THE PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD OWNER

God has a mission, and He uses His messengers and messages to remind you of your responsibilities.

God’s Mission

To produce a worshiping people who will love him and enjoy Him forever.

Deuteronomy 7:6 “6 For you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be his own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.”

I will be you God and You will be my People.

God’s Messangers

Remind God’s people of the promise to stay focused on the mission and not forsake the agreement.

1 Kings 19:10 “10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Armies, but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life.””

2 Chron. 36:15–16 “15 But the Lord, the God of their ancestors sent word against them by the hand of his messengers, sending them time and time again, for he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they kept ridiculing God’s messengers, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, until the Lord’s wrath was so stirred up against his people that there was no remedy.”

Matt. 5:12 “12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

) and killed (1 Kings 18:13

2 Chron. 24:20–27 “20 The Spirit of God enveloped Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood above the people and said to them, “This is what God says, ‘Why are you transgressing the Lord’s commands so that you do not prosper? Because you have abandoned the Lord, he has abandoned you.’ ” 21 But they conspired against him and stoned him at the king’s command in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. 22 King Joash didn’t remember the kindness that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had extended to him, but killed his son. While he was dying, he said, “May the Lord see and demand an account.” 23 At the turn of the year, an Aramean army attacked Joash.

2 Chron. 36:15–16 “15 But the Lord, the God of their ancestors sent word against them by the hand of his messengers, sending them time and time again, for he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they kept ridiculing God’s messengers, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, until the Lord’s wrath was so stirred up against his people that there was no remedy.”

Neh. 9:26 “26 But they were disobedient and rebelled against you. They flung your law behind their backs and killed your prophets who warned them in order to turn them back to you. They committed terrible blasphemies.”

Jer. 26:20–23 “20 Another man was also prophesying in the name of the Lord—Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim. He prophesied against this city and against this land in words like all those of Jeremiah. 21 King Jehoiakim, all his warriors, and all the officials heard his words, and the king tried to put him to death. When Uriah heard, he fled in fear and went to Egypt. 22 But King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: Elnathan son of Achbor and certain other men with him went to Egypt. 23 They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who executed him with the sword and threw his corpse into the burial place of the common people.”

God’s Message

“This is what God says, ‘Why are you transgressing the Lord’s commands so that you do not prosper? Because you have abandoned the Lord, he has abandoned you.’ 

Stop the idolatry

Stop the injustice

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 5

7 For the vineyard of the LORD of Armies

is the house of Israel,

and the men of Judah,

the plant he delighted in.

He expected justice

but saw injustice;

he expected righteousness

but heard cries of despair.

Hosea 4:6 “6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from serving as my priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your sons.”

Your Responsibilities

To accept God’s message and God’s messengers knowing that what they are saying in line with God’s Mission.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 9

30 What should we say then? Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness—namely the righteousness that comes from faith. 31 But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not achieved the righteousness of the law., 32 Why is that? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 As it is written,

Look, I am putting a stone in Zion to stumble over

and a rock to trip over,

and the one who believes on him

will not be put to shame.,

Sinclair Ferguson said

When Gods word searches out men’s motives and exposes their hearts two reactions are always possible. Men may see themselves as the really are, repent from their sin and turn to the Lord. We might thnk that would be the inevitable response to Jesus own preaching But another kind of response is possible: we can harden out hearts agains the one who exposes our need, and resolves with unmitigated bitterness to be rid of his influence. This was the pathway these Jews Chose - (7-9) . Foolishly they thought they could emerge unscathed. But time proved Jesus right: the vineyard of God was given to others.

Your Response and ability

You deny the messenger and the message you will continue to harden your hearts.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 28

The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah 26 when he said,

Go to these people and say:

You will always be listening,

but never understanding;

and you will always be looking,

but never perceiving.

27 For the hearts of these people

have grown callous,

their ears are hard of hearing,

and they have shut their eyes;

otherwise they might see with their eyes

and hear with their ears,

understand with their heart

and turn,

and I would heal them.,

28 Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”

By faith

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 10

The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart., This is the message of faith that we proclaim: 9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame,, 12 since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.,

Living a new life

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 4

17 Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thoughts. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. 19 They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.

20 But that is not how you came to know Christ, 21 assuming you heard about him and were taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to take off, your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, 23 to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on, the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.