Sunday Sermon Matthew 21:23-46 Series Part 5

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Prayer

Read Matthew 21:33-46

Review

Last week we covered verses 33 and 34 and God/ the landowner expected fruit. Every cultivator was responsible for the vineyard, everyone was expected to work and produce. Not that our relationship with God is one of performance, but one of love. We work in his vineyard, because he first loved us and because we now love him.

When you fall in love with someone, we are willing to spend time with them right? We begin to make sacrifice to do things with them and for them right?

I think a good question to ask our selves would be: “How or where am I currently laboring for the Lord in His vineyard? How am I serving others?

Ephesians 2:8–10 NKJV

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Did you see that?

We are saved by grace, through faith

Our salvation is a gift

We are God’s workmanship, he created us in Christ Jesus, for what? For good works!

Workmanship- poiema- some scholars say that we get our word poetry form this word. Therefore church, we are God’s poetry. Something that was created or brought into existence.

Do you think God brings anything into existence for no purpose? Probably not!

One last thing about this Ephesians 2:10

Note, we are to walk in these good works.

If we are not walking with the Lord, we will not be walking in the good works God has prepared for us to walk in.

Remember church, no matter what you do, no matter all the good works you do for God and for others, you cannot make Him love you any more that he already does.

But beware of getting caught in performance seeking in your relationship with God or with others. Because if you go there, you will live in defeat and become depleted of all your energy. People who get stuck here, end up never being satisfied and are often depressed.

2. And we also learned that a day of accountability came to the vinedressers and will come to each one of us on that Day. Every person here is expected to make a contribution to the beautiful vineyard that God has entrusted you with.

1 Corinthians 3:8 NKJV

Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

Church, if you have surrender your life to Jesus and have a relationship with the King, then he has given you the gift of eternal life.

There are going to be rewards, based on your labor for the King in heaven.

More Jewels in your crown, means more jewels for Jesus!!!

Matthew 21:35–38 NKJV

And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’

Matthew’s version here of this text is pretty concise, let us take a look at what Mark wrote in Mark 12:2-8.

Read Mark 12:2-8

Did you see the difference? Mark is much more descriptive then Matthew.

Matthew was writing to primarily a Jewish audience, while Mark to a Gentile.

Remember, all the accounts of the gospel vary as they were eyewitness accounts.

If we saw an accident today, all of our accounts would be different, that is why when you read the gospels and you see the same allegories or parables then often very a little.

Matthew 21:35–36 NKJV

And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.

What do you recognize here in this text?

I believe we can draw out a few things here:

First, I would love to point out the heart of the landowner who is God the Father. Notice that even though the vinedressers/ Israel/ the religious leaders beat one, killed one, and stoned another, note that the landowner kept sending his servants, regardless of the outcome.

Now if we got real with one another this morning, we would find out that all of us would stop sending our servants to receive fruit, right?

I know that personally, If they had beat they first one I sent, then if I went back it would be with the cops or with an army. Right?

But not this landowner! Why? because this landowner represents God and how his heart is:

2 Peter 3:9 NKJV

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Numbers 14:18 NKJV

‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’

God is longsuffering, abundant in mercy and keeps on forgiving here church. There is grace and love represented here of the highest degree.

Do you think the landowner would have sent more servants without forgiving the murderous deeds of the vinedressers?

The picture here is God showing his patience, his loving kindness, and compassion toward Israel here. REMEMBER, the vine, the vineyard, and the fig tree are symbolic of Israel, just like the eagle is for the US.

Even though the Israel and the religious leaders were rejecting the landowner whom is God, notice that this landowner who is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings did not reject them.

But rather this landowner pursued them persistently, just like he does us.

Just like he does a lost.

The landowner church loves us and longs for us to bear the fruit of repentance, the fruit of holiness, the fruit of obedience, the fruit of giving and serving others, the fruit of winning souls to Jesus Christ, the fruit of the spirit, the fruit of laboring for the Kingdom of God that is present on this earth.

See what is happenings her this text, is Jesus is giving a condensed, symbolic, version of salvation history.

So who do they servants represent in this parable?

It is clear that this landowner whose name is Jehovah, Emmanuel, Yaweh, Adonai, the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last sent his servants the prophets to Israel to bring them back to himself. His heart is always that one would repent and return unto him.His goal is always restoration, reconciliation, and for Israel and for us to bear much fruit for him.

John MacArthur writes:

First one came; they beat him. Next one came; they killed him. Next one came; they stoned him. Matthew just pulls them all into one verse and says, “They beat one, killed another, and stoned another.” This is amazing. I mean this good man, who had given them this piece of land to cultivate, by which they could have prospered, sends his servants merely to collect what is due to him by virtue of the arrangement and the fact that it is his land and his vineyard. And they beat one – and the word there means to scourge or flay or beat raw and bloody. And then it says they killed another. And in order to sort of distinguish that from stoning, which also brought death, we perhaps could say they killed instantly or immediately. It’s an aorist tense verb. It’s as if they murdered that person rather rapidly, perhaps with a knife or a spear or a sword. And then they stoned another. Lithoboleō basically means to stone to death. So, they flagellated one of them one of them bloody. They instantly murdered another and progressively crushed the life out of a third by dropping boulders on him. It’s incredible, these tenant farmers, given such privilege, given such opportunity, had become independent. They had become resentful. They had become filled with hatred for the owner. They had become overly possessive. They wanted everything. They didn’t want to give it to whom it was due.

Nobody in the right mind would keep sending their servants to be murdered.

So who were some of the prophets that God sent to Israel in hopes to get their attention, in hopes they would repent and return unto Him?

Major Prophets

Isaiah the prophet was killed by being sawed in two under the evil King Manasseh of Judah.

Jeremiah. Having escaped death several times previously, Jeremiah was later stoned to death by "his people" at Taphnai in Egypt and buried in honor near Pharaoh’s palace, because his prayers had delivered the Egyptians from poisonous snakes and other plagues.

Ezekiel. This great prophet is said to have died in Babylonia where "the leader of the Israelite exiles" killed him after being reproved for worshiping of idols.

Minor Prophets

Micah. He is reported to have been killed by Joram of Israel, the son of King Ahab, after Micah rebuked him for Ahab's impiety.

Amos. This northern prophet was tortured severely by Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, against whom Amos had prophesied. He was then mortally wounded with a club by Amaziah's son.

Micah was of the tribe of Ephraim, and was slain by Joram the son of Ahab.

Habakkuk was of the tribe of Simeon, and from the land of Zoar. This (prophet) prophesied concerning the Messiah, that He should come, and abrogate the laws of the Jews. He brought food to Daniel in Babylon .The Jews stoned him in Jerusalem

How about the Apostles?

Look at the chart:

Peter-was crucified upside down at his own request. Because he did not think he was he was worthy to be crucified like his Lord.

Andrew-was severely scourged, and was tied up by ropes on a x-shaped cross where he hung for 2 days before dying

James- was beheaded with a sword

John- placed in a pot of boiling oil and was not injured, later went on to die of natural causes in Ephesus

James- Jesus brother was thrown down from the temple and lived, history says that he was either clubbed to death or stoned to death right after he was pushed from the same place where Jesus was tempted by the devil.

Paul- Tradition teaches Paul was beheaded by Nero, likely in AD 67 or 68, during the persecution of Christians that took place following the fires of Rome in AD 64.

Read Hebrews 11:30-38

Church, there have been thousands upon thousands of other martyred for the sake of Jesus Christ.

God is still sending people out today.

Matthew 9:37 NKJV

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

When God sends someone into your life to bring you back, to wake you up, to call you on your stuff, what do you do?

Do you push them away?

Do you say, “You do not know what your talking about?”

Do you try to justify what your doing, when God is saying stop it!

Do you, like the religious leaders kill the servants God is sending you?

Are you open to being sent?

Read 2 Samual 12

John 3:16 NKJV

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Church, God is trying to wake us up. His desire is that we would labor in his vineyard. He desires us to work, because one day, he is coming for His bride.

Are you ready? Or are you comfortable doing what your doing? Do you desire to grow? Do you desire to sow and go? Then lets do that this next week as the Spirit leads.

Prayer

Announcements

Again, I wanted to say thank you for your faithfulness in serving the Lord, for working in His vineyard and for giving as his Holy Spirit leads.

Please reach out to those that are not here in whatever way the Lord places on your heart.

May we come alongside one person this next week that God has placed upon our heart.

Benediction

1 Corinthians 16:13–14 NKJV

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.

Be Blessed!

Be Thankful !

The Lord bless you!

Your Mission Starts now!

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