector, and through extortion he must have accumulated so much wealth.
He wanted to see Jesus, and the Lord said, “Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.” And you know what happened?
The Lord did not say, “Leave all. Sell all your riches, give to the poor, and come and follow Me.” The Lord did not even say that.
But Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have wrongfully exacted aught of any man, I restore fourfold.”
According to the law, you only needed to pay one-fifth interest. That is all you needed to repay by law. But here you find he said, “Four times. I am willing to pay them four times.” If he did that, he was bankrupt. He became a poor man.
With men it is impossible, but with God all things are possible. If only that rich young ruler had told the Lord, “I cannot do it, but You can do it. Help me,” the Lord would have done it.
But he thought he could. He thought whether he could do it or not depended upon himself, so he could not. The same thing is true with us today, brothers and sisters.
The Lord does demand that we leave all and follow Him—Him and Him alone. Put ourselves under Him completely, detached from everything. We cannot do that, but He can. Will we let Him do it?
Now, it does not mean necessarily that you have to leave your family. Some people say, “How can I leave my family? How can I leave my children?” It does not mean that you have to leave your business.
It means simply this: Do you love Him more than all these? Will you let Him have the first place in your life? Let Him make every decision for you. Will you do that?
Even in the case of Peter, they left all and followed the Lord, but you find he still had his home, even his mother-in-law. He still had his boat. When the Lord used his boat, the Lord paid him with a boat full of fishes.
It is not the outward; it is the inward. If the inward is there, the outward is no problem. The rest is up to the Lord. But the Lord said, “Come. Follow Me.” Brothers and sisters, are we willing to come and follow Him?
I think, in conclusion, there is a story that I like so much. Probably some of you know about it. It is about F. B. Meyer.
You know, F. B. Meyer—we read his writings. He wrote many books, and some people say his English is so good that when he writes, you almost feel it and hear it. If he writes of a stream, you hear the water flowing by. He was a very gifted person.
As a young man, he was the pastor of a big church in Edinburgh. He loved the Lord. Then he heard C. T. Studd speak, and his life was transformed.
The story was this—without going into all the details; you can read it yourself. C. T. Studd advised him to go to the Lord and really give everything to the Lord. So he did.
He went to the Lord and told the Lord, “I give You this; I give You that.” One after another, he gave things to the Lord. But there was one thing he could not give. He wanted it for himself.
So he told the Lord, “Just let me keep this little thing.” He said the Lord came, put out His hand, and asked for the keys of his life.
So F. B. Meyer gave Him a bundle of keys. The keys represented all the different compartments and rooms of his house. But he kept back one little key for a closet.
The Lord said, “Give Me that little key.” He said, “No, Lord, if You will allow me to keep that little key—just a little bit, a little closet to myself—I am willing to serve You with double zeal.”
But the Lord said, “If I am not Lord of all, I am not Lord at all.” That is what F. B. Meyer said. Is that not true?
He said the Lord began to go away, and in his desperation he cried out. This is his famous prayer:
Lord, make me willing to be willing.
Take what I cannot give.
The Lord came back, took that little key from him, and he said the Lord spent quite a long time clearing out the house. After that, he was used of the Lord in a very special way.
Dear brothers and sisters, this shows us one thing: we cannot, but He can. All we need to do is say, “Lord, make me willing to be willing,” and He is willing. This is the gospel of the kingdom.
Shall we pray?
O heavenly Father, we do praise and thank Thee that our Lord Jesus is not only our Savior, but He is also our King.
He does not only come to shed His blood for the remission of our sins; He has come to establish His kingdom among His own people.
O Lord, we have to acknowledge that Thy kingship is not absolute in our lives. No wonder Thy kingdom has not come.
So we just humbly come to Thee and say, “Lord, make us willing to be willing.” We do want to give ourselves to Thee, because Thou dost deserve it.
We want Thee to come and be the absolute Monarch of our lives. Oh, that we may be Thy kingdom, and may Thy kingdom come.
In the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.