Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Openness
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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Introduction:
How we got our mini-van...
How my in-laws got their mini van.
Comparison of the two mini-vans.
My attitude about that was a sort of joking/ grumbling about God blessing them and not us.
Transition: That paints a picture of us all, and the picture of this parable that we are going to look at.
Sometimes be grumble at and begrudge God’s grace rather than rejoicing in it.
Preview the text: Jesus is about to tell a kingdom parable.
It begins by “The kingdom of heaven is like...” We are about to see a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven.
In this story we have a a few main characters.
The owner of the vineyard who represents God the Father.
The workers who represent us.
They will be our focus.
Transition: The first thing I want us to notice is this…
I. GOD DOES THE CALLING.
(GRACE) - V.1-7
Notice that it wasn’t the laborers that went out and chose to go and work for this vineyard owner - the vineyard owner actively pursued the laborers.
This is such a picture of the Christian life.
No one on the own accord can come to God.
God comes to get you.
He draws you.
The nation of Israel.
The disciples.
Christians today.
This tells me that Christianity isn’t man centered.
It is God centered.
II.
THOSE GOD CALLS, WORK.
(WORKS)
What did these laborers agree to go out and do?
Work.
They didn’t agree to come hang out and play board games, or video games.
They didn’t go out for lunch.
They were called to go out and work.
So what does that teach us?
People called by the Father work!
Now let’s not get it twisted, we don’t work to earn anything from God.
We just saw that in the last text we didn’t do anything to find ourselves in His vineyard.
We were invited by God - with promise!
The Father invites us and we humbly accept the invitation.
But once we accept the invitation, we work!
What am I talking about here?
Those who are called by grace work from grace, producing fruit that shows they are in God’s vineyard.
Works are the evidence of a changed heart that has accepted the grace of God.
He does not advocate that God’s grace takes idle people, keeps them idle, and still rewards them with eternal life.
And he does not advocate salvation by good works, which is very pharisaical (or Talmudic),10 or hard work alone, which is very American.
Rather, he advocates that no one earns salvation or is owed salvation based on good works or hard work or much work, but those who are chosen by grace are given work to do, do that work, and are rewarded for it.
III.
THOSE WHO WORK ARE REWARDED.
(REWARDS) 20:8-10
All those working in the vineyard will receive a reward.
God’s calling is a calling of promise.
You will be rewarded.
You will receive at the hand of God.
MAIN POINT - GOD’S GIFT OF SALVATION IS JUST AND GENEROUS.
20:13-16
Matthew 20:13-16
First, God is just in his generosity.
The parable paints the picture of God being totally just in his actions.
God’s generosity actually takes two forms.
He gives gifts we do not de- serve and he withholds punishments we do deserve.
Sadly, many take God’s generosity for granted, so that “Amazing Grace” has become boring grace.
It is boring because we no longer think of ourselves as sinners, or at least not as great sinners.
The first workers grumbled.
Let us never grumble at God’s grace.
I can understand their grumbling though!
But God was perfectly just to give out what he gave out.
Instead, let us enjoy God’s grace no matter who it may be upon.
That is what this parable is all about.
Conclusion:
I want to paint a picture of God’s grace.
Fill in the blank of the sinner or sinner group you like least.
Let me fill in a name for you, and let me know how it makes you feel:
Don’t begrudge God’s unequal generosity toward Jeffrey Dahmer.
Most of you know that name and cringe at hearing it.
When I did a Google search for him, and typed in J-E-F-F-R the first suggested search was Jeffrey Dahmer.
That shows me his popularity has not diminished much.
For those of you who don’t know Dahmer, I won’t say much because his deeds were so wicked, it is hard to describe them in any setting.
He killed seventeen young men, and he did so in the most gruesome and grotesque ways.
While in prison, however, Dahmer was sent books and tracts on the Chris- tian gospel.
Over time he began to meet with a local pastor.
Dahmer himself writes about how he came to grips with how he was a sinner and accountable
before a holy God.
In a television interview with Stone Philips he said, “I’ve come to believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is truly God, and I believe that I, as well as everyone else, will be accountable to him.”
In that same inter- view he called Jesus his “Lord and Savior.”
From all accounts—his own, his father’s, the pastor’s—he came to a saving faith in Christ.
He believed and was baptized.
Jeffrey Dahmer was baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
Then, one day after attending chapel, a fellow inmate attacked him.
He lived.
Soon after, while working in the prison gym, he was attacked again.
This time he died.
Then what?
Did Jeffrey Dahmer—the most horrific human being of my lifetime—go into the presence of a holy God? Did he get a de- narius?
He tortured and killed people, lots of people.
Sure, he professed faith in Christ, but he died so shortly after, he hardly had a chance to prove himself worthy of the kingdom.
What do you think about sharing an apple from the tree of life with Jeffrey Dahmer in the new heavens and new earth?
Does the thought of it make you sick?
Does the thought of it shock all spiritual sensibilities?
Well, my brothers and sisters, that’s the shock of grace!
That’s the shock of the gospel.
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