Matthew 21:33-46 Part 4
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning and welcome to First Community Church where we worship God in Spirit and in Truth, one verse at a time.
Praise God for that message of music and y’all sounded great! I am confident that the Lord was pleased.
Let us pray in and dive in the Word of God with expectation.
Did you come with expectation this morning, desiring to hear from the Lord?
Prayer
Prayer
Read Matthew 21:33-46
Read Matthew 21:33-46
Review
Review
Jesus is in the temple and his authority was questioned by the Sanhedrin.
The Sanhedrin acted that they did not know where his authority came from and answered Jesus, “We do not know?” They reasoned away the Messiah who was standing in front of them. And as his followers, as his disciples and children, our flesh can lead us to do the same thing. We call this sin church. Temptation will always try to get you to a place of reasoning away Jesus.
So when the religious leaders said they did not know, Jesus replied, that he will not tell them.
He then said, “But what do you think?”
Now, keep in mind that this is the last week of our Lord’s life. His time on earth is coming to an end. Friday He will die; this is Wednesday. And on this Wednesday, He’s in the temple. It’s morning, and He’s there teaching about the kingdom and preaching the Gospel. The day before, He cleansed the temple. The day before that, on Monday, He rode into the city to the hosannas of the multitude. Many of them believe He may be the Messiah.
Now, the religious leaders, chief priests, scribes, elders – including the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Herodians. And all of those who were in responsibility for the religious life of the nation and the temple itself were infuriated at His teaching because He taught contrary to everything they taught; because He taught things that were internal, and their religion was all external; because He unmasked their hypocrisy and their pretense.
Here Jesus is getting their attention and he gives them a trilogy of parables.
The parable of the two sons
The parable of the wicked vinedressers
The parable of the wedding feast
Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.
And we come to the second parable today.
“Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.
When Jesus says hear! What should we do?
Hear another parable, means that this is a parable fo the same kind that was just spoken.
Parables are earthly stories with heavenly or spiritual meanings.
Parables conceal to the proud and self-righteous, while they are revealed to the humble and teachable.
When asked by people what they can pray for me for, I always say for humility and teachability. We can not learn or get the help we so desperately need apart for these two virtues!
So the Father is the landowner, while the vinedressers here is Israel and its religious leaders. The ones who Jesus is now speaking with.
The Father took great care and planted his vineyard, he placed a hedge around it to protect it from animals and robbers, he dug a wine press so the grapes could be turned into grape juice and wine, and he built a tower church. A tower was for storage, for shelter, and for security form their enemies or even robbers.
Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Watchtower
Platform from which farmers protected their land and livestock and soldiers guarded their cities. Watchtowers were built in the vineyards of Palestine. From the tower the watchman was assigned to oversee the vineyard, protecting it from wild animals and thieves (Is 5:2; Mt 21:33; Mk 12:1). Such structures are still used for similar purposes in Palestine and serve as the living quarters for the vineyard workers. Some watchtowers, like the tower of Eder (Gn 35:21), were constructed in wilderness areas. They provided a protected shelter for shepherds to watch their flocks and a fortified outpost for sentinels to guard a city and to safeguard its commerce from marauding bandits
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.
The Lord in His Sovereignty did everything, the only thing that was asked of the vinedressers was for them to cultivate and care for his vineyard.
Church, God is Sovereign, but man has responsibility.
Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.
So it is vintage time, it is time for to harvest what the vinedressers cultivated , what they grew church.
Church, here we see God sent his servants to gather the fruits of His vineyard.
Everyone there understood this practice as it was common for landowners to lease out their land, and here we see vineyards.
This was an agrarian society and all their lively hood depended on vintage time.
Church, we must note 2 things in this text:
God/ the landowner expected fruit. Every cultivator was responsible for the vineyard, everyone was expected to work and produce.
We are living in a culture of entitlement, a culture that does not want to work. Many today think that this world, or the community that they live in owes them something.
We live in a culture of instant and gratification where people do not want to work.
What does the Word say about this?
For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.
If a man does not work, neither shall he eat.
God has called us to be diligent about earning a living, but much more important is cultivating the vineyard that he has planted us in.
This not only has to do with earning a living, but it has to do with our spiritual lives as well, in fact, I believe this is applicable to every aspect of our lives.
The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
Diligent person n. — a person who is characterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks.
The hand of the diligent will rule, But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.
The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!”
This Scripture is repeated in Proverbs 26:13.
The meaning of the text is simply that the lazy give lame excuses for not leaving the house to work.
Lazy people are entitled people, who lack gratitude.
They are full of excuses why they will not do this or that.
Little do they know they are dying a slow death, because laziness is a sin and the wages of sin is death.
Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep— So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.
The sluggard is the lazy man who lacks self-control.
We see here that the ant is a picture of diligence and of planning and actually serves as a rebuke to the lazy.
Wisdom sends a lazy man to learn from an ant church.
The landowner expected the vinedressers to work, to cultivate the vineyard.
One last Picture of working or not:
I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; And there it was, all overgrown with thorns; Its surface was covered with nettles; Its stone wall was broken down. When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction: A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest; So shall your poverty come like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.
God expects us to work. But we must remember that our relationship with him is not one of performance, but one of love and obedience. Church there is nothing, absolutely nothing that we can do to make God love us more. We are not by works, but we are saved for good works, Amen!
A day of accountability came to the vinedressers and will come to each one of us on that Day. Every man and woman is expected to make a contribution in the beautiful vineyard God has trusted you with.
He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.
The fig tree, like the vineyard is used as a symbol for Israel.
This parable’s lesson was about fruitlessness and it applies equally to the nation and to each individual soul church.
We see here the intercession of Jesus and the graciousness of the Father church.
It is interesting here that the landowner came back for three years seeking fruit and found none. Jesus ministry lasted 3.5 years.
Again, we can see here a parable of judgement, but yet a parable of mercy, of grace, and love church. God wishes not one shall perish, but that all will repent and return unto him.
Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
So we must remember church, that God expects us to work, just like he expected Israel to work. And we will all be held accountable for the work that we have done.
For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.
Render here is the word reward.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
In closing, I would like to share that a believer in Jesus Christ is covered by the blood of the Lamb. Our sins have been forgiven and we have been washed whiter than snow. Therefore, God looks at our works. Remember church, we are not saved by our works, but the evidence that we are saved is the works we have in our life.
We are not saved by our works, but for good works!
Are you working in the vineyard? the landowner expects us to work!
Are you ready to be a held accountable by the landowner whose name is God?
For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
Prayer
Prayer
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Announcements
Lets be cultivating the vineyard God has given us to cultivate
Let us reach out to those that are not here
The Lord bless you!
Your Mission starts now!