ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

SCRIPTURE PASSAGE

Matthew 21:27-32.

PURPOSE STATEMENT

To reveal that genuine obedience to the Father matters more than empty promises; true repentance always results in action.

INTRODUCTION

I’d like for you to take the Word of God with me, please, and turn to Matthew 21:27-32.

ILLUSTRATION

In the early days of the American Revolution, there were few voices louder in their promises of loyalty and service than Benedict Arnold. He spoke often of devotion to the cause, professed unwavering commitment to General Washington, and carried himself as a man who could be trusted to lead. His words were strong. His pledges were bold. If you listened only to what he said, you would have believed he was one of the most faithful men in the entire Continental Army.

But beneath the confident promises was a heart that did not match the lips. Arnold loved praise more than principle, ambition more than duty, and recognition more than obedience. While he continued to say all the right things, his life slowly moved in a different direction. Eventually, the same man who said he would fight for freedom became the most infamous traitor in American history. His words promised loyalty, but his actions revealed betrayal.

That contrast between what a man says and what a man does is at the very heart of the parable Jesus tells in Matthew 21. In this parable, one son gave a bold answer with his lips, but his life went another direction. The other son refused at first but later obeyed. Jesus used this simple story to expose the danger of empty promises and the blessing of genuine repentance and obedience.

Read Matthew 21:27-32.

TRANSITION

It has been a while since we’ve discussed a parable so let’s recap. A parable is a purposefully dark saying, hidden from those who refuse to understand. It usually takes a heavenly truth and explains in an earthly way.

This parable is not hard to understand for immediately after speaking it, Jesus gave us the key.

The certain man is a picture of God the Father

The first son is a picture of the publicans and harlots, or common man

The second son is the religious establishment, the Pharisees, Scribes, and chief priests.

As a whole, both sons are a picture of Israel.

The field is a picture of the created world.

Though the parable is about Israel, there is much you and I can glean from it.

Tonight, I simply want to break down this parable for us into it’s three parts.

THE FATHER’S REQUEST | VV. 27-28, 30A

We begin in verses 27 and 28 with the Father’s request. We read,

Matthew 21:27–28 KJV 1900

27 And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. 28 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.

Notice three truths about the request.

IT WAS PERSONAL

First of all, it was personal. He went to each of the sons individually. This was not a generic request that one may have with a classroom of students. Instead, he personally connected with each son.

IT WAS PURPOSEFUL

It was also purposeful, each son was given a specific task to do. There was a work to do in the vineyard. There was nothing uncertain about the task. They knew where to go and what to do when they arrived.

IT WAS PRESSING

And then notice it was pressing. The work was to be done “today.” This was not something to put off, but to be done immediately.

QUICK APPLICATION

This is often how God works. Remember, you and I have been given the Word of God as well as the Spirit of God. Both are ways God speaks to us personally, purposefully and in a pressing way. We only have a short-life, a vapor that appears for a little time. We don’t have time to waste, and we have no excusing not knowing the will of the Lord.

The same is true for each of us. We live as if we have no idea what God expects of us. The Scriptures are clear in what God desires of us. Mark 12:30 says,

Mark 12:30 KJV 1900

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

When we love God as we should, there will be no problem serving Him and laboring in the harvest.

And then Jesus continued in verse 31,

Mark 12:31 KJV 1900

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

There is none other commandment greater than these. God expects us to love one another! We can’t live for God without love!

THE SONS’ RESPONSES | VV. 29-30

Having seen the Father’s request, Jesus brings us now to the sons’ responses, where the heart of the parable becomes painfully clear.

Matthew 21:29–30 KJV 1900

29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. 30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

Let’s look at each son’s complete response.

THE FIRST SON | VS. 29

HE INITIALLY REFUSED

The first son initially refused. His father asked him to do something and his initial response is to reject His father’s command.

HE OPENLY REBELLED

This is straight up open rebellion. He openly rebels against his father’s command.

HE WHOLLY REPENTED

But then watch, he wholly repented. Afterward, he repented. He completely changed his mind, realized he was wrong.

HE ACTIVELY OBEYED

Which resulted in obedience. He actively obeyed. This is the result of true repentance, a true change of mind results in a real change of behavior.

THE SECOND SON

But then we get to the second son, which is even more problematic.

HE OUTWARDLY AGREED

He outwardly agreed. Dad comes and asks him to go work in the field, and his response is “yes, sir.”

HE INWARDLY REBELLED

But that’s as far as the agreement went. While the first son openly rebelled, this second son inwardly rebelled. Dad leaves thinking the son is going to do the work, but the son has absolutely no intention of going into the field to work.

HIS DECEITFULLY IGNORED

I say the son deceitfully ignored the father’s request.

HIS COMPLETELY DISOBEYED

In plain English, he completely disobeyed.

THE SAVIOR’S REBUKE | VV. 31-32

This leads to the Savior’s rebuke. In verse 31 Jesus asks a very simply question. Let’s look at it.

Matthew 21:31 KJV 1900

31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first…

This is not rocket science. Which one of the two children obeyed the father? The first. Simple. How do you know? Was it the words they said? Not all, the first son never once said he would obey the father’s command. He simply repented and went. The second son said he would go, but never did.

HE EXPOSED THEIR HYPOCRISY | VS. 31

What Jesus did was expose their hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is when we say one thing and do another, or pretend to be one way, and live another. Jesus openly rebuked the chief priests and scribes. Finish reading verse 31,

Matthew 21:31 KJV 1900

31 …Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

That was a direct attack. The down and outers, the worthless in the eyes of the religious establishment, were going to be welcomed into the kingdom of God before the religious establishment would. It’s not that they couldn’t, but they didn’t want to repent. They wanted to continue with the pretense, with the hypocrisy.

One day we will all stand before God and give an account of our lives, and for the things done in our bodies, whether good or bad. On that day, the fiery eyes of our Savior will bore through all the excuses and all of the hypocrisy and get to the heart of the matter. Please don’t fool yourself. If you think you are laying up treasure in heaven, but living a life of hypocrisy today, you won’t have treasure, you’ll have trash. You wan’t have gold, you’ll have garbage.

There is coming a day when every mask will fall, every pretense will crumble, and only obedience to Christ will matter. What will it be like to stand before eyes that cannot be deceived—yet belong to a Savior who loves us?”

The saddest words in Scripture are not words of judgment; they are the words of people who wasted their chance to obey.

Don’t be a hypocrite. Live for Jesus.

What He says, do it.

Where He sends, go.

Where He leads, follow.

HE EXPLAINED TRUE REPENTANCE | VS. 32

Not only did Jesus expose their hypocrisy, but he also explained true repentance. We read in verse 32,

Matthew 21:32 KJV 1900

32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

Jesus brings up John the Baptist, which had one message,

Matthew 3:1–2 KJV 1900

1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

A little further, Matthew records John’s message to the Pharisees and Sadducees in verses 8-10,

Matthew 3:8–10 KJV 1900

8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Repentance has always been the message, and will always be the message. For someone to come to the saving knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they must repent and believe. Repentance is not a work, but an act of the mind, which results in a change of direction.

No one comes to Jesus for salvation if they first do not believe they truly need to be saved, and that He is the only way to be forgiven of our sins and be welcomed into God’s kingdom. Jesus is the door to the fold. This is true repentance, any other form is false repentance.

Judas had a false repentance. We read in Matthew 27:3,

Matthew 27:3 KJV 1900

3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

Jesus realize his actions were wrong, and mentally changed his mind, but never come to Jesus for forgiveness, therefore, never received salvation. Don’t be fooled, my friends.

Many people realize the wickedness of sin and turn a new leaf, they change their mind, but they never believe in the only begotten Son of God. Others, outwardly say they believe, but their life does not match their lips. Neither of these cases brings salvation.

HE EXTENDED GRACE | VS. 31

Notice that Jesus didn’t just expose their hypocrisy and explain true repentance, he also extended grace. I want you to go back with me to verse 31, because I don’t want you to miss it. Look at the end of the verse,

Matthew 21:31 KJV 1900

31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

Jesus does not say that the religious establishment cannot go it, but that the publicans and harlots go in before them. This is important to grasp. The religious rulers had rejected Jesus and within a couple of days they will be executing Him, but they still can believe. The door to the fold has not been shut. God had prophesied many years before through the prophet Joel:

Joel 2:32 KJV 1900

32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: For in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, As the Lord hath said, And in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

Paul understood this and so wrote in Romans 10:13,

Romans 10:13 KJV 1900

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Many people which we will meet will reject Jesus. Perhaps they will reject Him time and again. Perhaps they will come, taste a little, and then go back. But as long as breathe is in their lungs, and their heart beats, they have the opportunity to repent and believe the Gospel.

Listen to Peter talk to these exact people in Acts 2. After preaching one of the most powerful Holy Spirit filled sermons ever preached we read his closing declaration.

Acts 2:36 KJV 1900

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

While many people were listening, not everyone could have been described as those who crucified Jesus. Only the religious establishment and those in Jerusalem on that day crying out, “Crucify, Him! Release, Barabbas!”

Listen to the response from the people,

Acts 2:37 KJV 1900

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

To which Peter responds with the one and only message they needed to hear again,

Acts 2:38 KJV 1900

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

What grace that God would continually call people to repentance even after they rejected their Savior and hung Him on a tree. What a merciful God!

Imagine the Father’s disappointment—not anger, but heartbreak—when one son refused Him and the other lied to Him.

Yet the Father kept calling. He did not shut the door. He did not cast them off. He wanted both sons to obey, not to punish them, but to bless them.

CONCLUSION

Every one of us tonight is one of these two sons. Not in theory, but in reality. Right now, in God’s sight, your life is answering His call with either ‘I will not’ or ‘I go, sir’—and your feet are proving which one is true.

This isn’t a parable about them. It’s a parable about me. About you. About the very next choice we make when God speaks.

As we close, this parable leaves each of us with a question only we can answer: Which son am I? 

Some of us, like the first son, have pushed back against God—out of pride, stubbornness, fear, or sin. But the Father is still calling. There is grace to repent, grace to rise up, and grace to obey. Some of us might think we’ve sinned too long to come back. But the Father is still calling. He is still waiting. He is still ready to forgive.

Others may look more like the second son. We have the right words, the right appearance, the right vocabulary, but our obedience is missing. The Father is not impressed with good intentions or religious talk. He is honored by obedience that flows from a repentant heart.

Tonight, God is still speaking personally, purposefully, and with pressing urgency. The vineyard is ready. The laborers are few. The Father says, “Go work today in My vineyard.”

So here is the call: Lay down the excuses. Forsake the hypocrisy. Repent where you have refused. And obey the Father with a whole heart.

Where He sends, go.

What He commands, do.

Whom He calls, follow.