The Treacherous Tenets

Build Connection

We all own things and those things have different purposes.

Some of the things we own are for pure enjoyment, I have golf clubs, some of you have books, some guns/hunting equipment, some motorcycles or cars.

There are also things we own out of necessity, pots and pans/dishes, clothes, lawn mower/yard equipment.

Then there are things we own for investment purposes. I have one of those in the apartment building next to my home. The church also is renting out the Hope House now.

When renting out something, it is important you have people you rent to that will not only take care of what they use, but they also pay you.

I have had some tremendous tenets and I have had some treacherous tenets.

Create Tension

Did you know we, as disciples of Jesus, children of God we are tenets. God has given us something temporarily that we are to use, take care of, and increase.

The question is are we going to be tremendous tenets or are we going to be treacherous tenets?

Provide Solution

We are going through a series called, “Once upon a time” where we are looking at some parables of Jesus and see we can learn from them. Today we are looking at a parable of a landowner and tenets.

Matthew 21:33–45

“33 “Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. 34 At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop. 35 But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. 36 So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same. 37 “Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ 38 “But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ 39 So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him. 40 “When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?” 41 The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.” 42 Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’ 43 I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit. 44 Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.” 45 When the leading priests and Pharisees heard this parable, they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers.”

To truly understand and apply this parable we must understand who the people are in the parable.

First you have the landowner -

this person did all the work of preparing the vineyard for production. This landowner represents God.

Second we have the Tenets -

Vs. 45 says “When the leading priests and pharisees heard this parable, they realized he was telling the sotry against them - they were the wicked farmers.

Third -

if the landowner represents God, his servants would be the prophets. The prophets often came and spoke on God’s behalf to the rulers and spiritual leaders about how they are handling God’s affairs

Fourth -

if the landowner is God, then his son in this parable would naturally be God’s Son, Jesus.

Fifth -

if the leading priests and pharisees are the treacherous tenets and God is the landowner, what is the “share of the crops?”

The OT gives us insight into this by indicating what the vineyard is.

Jeremiah 2:21 “21 But I was the one who planted you, choosing a vine of the purest stock—the very best. How did you grow into this corrupt wild vine?”

Psalm 80:8 “8 You brought us from Egypt like a grapevine; you drove away the pagan nations and transplanted us into your land.”

Isaiah 5:1–4 “1 Now I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill. 2 He plowed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter. 3 Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah, you judge between me and my vineyard. 4 What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?”

All three of these vs tell us that Israel is that vineyard. If that is so then the “share of the crops” would be the increase of the vineyard. While we often think of numerical growth as the key to increase, God’s ways are not our ways.

The people were growing numerically despite the treacherous tenets, so that’s not it.

I think it was the poor handling of the truth of God’s word and how they led spiritually, were they producing spiritual fruit!

Matthew 23:4 “4 They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.”

The priests and teachers of religious law were the caretakers of God’s truth, but in an attempt to keep people from breaking God’s law, they put up fences that would keep people away from sin and so burden God’s people with unnecessary demands.

When Jesus says, I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit.

He is giving the responsibility of sharing God’s truth with a people (the word for nation could also mean peoples or people group) that will produce worship, spiritual fruit!

1 Timothy 3:14–16 “14 I am writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you soon, 15 so that if I am delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth.

John 14:6 “6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

Procure the Truth

We procure the truth by reading God’s Word, by studying God’s Word.

We procure the truth by listening to God’s Word.

We procure the truth by putting God’s word in our heart, by seeking to understand it!

Proclaim the Truth

Once you know the truth, it is our job to speak it.

But we must speak it in love

We proclaim the Truth by teaching it to our children.

We proclaim the truth by voting for Godly policies

When you vote, vote for policy not personality

We proclaim the truth by living it out!

Protect the Truth

We protect the Truth by identifying falsehood

There are a lot of people, pastors who are accepting a lie for the sake of inclusion.

There are people who will not condemn certain sins for the sake of not being hated. Jesus told his disciples they would be hated!

Encourage Change

As believers God has given us the truth and we are called to produce crop with it, are we?