The Workers in the Vineyard

Announcements

Ladies Tea — Easter Services and Eggstravaganza

Giving

Cedar Forrest donations. This is what it means to make a difference. You guys are amazing and I am blown away by what God does everything we gather and you give. Thank you.

Intro to the Series

King not just savior.

If he’s king then we need to change the way we behave and interact with him.

Only savior — only talk when I need saving — only concerned with what he said as it relates to sin and saving — fire insurance Jesus.

If we focus on only Jesus as savior we miss a huge part of him and huge part of what he came to do. Western thing — but let’s reclaim it.

He’s more than that — he is king. Walking through the last week of his life b/c the last week is when Jesus powers up as king. He starts doing some real Kingly things.

Recap last week — Jesus takes one the religious.

Don’t let religion ruin your relationship.

SCRIPTURE

Tuesday

Cursed the fig tree

Matthew 21:23 NIV

23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”

Jesus asked a question in response to their question — John’s baptism / heaven or earthy? They couldn’t answer.

Jesus launches into two parables to answer that very question — who’s authority.

Parable of two sons — Parable of the Tenets.

This parable wasn’t just a random story—it was a direct attack on the religious leaders of Israel. But to understand it, we need to step into the world of Jesus’ audience.

Matthew 21:33–34 NIV

33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.

When Jesus described a vineyard, His audience immediately knew He was talking about Israel. And when He mentioned the landowner leasing it to tenants, they understood: God had entrusted Israel’s leaders with His people.

A familiar image: The vineyard was a well-known metaphor for Israel (Isaiah 5:1-7).

Absentee landlords: Many wealthy landowners lived elsewhere (often in Rome or large cities) and leased land to tenant farmers, who were expected to give a portion of their crops as rent.

Security measures: A vineyard was an investment. Owners built walls, dug winepresses, and constructed watchtowers (often 15 feet high) to protect against thieves and animals.

Matthew 21:34–36 NIV

34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way.

The tenants’ duty: Under Jewish law, tenants were required to give a share of the harvest to the landowner. But these tenants refused, showing rebellion.

The servants’ identity: These represent God’s prophets—men like Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and John the Baptist—who were rejected, beaten, and killed.

Historical reality: Israel had a long history of persecuting prophets (2 Chronicles 24:20-22, Jeremiah 26:20-23, Matthew 23:37).

Jesus is making it clear: Israel’s leaders had a track record of ignoring God’s messengers. But their rebellion was about to reach its peak.

Matthew 21:37–39 NIV

37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

The landowner’s logic: "Surely they will respect my son!"—a final act of grace and effort to get the tenants to return to the way things should be.

Cultural significance: In ancient law, if a landowner died and had no heir, squatters could claim ownership. The tenants likely assumed the landowner was dead or close to it, so by killing the heir, they could take possession.

Foreshadowing the crucifixion: Jesus is the Son. The religious leaders would soon kill Him, thinking it would secure their power.

Matthew 21:40–41 NIV

40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

The Owner’s Judgment

The question: Jesus asks the leaders what should happen.

Their answer condemns them: They declare that the wicked tenants should be destroyed and replaced—without realizing they just pronounced judgment on themselves!

Prophetic warning: In A.D. 70, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, effectively ending the leadership of the religious elite.

Matthew 21:42–44 NIV

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

Here's what it meant:

The first stone laid in a building project—everything else was aligned to it.

It had to be perfectly cut, durable, and set with precision.

It determined the position, structure, and integrity of the entire building.

If the cornerstone was off, the entire building would eventually lean, crack, or collapse.

Psalm 118:22-23: Jesus quotes a prophecy about a rejected stone becoming the most important one in the building.

Matthew 21:42–44 NIV

43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

The religious leaders — Jesus says I am taking it back and giving to others. Only kings can do that.

Matthew 21:42–44 NIV

44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”

Hebrew wordplay: "Son" (ben) and "stone" (eben) sound similar in Hebrew. The rejected son is the rejected stone.

So when Jesus says He is the stone the builders rejected, who has become the cornerstone, He’s saying:

“I’m not just part of the structure—I am the reference point for the entire thing.”

Matthew 21:45–46 NIV

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

They understood the message: Jesus wasn’t speaking in riddles—they knew He was calling them out.

The king had arrived and he was setting things right. He was pointing out a problem with the system and with the leaders — followers of Judaism. They missed the point - they lost the plot - they lost their way.

Jesus is presenting this parable attempting to realign them. Teach them that he is the king, it’s his vineyard (son). Even quotes from Psalms saying hey guys, you’ve built on the wrong thing. You’ve built your life on the wrong things. But you can course correct and come back to center. You can get back on track.

APPLICATION

You’ve been building something. We all are. The question isn’t “Am I building?” The question is, “What am I building on?”

Because what you build your life on determines what your life becomes.

Some of us have been building on:

Career… but it left you feeling empty.

Relationships… but they let you down.

Control… but life still slipped out of your hands.We build our lives on our careers, thinking they will give us purpose.

We build our identities on our achievements, hoping they will give us worth.

We chase after security, success, and control—only to realize we were standing on a branch that couldn’t hold us.

And now you’re standing in the rubble of something that looked good at first—but had no foundation underneath it.

But here's the good news: The King is here. Not just to save you—but to lead you, love you, and give you something solid to build on.

Jesus said He is the cornerstone. He’s the part of the foundation that everything else is aligned to. And He’s inviting you today—not just to believe in Him, but to build your life on Him.

His teaching

What he says about you

His truth

His way of life

So here’s the question you’ve got to answer today:

— Will you keep building on unstable ground? Or will you finally hand the blueprints over to the King—and start building on the Cornerstone?

If you're ready to make that decision—to trust Him, to build with Him, to follow the King—today is your day.

Let’s pray. INVITATION.

Extras

Jesus point was simple. The King is here, the owner has arrived. It’s time to get on board and honor the king. Allow him to take his place as owner.

Jesus is called the cornerstone and he gives us the opportunity — this is so important — he gives us the opportunity to build our lives on him — the cornerstone.

vv.44 is not a threat its a fact a warning. That without Jesus you have nothing to build your life on. why? B/c you are missing something so central to your life. A relationship with the God. You can’t build your life on anything but him…

kids

job

spouse

power

influence

It all falls short…

AND

Let’s be honest, you’ve done it that way long enough right. You’ve had the wrong things as the cornerstone and your life isn’t what you want it to be.

Why not correct it right now? Why not get it right?

CONNECTION

The importance of foundation or a building.

Building the church building. Ground had to be good, remove the bad dirt and replace it with good dirt. Why? b/c the foundation needs to it needs to be able to hold the weight.

You can only build a building as tall as the foundation is deep.… Same is true for your life.

Quality foundation.

You can’t go higher unless the foundation is deep and strong.

Healthy marriage — it’s built on the foundation of trust.

Successful Career — it’s built on a foundation of hard work and consistency.

Athletes — running-back, build on the foundation of good footwork and balance.

My point as we’re going to see today is that your entire life should be built on a strong foundation. And i’s not the foundation you’ve been building on.

TENSION

Some of US have…

And when it all falls apart, we wonder: What went wrong?

Believe it or not today we’re going look at a story that zero’s in on the importance of proper foundation, but it’s not going to look like it at first.

Because here’s the truth: You can only build a building as tall as the foundation is deep.

All those things aren’t bad things, they’re just not good foundation material.