Our Glorious and Generous God (Matthew 20:1-16)

GREETINGS

Good morning and thank you for having me.

My name is Amel and I am pastor at First Baptist Church of Haleiwa. I’ve been there now for a little over 3 years and as I was reflecting on ministry in Hawaii for nearly 15 years, what I can say is that God gave me the opportunity or the assignment if you want to call it that, to plant a church for 7 years (IGC), to revitalize a rich church for 5 years (HKC) and then to revitalize a poor church for 3 years. When I started with FBC Haleiwa there were 5 members who were also the same 5 attenders. They had a couple months left in their finances to survive, and God has done a wonderful thing. There are now 15 members, anywhere from 30-50 people attending on Sunday, and a healthy reserve. Please keep them in your prayers, as more change is needed to strengthen their witness in the community.

Let me also take the moment to introduce my wife Vangie and today is her birthday. I’ve been privileged to be married to that lady for 25 years now. I praise the Lord. At our wedding she had not one, but two maid of honors, both of whom are in attendance this morning. Sonia Cooper and Kristi Nichols. My best man is in attendance as well, my brother Jayson, and one of my groomsmen, my cousin Arnel. Worshipping with the church is always special, but all this makes it extra special.

Having said that, church, I want you to know that I’ve been praying for you! I know some of you, but I don’t know all of you. I know your pastor, and through his heart I have some idea…some understanding of you as a church and like I said, I’ve been praying for you. So as we continue now in our worship through the preaching of God’s Word, please grab your Bibles...

…we are in The Gospel According to Matthew chapter 20 this morning, verses 1-16—Matthew 20:1-16. To start us off this morning I will read verses 1-9 and pray.

Matthew 20:1–9 NASB95

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. “When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. “And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. “Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. “And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he *said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ “They *said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He *said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard *said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ “When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius.

The title of our sermon this morning is “Our Glorious and Generous God”. Thinking about it more this morning, it can also easily be entitled, “Christ, Our Glorious and Generous King”.

PRAY

Introduction

In his devotional entitled “Holiness Day by Day” Jerry Bridges points out...

All of us need grace, the saint as well as the sinner. The most conscientious, dutiful, hardworking Christian needs God’s grace as much as the most dissolute, hard-living sinner. All of us need the same grace. The sinner doesn’t need more grace than the saint, nor does the immature and undisciplined believer need more than the godly, zealous missionary. We all need the same amount because the “currency” of our good works is debased and worthless before God.

Jesus has been talking about eternal life. He reminds us in Matthew 18:11 that “…the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.” After hearing Jesus say, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”, the disciples ask, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus says in Matthew 19:26, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Jesus has been talking about eternal life. He continues to do so in our text, which may have been just one day before He enters Jerusalem. As His earthly ministry begins to draw to a close, eternal life is on His mind. He wants us to know this morning that as sinners we all need the same grace. And because He freely gives us the same grace in Christ through faith, what we have come to understand is that God is both glorious and generous as the God of Grace. This is who we worship this morning.

Starting in verse 1 we’re going to start with a little bit of background...

The Background

Matthew 20:1 NASB95

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

Let’s start with a contextual background...

Background for the Parable (Context)

The chapter starts with the word “For” connecting it with the previous chapter. Jesus is providing this parable about work in the vineyard to shed light on his last statement in Matthew 19:30 which says...

Matthew 19:30 NASB95

“But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.

And that verse is in the context of eternal life which we see in verse 29...

Matthew 19:29 NASB95

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.

So the question is what does that statement “[the] first will be last; and the last, first” have to do with eternal life? Whatever it means, it must be important because now it warrants a parable. He’s elaborating with this parable. By the end of this parable we should understand what the statement “the first will be last, and the last, first” means because that’s how it ends. The end of chapter 19 and the end of this section in chapter 20 verse 16, ends the same.

Matthew 20:16 NASB95

“So the last shall be first, and the first last.”

Let me provide a little more background to the parable by providing a general understanding of vineyards with a cultural background...

Background for Work in the Vineyard (Culture)

Working the vineyard was of course an agricultural activity. And as is the case in agricultural life, it involves both cultivating the land and harvesting its fruits.

Baker Encyclopedia describes a typical vineyard as being...

…surrounded by a protective hedge or fence, and at harvest time the watchtower was manned to guard the crop from thieves (Jb 24:18; Is 1:8; Mk 12:1). The vines were planted in rows within the enclosed area, and as the plants grew the tendrils were trained along supports to raise the fruit-bearing branches off the ground (Ezek 17:6). The vines were pruned and tended by vinedressers (Lv 25:3; Is 61:5; Jl 3:10; Jn 15:2), and at harvest time the mature fruit was picked and taken to the winepresses (Hos 9:2). A festive atmosphere accompanied the treading of the grapes (Is 16:10; Jer 25:30), and the fermenting juice was collected in new goatskin bags (Mt 9:17) or large pottery jars.

Lots of work go into laboring in a vineyard. It doesn’t say how big the vineyard was here, but it’s big enough to provide ample work for many laborers who were added to the workforce as the day progressed.

The way the parable starts is that there is a landowner who early in the morning hires workers to work in his vineyard.

Let me remind you that this is a parable which may not necessarily be a real life story, but it is designed to teach you something. And again we’re looking to understand how the last shall be first, and the first last.

So let’s continue with the parable in verse 2...

The Parable

Matthew 20:2–7 NASB95

“When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. “And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. “Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. “And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he *said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ “They *said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He *said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’

In this section, the laborers are hired. There is plenty of work in the vineyard. Even as the landowner hired workers throughout the day starting with the first hour which may have been 6am, and then on the third hour he saw more laborers and hire them too. This happened again on the sixth hour, the ninth hour and the eleventh hour. There was that much work to do.

What we caaaan say about each group of workers is that when they got to the vineyard, they all had work to do.

We see that every worker in the vineyard had work to do (vs. 2-7)

As mentioned in the background, there’s many different kinds of work that you can do in a vineyard. It ranges from security, to tilling, to planting, to supporting, to pruning, to picking, to treading, to bagging, to prepping, and so on and so forth. There’s much to be done in the vineyard. Whether or not you came at the first hour or the 11th, you were going to have work to do.

On the other hand, we can also say that...

We see that every worker in the vineyard does not have equal work (v. 8)

Matthew 20:8 NASB95

“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard *said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’

Even though they all had work to do, they did not do the same amount of work; they did not put in the same amount of time.

The ones who worked earlier obviously worked longer than the ones who worked later. In verse 8, they all stopped at the same time. Different start times…same end time…verse 8.

The foreman comes into the picture with the authority to stop the work and pay the workers. He was to pay the last workers first and the first workers last. This is our tie in to verse 30 of chapter 19, “many who are first will be last; and the last, first.”

So if this parable is supposed to help explain this concept, then let us try to understand when a clear connection is being made in the parable.

We’re going to circle back to this thought, but for now let’s keep going. Just don’t lose sight of what Jesus is doing here.

Even though not everyone has equal work...

We see that every worker in the vineyard receives equal pay (vs. 9-10)

Matthew 20:9–10 NASB95

“When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. “When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius.

One denarius…they get the same paycheck. The commentator Doriani likens 1 denarius to $100, which if true would breakdown like this:

SLIDE

The first group worked one hour and received $100—$100 per hour.

The second group worked three hours and received $100—over $33 per hour.

SLIDE

The third group worked six hours and received $100—almost $17 per hour.

The fourth group worked nine hours and also reaped $100—just over $11 per hour.

SLIDE

The fifth group worked 12 hours reaping $100—$8.33 per hour.

Even though they don’t have the same rate, they receive the same payment of 1 denarius.

If you look at verse 10, they thought they were going to receive more.

Matthew 20:10 NASB95

“When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius.

The first hour workers thought the agreement in verse 2 warrants a change because of the blessing that the last hour workers received in verse 9. “I know we agreed to 1 denarius, but because you’ve been giving everyone who worked less than us 1 denarius, I think you should give me more.”

I remember the Christmas we gave the kids a cell phone. The youngest got a certain model, with x amount of internal storage. The rest of the kids were thinking we’ve been wanting a cell phone for how many years now. If the youngest got that, then what about me who’s been waiting all these years. Certainly it shall be greater. The next child got their phone ... same model with x amount of internal storage. It went like that for the next child and then the next child. On that particular Christmas there was a sale and the price was free. It was nothing more and nothing less. And can you imagine the great anticipation of getting this phone got tainted ‘cause little bro who did not desire a phone for that long, got the same thing they got.

Moving on...

We see that every worker in the vineyard receive grace

Matthew 20:11–15 NASB95

“When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’ “But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? ‘Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. ‘Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’

In verse 11 they grumble because in verse 12 the others were equally blessed even though they worked less and suffered less. Just think about what’s going on here for a moment; it’s quite astonishing.

They were grumbling because of the graciousness of the landowner.

Since the other workers worked less, they were getting what they don’t deserve. You know what that’s called? That’s called grace.

In verse 10, they wanted more … which was what? What they don’t deserve. They actually crave for grace too and don’t even realize it. They just don’t like if you get the grace and they don’t. That’s so selfish and greedy.

In verse 13, the landowner is one who keeps his promises and in verse 14 seeks to bless because in verse 15 he’s generous. He says it emphatically, “I am generous.” He is not merely feeling generous at the moment, but it’s in his makeup, it’s part of his nature.

Now, there is something you need to know about this parable. Jesus Christ is the landowner in the story. How do I get that. Matthew 19:28 refers to His glorious throne...

Matthew 19:28 NASB95

28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

...and Matthew 19:29 says that we suffer for His names sake...

Matthew 19:29 NASB95

29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.

...meaning that our labor is for Him. He’s the landowner because He’s the One that we work for in His vineyard so to speak. He’s the One we strive and labor for. And He’s the One who lavishes us with grace. The “last first and first last” paradigm is really about how all believers receive the same gift, eternal life through Him.

What the disciples need to understand in this text, is that King Jesus, the one who has a throne, the one who has a rule…He is generous…He is gracious…He is overflowing and lavish in His generous grace towards you. Living your life all out for Him is not a waste even if you’ve given up all that is precious in this world to follow Him. It’s never too late…follow Him now… you won’t get the scraps!! When you follow Christ, you get what everyone else gets in Christ.

which leads us to the lesson in verse 16...

The Lesson

Matthew 20:16 NASB95

“So the last shall be first, and the first last.”

What insight do we gain here in this “first last and last first” paradigm? Does this parable help us understand better what it means to have eternal life in the kingdom of heaven? Being a part of God’s people. Because remember ‘eternal life’ is the context of that “first last and last first” statement, so let’s latch on to that and...

...first consider what it means to work for Christ...

Working for Christ

There will be those who may have suuuuffered moooore or leeeess than the next person.

There will be those who are more disciplined or less disciplined. More giving or less giving. More loving or less loving. More godly or less godly.

In these things, not everyone is equal in the work they put in and the suffering they endure.

What we learn about the first and the last is that some have done greater works for Christ than others.

Be okay with your lot, with your portion, with the breadth and depth of your call. To the extent that Christ has called you to work … to do … to labor … to minister … do it dutifully and do it faithfully.

You ain’t living for Christ to earn anything. You already have eternal life when you’re in Him. You don’t need to edge somebody else out or exceed someone in holiness to be better positioned in your salvation. Through faith in Christ, you’re saved by grace.

…second let us consider then what it means to gain in Christ...

Gaining in Christ

What we learn about “the last first and first last” paradigm is that everyone gets the same thing regardless of what you put in…eternal life.

If what you put in does not play a factor in what you get, then it means that what you get is actually not really what you deserve at any level no matter how much you put in…and so what you get is actually called grace. Everyone gets more than they deserve here. It is a grace based salvation.

You don’t get to look down on those who put in less and get the same thing you do. The basis of the eternal life you receive is not your effort, but a generous God. Same for them!

In this “last first and first last” paradigm, the order doesn’t matter in the kingdom of heaven when it comes to receiving eternal life because we’re all going to receive eternal life.

We all get better than we deserve.

So how should this affect us?

…let us consider lastly here what it means then to have joy in Christ...

Joy in Christ

If you lose sight of Christ as a generous gracious Lord, then you’re going to grumble

You’re going to say it’s not fair and demand justice when people come into this church plant and reap all the benefits from what you worked so hard for.

You’re going to think that you’re effort deserves God’s grace, and perhaps they need to put in as much as you

And then you’re going to be surprised when God actually shows grace to someone else

In fact, you’re going to be envious if you lose sight of Christ

Do you remember the story of the prodigal son. The older son could not rejoice when the younger son who squandered his wealth repented and returned to the Father. In Luke 15 :29 he complained to his father saying, “Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends”. To which the father replied in verse 31, “Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours.” He’s complaining about a goat when everything that belonged to the father was his.

When you lose sight of Christ and His grace, you can’t rejoice! When you forget that what you got is not what you deserve, that what the Father has given you through Christ Jesus His Son, an eternal life you could never earn, an eternal life you are not worthy of … when you forget Christ, there is no joy.

When you do see grace in Christ clearly, you will rejoice

Rejoice that He maintains his integrity (v. 13) —read—> He keeps His promise

He won’t go back on his word. He will give you what he says He’ll give you.

Rejoice that He maintains his sovereignty (v. 14) —read—> He does as He wishes

Aren’t you glad that even though you don’t deserve His grace, that He gives it to you anyways.

The reason you’ve been shown grace is not because you deserve it, but because He wanted to give it to you.

Praise God for His gift of grace.

Rejoice that He maintains his generosity (v. 15) —read—> He doesn’t give in to sinful envy

If you had your way, which is to earn it, then no one would have it.

Praise God that He is generous which is a key aspect of grace.

Abraham Booth in his book “The Reign of Grace” defines God’s grace this way...

It is the eternal and absolute free favor of God, manifested in the vouchsafement [granting] of spiritual and eternal blessings to the guilty and the unworthy.

He grants it, meaning that He gives it and it’s absolutely free.

What we learn here about this “last first and first last” paradigm is that eternal life is all of grace and that we contribute nothing to it. It is what He lavishes on us from the first to the last.

Conclusion

When you consider His glorious throne and His glorious name on this Sunday, then you know that He deserves more than what we can give, and praise God, that we get more than what we deserve.

If you don’t know Jesus today, what you deserve is death because of our sin, but He offers grace...

Dear church, you know you don’t deserve it, and yet you who are in Christ, from the least to the greatest, will receive eternal life because He is a generous God...

PRAY