The Men God Chooses and Uses, Part 1

Let's pray together. Lord, we are grateful once again for the opportunity you give us to study your word. And we pray, Lord, that as we study it today, we would see your great sovereign purposes and how you choose people to be used by you to accomplish your great and wonderful purposes. In Jesus' name, Amen. Turn with me and your Bible to Luke chapter 6.

Luke chapter 6. And once again, we embark on one of those short passages that will turn into a very long series. Verses 12, 13, and 14. Give us the men God chooses and the men God uses. There's one thing we know about God. When God chooses somebody, He uses them. There's never been a man, listen carefully, there's never been a man that God chooses that He has not used. So if you're not being used by God, maybe you haven't been chosen by God. Because those in whom God chooses, He always uses. The question comes, how does He use you?

Well, I'm going to tell you right now, He's going to use you the same way He used these 12 knuckleheads. That's right, the apostles. Twelve knuckleheads that God chose in a very significant way to use in a great and mighty way. These are the men that began to turn the world upside down. These men, as we will see, are the men who instigated the turning of the world. They were used by God in such a fabulous way that the world was changed. They were used in such a fabulous way that you today and myself have heard the gospel because of these twelve men.

And so we're going to see some of the most common men used in the most uncommon kind of way. We're going to see the most ordinary kind of people used in the most extraordinary kind of way. And these men, these men, listen carefully, need to be your hero. You know, we all have heroes. Sometimes they're athletes. Sometimes they're musicians. Sometimes they're actors. Sometimes they're people from the academic world. Sometimes they're presidential heroes. Sometimes they're war heroes. We all have heroes.

We all have people we admire. We all have books we read about people we admire. And those are all good. But none of them can be compared, listen carefully, to these twelve men. None of them. They might be great people, but none of them are as great as these people. So what I want you to do over our next eight, nine, however many weeks it takes us to get through these twelve men, I want you to determine which one will be your hero. Which one will be the hero for your children? Because your children have got heroes.

Maybe they're on the Disney Channel, you know, like Hannah Montana. Maybe they're one of the stars from High School Musical, which has taken our country by rage. Maybe they're a star because they're an athlete. But you know, the bottom line is all of our children have heroes. And they need to have, as their heroes, one of these men. Now I would caution you that Judas would not be one of their heroes, okay? But we'll talk more about him as we go through the list of the apostles. But you need to understand, and I'm going to tell you exactly why they need to be your hero.

Not yet, but in about 15 minutes, okay? I'm going to tell you why they need to be your hero. Because of what God did for them. You'll see in a moment. Let me read to you the text we're going to cover.

It'll take us two weeks to introduce the text of the men, and then however long it takes us to get through these twelve men. Maybe ten weeks, maybe twelve weeks, maybe fourteen weeks, maybe more. Who knows? But it's going to take us a while, and you will get to know them in a way you've never known them before. You will know them as if they were sitting next to you in the pew. You will know them as if they were sitting in the car next to you as you traveled. You will be able to call them by name.

In fact, most of you couldn't even name the twelve apostles. Could you? We're not going to ask you to stand up and name them. If it's the classroom, I would say, hey Mary, why don't you stand up and give us the twelve apostles? In order, alphabetically. You know? We wouldn't do that. It'd be very embarrassing for most of us. But, when it's all said and done, you will see them in a new light. You will have a great appreciation for what they did. And you will have a greater appreciation for your God.

And how it is He would choose these men. Because the men He chose, He used. And the same way He used them is the exact same way He wants to use you. And that's important. Verse 12, Luke chapter 6. I want to look with you at four points. The first point is the moment they were chosen.

And then we're going to look at the means by which they were chosen. And then we're going to look at the mission for which they were chosen.

And then we're going to look at the men whom God chose. Four points. Many weeks. But when it's all said and done, you'll say, wow, I wish I would have known that 20 years ago. I wish I would have known this 30 years ago, 40 years ago. Because once knowing them, listen carefully, once you know these men, you will know your God all the more. Because as He reveals Himself in these men is how He wants to reveal Himself to you. This is going to be one fascinating study. Let me begin by talking to you about the moment they were chosen.

The text says, and it was at this time. This is the moment they were chosen. What is significant about this time? It's not about the fact that it was Monday or Tuesday, Thursday or Friday. It wasn't that it was like four o'clock in the morning or 12 o'clock in the afternoon. It's not talking about that kind of time. It's talking about the era in which they were chosen. It's talking about the season or the period in which they were chosen. It was at this time. What time is it that God chose these 12 men?

We know that there's about two years left in His earthly ministry. So it's about a year into His ministry and He chooses 12 men. Why did He choose them at this time, not at the beginning? Why did He choose them now and not at the very end? What is it significant about this moment that He chose them? Well, remember back in chapter 5, verse number 17, it says, and it came about one day that He was teaching and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing.

There we were introduced to the religious establishment. They had gotten word of Jesus of Nazareth and all of a sudden from the villages of Galilee, from Jerusalem, from all the surrounding district, these leaders, these religious leaders became very interested in the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth and they will be with Him all the way to the end. But it was in chapter 5, verse number 17, we were introduced to them and by the time we get to verse 11 of chapter 6, it says this, but they themselves were filled with rage and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

So from chapter 5, verse number 17 to chapter 6, verse number 11, the religious establishment had become so infuriated with the Messiah that we know from Matthew's account and Mark's account that they had plotted together how they might destroy Jesus. This was the time. It was a time when the religious establishment had decided we've got to do something to rid ourselves of Jesus that Jesus would go up into a mountain and pray and choose 12 men. It was at this time that He would choose them. His earthly ministry was going to be handed over to somebody else.

His earthly ministry was going to come to an end. So the preaching must continue. If people are going to get saved, then they need to hear the gospel, right? Faith cometh by hearing, hearing by the word of God. So if people are going to get saved, someone's going to have to preach, and so Jesus, knowing that His earthly life is soon to end, must choose men to carry on the preaching of the gospel. So He chose 12 men that would be those preachers. But notice who He didn't choose.

There was no scribe. There was no Pharisee. There was no Sadducee. There was no Rabbi. And there was no priest. So His choosing was not only a preparation of these men to fulfill the preaching of the gospel, but it also was a condemnation upon the religious establishment of Israel. So His choosing was a retribution against the religious establishment, because they had failed in their preaching of the truth. They themselves were corrupt. So He needed to choose men who were not corrupt, who could preach the truth.

As you recall, you can remember Jesus' first official act in His ministry when He went into Jerusalem on the Passover in John chapter 2.

And He made a whip, and He turned over the tables in the temple area, and began to run the Judaizers out of that area, because they had made His Father's house a den of thieves. Our Lord, once you begin to study the gospels, you begin to see how outraged He is against religion. How He speaks against the works-based system, because they had turned the people of God away from Him. And they have turned the people of God away from knowing what it means to get into glory. And so He became incensed with the establishment of Israel, the Judaizers, and their desire to turn people away from the truth.

So He would choose men. Men, for the most part, we don't even know. We know about Peter, John, James, maybe Andrew, but outside of those four, we know nothing at all about the others. We know that four of them were fishermen. We know that one was a tax collector. We know that one was a money grubber, a trader. But outside of that, we don't know hardly anything about the other men. But those are the ones that God chose. And He chose them at the precise moment. When the level of anger against Him was so intense, that's when He knew it was time to choose some men who would carry on the ministry of the preaching of the gospel, that people would know the truth.

He came with His own, John 1 tells us, and His own received Him not. The religious establishment wanted nothing to do with His grace, His message of faith, His message of forgiveness. They had developed a works-based system by which people would earn their way to heaven. They had totally turned the gospel away from the truth and got people to buy in to a false system. And Christ was angry with them. So what did He do? He needed to choose some men who would present the truth. So He couldn't choose anybody from the religious establishment.

And He didn't. He chose some common men to do the most uncommon task. And what God did with so little is absolutely astonishing. You know the story over in 1 Corinthians 1, a text that we've read quite frequently. It says in verse number 20, where is the wise man, Paul says, where is the scribe, where is the debater of this age? Paul says where are all the smart people when it comes to the gospel? Where are all the intelligent people when it comes to the gospel? Where are all the people in academia when it comes to the gospel?

Where are all the people from the world's perspective that are the most intelligent, the most wise? Paul says, where are they? He says, has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? He goes down and says this, consider your calling brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world, and the despised.

God has chosen the things that are not, that he might nullify the things that are, that no man should boast before God. But by his doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, that just as it is written, let him who boasts, boast in the Lord. God has always chosen people to perform a task. God's method has always been to choose whom he wishes. He's always chosen the obscure. He's always chosen those that the world would not choose.

And when he chooses them, they become absolutely incredible, because they cannot boast of themselves. They can only boast of God. And therefore God gets all the glory. And that's why their ministry becomes powerful, because it is empowered by God. Therefore God receives all the glory. And that's what happens with these men, uncommon men, ordinary men, called to do that which is uncommon and extraordinary, because God has a plan, and has a purpose. The moment they were chosen was the moment in which those who were religious, the Pharisees, the scribes, the priests, were against him.

So he had to choose men who could be strong for him, right? Remember Christ came to preach the truth. I told you last week that the reason, the most important thing in all the world is the truth. Nothing else can compare to the truth. That's all that matters. So when Christ came, he preached the truth. And those who are opposed to truth, hate those who preach the truth. And Christ was the consummate preacher of truth. So he needed men who would stand strong and preach the truth. He didn't choose warrior type guys.

He didn't choose any men from the military, although God chooses men from the military today. He didn't choose any mighty men in those days. He just chose some fishermen, a tax collector, a trader. He chose some guys that nobody knew, empowered them with the spirit so they could turn the world upside down for the sake of God. It's a credible, incredible story of how God chooses people and then uses them in a great and mighty way. The second thing I want you to notice is the means by which they were chosen.

This is absolutely breathtaking. Listen to what it says. And it was at this time that he went off to the mountain to pray. Now what mountain is it? I don't know. Didn't tell us which mountain it was. There are so many mountains in the land of Israel that you can choose any one of them and that might be the one. We don't know which mountain it was. But we do know that it was some mountain that he went off to pray. He sought solitude. Why? Because, listen, it was at the point of crisis that he would choose these men.

We can learn a lot of practical lessons about the ministry of Christ that when people were against him, when people wanted to kill him and destroy him, what did he do? He went off into a mountain. He sought solitude that he might commune with his father who was in heaven. Now listen to what the text says. It says that he went off to the mountain to pray and he spent the whole night in prayer. The whole night. The whole night he spent communing with God. It's one Greek word in the text. It means to endure through the night.

So he persevered in prayer throughout the entire night. As man, remember, Christ is fully man and fully God. And we will see that in this text. He is fully man. As man, he would go with his father in heaven and seek clarity. Seek discernment. Because he would lay aside his divine attributes as a man and depend solely upon his father who was in heaven. So he would go and seek his father's counsel, seek his father's will as to what he was to do and who he was to choose. He sought the will of his father in heaven.

All night he persevered in prayer. But listen to what it says. He spent the whole night in prayer to God. Literally it says he spent the whole night in the prayer of God. That's different isn't it? He spent the whole night in prayer. In the prayer specifically of God. So in his humanity he was going to his father in heaven and praying to him. Asking him for wisdom. Seeking counsel. But as God he was communicating with God as God. You have a picture of the inner Trinitarian communion that can only be experienced as God, Christ himself, praying to his father who is God.

So what you have is the perfect prayer. Because it's God communicating with God. It is the perfect prayer. It's the prayer of perfect harmony because it's always done in the perfect will of God. Because God himself is communicating with God. It goes beyond human comprehension. How can Christ who is God yet fully man go to prayer asking for wisdom when in reality it's God communicating with God. It goes way beyond anything we can imagine. But you know what that's exactly what it is. Here is Christ spending all night in prayer.

Specifically in the prayer of God. He is praying God's prayer. Because he himself is God. What an incredible, incredible picture of our Lord. Listen to verse 13. And when day came, he called his disciples to him and chose 12 of them. Now you must understand the picture. Listen carefully. The text says he would choose his disciples. The Greek word mathetes means learner, follower, student. Christ, listen, had many many followers, many disciples, many learners, many students. Remember back in chapter 6 verse number 1 when it says these words.

He was passing through some grain fields and his disciples were picking and eating heads of grain. That was more than just the 12. That was a whole lot of disciples because he had not yet chosen the 12. That is what happened to verse number 14. See? So we know that those following him went beyond the 12. In John chapter 6 after he fed the 5,000 which literally comes to about 30,000 because the only count of the men back in those days. So if you say that every man was married, that was there. Probably not.

But just say every man was married. That would make it 10,000. And Jewish families are usually pretty big. Usually anywhere between 6 to 12 children. So you go from 5,000 to about 25,000 or 30,000. And so when you think about the magnitude of the miracle, Christ was feeding all these people. He had all these people following him. And he would tell them, listen, unless you, he told them he was the bread of life and that unless you eat of my flesh and drink of my blood, you will have no part for me.

You know, the unique thing about Christ is the larger the crowds became, listen, the more difficult the message he preached. The bigger the crowd, the harder the message. Why? He didn't want anybody to be confused about what it is they were getting themselves into. Today, the bigger the crowd, the softer the message. The bigger the crowd, the easier the message. But with Jesus, it was different. In Luke 14, we will see there are multitudes, there are scores of people following Jesus. He says, I appreciate you being here.

I just want to let you know that if you want to come after me, you don't hate your mother, you don't hate your father, you don't hate your brother, you don't hate your sister, and you don't even hate your own life, stop right where you're at. No sense of going any further because you have no part with me. Oh, by the way, unless you're willing to take up your cross daily and follow me, you know what? Just, well, get off the bandwagon because you're not going to be one of mine. The more people who followed, the harder the message he preached because he didn't want people confused.

You see, it was easy to get on the Jesus bandwagon. He healed everybody. He fed thousands of people. In fact, in John 6, they wanted to make him their king because, wow, if he can do this with all of us, there will never be hunger in Israel. There will never be a famine in Israel. If this man can do this, we want him to be our king. We want him to be our Messiah. This is the kind of guy we want. And so Jesus says, okay, listen, I am the bread of life, and if you want to follow me, you got to eat my flesh and drink my blood.

They're like, ew, who wants to do that? Who wants to be a part of that? What is that all about? And people began to turn away in droves. And Jesus turns to his disciples and says, will you guys go away too? And Peter says, where are we going to go? We've already left everything to follow you. You have the words of eternal life. Where else are we going to go, Lord? We don't know where else to go. You're it, and we're with you for as long as it takes. You see, Jesus wanted to weed away the noncommittal.

He wanted to get down to brass tacks. He wanted to get down to the truth. He wanted to get down to realism. He wanted people to know the truth. So he would choose 12 men. Now, this is going to sound really, really bad. But remember, Christ has all these people following him, hundreds of them, thousands of them. He comes down out of the mountain, and he only chooses 12. I'll take you. I'll take you. You. You. You. You. You. You. And you. That's it. The rest of you go home. Now, that doesn't sound very nice, does it?

But see, Jesus is always in the choosing people. Chose Noah. Chose Abraham. Chose Isaac. Chose Jacob. Chose Israel. He's just in the choosing people. He just chooses whom he wants to choose. So all these people are there. He just takes 12 of them. You can imagine the other people. What's wrong with me? How can he choose me? Jesus, what about me? Lord, I'll go. He only chose 12 of the many who followed. Just 12. So you can imagine how Christ, in the minds of people, was like a leader of a clique. Oh, those are Jesus' boys.

They're just kind of, you know, rubbing noses with Jesus. You know, those are Jesus' boys over there. Ah, oh yeah, okay. See? But that's what Christ did, because that's what Christ wanted to do. Think about the Lord. He just does what he wants to do. Don't you wish you could do that? We can't. We wish you could, but Jesus does. He did what he wanted to do. He chose 12 men. He had spent all night in prayer. He had sought the Father's will. So he knew, listen, he sought the Father's will. He knew exactly who to choose, and he even chose Judas.

Ooh, that's going to be a great story when we get to him at the end. Why did Jesus choose Judas? Traitor. But we're going to talk about that as we begin to understand the plan of God. Remember, he prayed all night, knew exactly which ones to choose, knew them all by name, and chose them. Now, we know that Peter was all the way back in Luke 5. He was a follower of Christ, right? Know about Matthew? He'd already had dinner at Matthew's house. Maybe Jesus chose Matthew because Matthew was a good cook, you know?

Come on. I mean, he went to Matthew's house for dinner, and people said, well, you know, Matthew must have been a good cook, so Jesus chose him to cook the food when they traveled. You see, the point being is that Christ would choose those in whom he wanted to use for his great and wonderful purpose. So why did he choose only 12? Why didn't he choose 15 or 20? Why didn't he choose 7? 7 is the perfect number. He could have chosen 8. 8 is the number of abundance, right? 7 is the perfect number in Jewish terminology.

8 is the number of abundance when it comes to Jewish thinking. So why didn't he choose 8? But why 12? You know the answer. You know the answer why he chose 12. You just don't realize it yet, but you know it. Because there are 12 tribes of Israel, right? He's going to inaugurate, listen, a new leadership. He's going to inaugurate a new leadership for a, listen, a new Israel. The Jew that's converted is called, in Galatians 6, the Israel of God. He's going to choose 12 men because 12 represents the 12 tribes of Israel, and the Israel as a nation has been led the wrong way.

So he's going to choose 12 new men who are going to lead Israel in the right way because there's going to be a new Israel that's different from old Israel because they're going to believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. And that new Israel is going to have the right message, and they will be called ultimately the Israel of God. Now listen carefully. This is so great. It took me a little longer than 15 minutes to get to where I wanted to get to this morning, but this is really what I, what we need to understand.

Remember, turn with me over to Luke chapter 22. Luke 22, verse number 28. And you are those who have stood by me in my trials, as he speaks to the apostles. And just as my Father has granted me a kingdom, I grant you. We know that the Messiah is going to have a kingdom. It's going to be in, on this earth. He's going to rule from the new Jerusalem, and he's going to sit on the throne of his father David, and he will rule the world. And he says that my Father has given me a kingdom, and I have granted you that kingdom.

And then he says this, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. Now we know that that's all going to take place after the tribulation on this earth. We know that during the tribulation there's going to be an angel that flies around in midheaven preaching the gospel. We know there are going to be two witnesses according to Revelation 11. One or two that are like Moses and Elijah. Maybe they are Moses and Elijah. Maybe they're not.

I think they are Moses and Elijah. But if you don't think it, we're not going to start a new church over that. No big deal. There are two witnesses in Revelation like Moses and Elijah. So we've got the angel that flies around in midheaven. We have two witnesses, Moses and Elijah. And they are instrumental in the conversion of 144,000 Jews, 12,000 as Revelation tells us, from every tribe. And they then become the huge witness during the tribulation period. And there will be many Gentiles who are saved because we know, listen carefully, that the greatest salvation in the history of the world happens in that seven-year time frame.

There will be more people saved in that seven-year time frame than in the previous history of the entire world. It's a nuts seven-year frame. And God will bring about a great redemption. We know that because there is a great multitude in heaven who were saved during the tribulation and lose their heads because of their faith in the Messiah. It's all about, it's all in the book of Revelation if you want to read it. But the point being is that when the tribulation is over and the Lord comes from heaven with His holy ones, that's you and me, people of the church age, we come with Him.

He sets up His kingdom. And these 12 apostles will rule in that kingdom as promised. They will rule over the 12 tribes of Israel. Wow, what a great thing. But you want to know something? It goes way beyond that. Turn to the book of Revelation. Revelation chapter 21. I'm going to tell you why these men need to be your heroes and why you need to look at one of them to emulate, one of them to follow.

Listen to what it says in Revelation 21 verse number 12. It's talking about the New Jerusalem. And if you need more information on this, you can get our tape on Revelation 21. We talk about it in great detail. It says in verse 12, it had a great and high wall with how many gates? Twelve gates. Hmm, wonder why there are 12 gates in the New Jerusalem. Well, read on. And at the gates, 12 angels and names were written on them, which are those of the 12 tribes of the sons of Israel. So on every gate, there are three on each side, three on the west, three on the east, three on the north, three on the south.

How do we know that? Well, you got to read on. It says there were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west. See that? Twelve gates that surround the city, ways you get in. And on the top of those gates were the 12 tribes of the sons of Israel. Now listen to this. And the wall of the city had 12 foundation stones and on them were the 12 names of the 12 apostles of the land. Listen, when you want to get into the city of the New Jerusalem and you have free access to go in and out, you can fly by the way in your new glorified body.

I just want to let you know that. You can read about it in Revelation 21, 22. But as you go in and out of the streets or in and out of the gates of the New Jerusalem, above those gates are the names of the 12 tribes of Israel and the foundation stones at the base of those gates has the name of one of those 12 apostles. The names of the 12 apostles are indelibly etched in the city of the New Jerusalem forever. That's why they need to be your hero. Because Hannah Montana's name's not there. I hate to say it that way.

That's just the way it is. Barry Bond's name is not there. Muhammad Ali's name is not there. But Peter's name is there. James's name is there. Andrew's name is there. Bartholomew's name is there. So you better get to know them before you go. You better get to know them because then you're going to understand why their names are there. What a great way. You see, God is saying that the only way to get to heaven, the only way to be in the New Jerusalem is to understand the message of the New Israel.

You see, the reason the 12 tribes are there is because salvation is of the Jews. Okay? And God gave them his written word. He gave the Jewish nation his written word. No other nation, just the Jews. That they might be his witnesses and declare to all the pagan nations the truth of what it means to believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That's why those 12 names are there, the names of 12 tribes. And because that Israel became so corrupt, because the leadership of that nation would lead them away from the grace and the faith and the forgiveness of God, he erected new men for a New Israel.

And those 12 men have their names etched on the foundation stones of that city because that is the only way you get to heaven, by faith in Jesus Christ the Messiah. Well, what a beautiful picture. That's why these guys are your heroes. They're your heroes because they have a name written on the New Jerusalem that everybody will read. And that's why you need to have them as one of your heroes in life. Who's your hero? Who is it? Over the weeks, you're going to come up with one of these men as your heroes.

Point number three, the mission of the apostles. What was the mission of these men? Apostles, it's a word that means sent one, okay? These men were sent out by God. And they were sent out, with the same authority as the Messiah himself. The Sanhedrin had apostles. They were called Shelahs. The Shelah were the people who were sent out as apostles of the Sanhedrin, seemed to go out with the same authority, with the same ministry. And all of Jews, all of Judaism knew about what it meant to be an apostle.

That you were sent as the messenger with the same authority as the one who gave the message. In fact, the Jewish Mishnah, which is a conglomerate of Jewish writings all throughout history, says this. It says that the one sent by the man is as the man himself. That's what it means to be an apostle. The one sent by the man is as the man himself. So all the Jews would know about what it meant to be an apostle. And Christ chose these men that he might send them out to be apostles. Mark's account says that he chose these men that they might be with him, and that he might send them out to preach.

So we know that God was choosing these men that they might learn from him by being with him. And he would then send them out to preach. So they were chosen first, and they were chosen to be with him.

And then they would be sent out. Here in Luke chapter 6, they are identified. In Luke 9, they receive the authority to cast out demons. That's when they are actually sent in Luke chapter 9. But in Luke 6, they are just identified as apostles who would soon be sent, but they are identified to be with him because we need to know who they are. Follow me? Okay. So these 12 men chosen by God out of a crowd of many people were chosen for one mission, and that was to be as the one who sent them. They would have his authority.

They would have his power. They would have his credentials, and they would become the men who would preach the true gospel so that there would be a new Israel who would understand the Messiah. What a calling. What a mission. What a ministry. Luke mentions them six times in his gospel, 30 times in the book of Acts. Luke, by the way, wrote Acts. He speaks of them. What did these men do? Let me give you a list very carefully because time is fleeing away.

Let me give you seven things these men did. Number one, Ephesians 2 20, they established the foundation of the church.

The church is built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. They established the foundation of the church. Number two, they explained the truth of divine revelation.

According to Ephesians 3 verse number six, they unfolded the mystery of Christ. Number three, they engineered the doctrine of the early church, Acts 2 42.

They edified the church, Ephesians 4 11 and 12. They exemplified true virtue because Ephesians 3 5 calls them holy apostles. These were the men who evidenced miraculous powers according to 2 Corinthians 12 11 and 12, and these are the men who experienced, listen carefully, they experienced life's ultimate blessing. You say, what is life's ultimate blessing? Luke chapter 18. Turn there with me if you would please. Luke chapter 18. What is life's ultimate blessing? Verse number 28, Peter says, behold, we have left our own homes and followed you.

Lord, we have left everything. We've left our business. We've left our homes. We've left our family. We have left everything to follow you. Peter's asking this in this sense, Lord, we have left everything. What's in it for us? I mean, that's just like us today, right? It's all, it's all about me. Peter was all about him. Peter was always asking questions about him. He was always wondering about who was the greatest in the kingdom. Was it going to be him? Was it going to be John? Who was it? Because he wanted to be the greatest.

Lord, we've left everything. Look at us, Lord. We have left everything and followed you. What's in it for us? And this is what Jesus says.

This is life's ultimate blessing. Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house, wife, brothers, parents, children for the sake of the kingdom of God who shall not receive many times as much as this at this time and in the age to come eternal life. They experienced life's ultimate blessing to the fullest. There has nobody who has left everything to follow me. They've left their father. They've left their mother. They've left their wife. They've left their children. They left it all to follow me who will not be blessed in this age and in the age to come.

And Matthew's gospel says that they have been blessed with many hundreds of fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters in this life because of the family of God. There is no greater place to be than in all the world than in the family of God. I don't care what family you're from. I don't care how close you think your family is. There is nothing greater or closer in the whole world than the family of the living God. That is life's ultimate blessing. And these men experienced it unlike any other person before them or any other person after them.

And they went through persecution after persecution, after peril, after peril. And they experienced life at its fullest because they were committed to following their God. Oh these men, unbelievable. Listen, do you think this was easy for Jesus? Do you think it was really easy for him? How many times did he say to them, oh you of little faith, how is it you could have been with me all this time and yet have no understanding? He became so frustrated in his humanity with these men because they, as he says in Mark chapter 4, they had developed a hard heart.

And he condemned them for their lack of faith. He condemned them for their lack of understanding. He says, what is wrong with you guys? How is it you have been with me all this time and yet you don't know any more than anybody else does? Now granted, Christ is God. He could have made them know everything just like that, right? But he didn't do that. You want to know why? Because those men are just like you and me. We are exactly like them. And so what did Christ do? He unveiled to us all of their inadequacies.

And next week I'm going to show you what those inadequacies were. He unveiled to us all those inadequacies for one reason, so that he might show us how God will use us in spite of those same inadequacies. You are without excuse, my friend, to be used by God. I don't care how inadequate you are, how insufficient you are, how impotent you are with God, you become adequate, sufficient, and very potent. And Christ wants to show you that. Because these men, once Christ left this earth, turned the world upside down.

So we got to ask ourselves this question. What world are we turning upside down for the sake of the gospel? Let's pray. Father, we want to thank you for today and for your great word and the truth that's there. And praise you, Lord, for these men and how you use them. And pray that as we study each of them, we would come to grips with who they are and how you, Lord, are being put on display in their lives that we might learn to follow you. In Jesus' name, Amen.