The Gospel & Cancel Culture福音和取消文化

INTRO

Have you any of you ever experienced rejection? The feeling of you aren’t wanted, you aren’t needed. Scientists did a study where they found that the pain of rejection registers in your brain, the same as the pain of a broken leg! Rejection is painful. If after a service someone comes to me and says, "I never want to see you or talk to you again," I will feel pretty bad. But if today my wife comes up to me and says, "I never want to see you or talk to you again," that's a lot worse. The deeper the love, the greater the hurt of its loss. But have you ever tried to be patient towards the people or person that has rejected you? Right now we live in what’s called Cancel Culture. Cancel Culture is what happens when someone says something that pop culture view as offensive, then the media will attack them, block their social media or try to cancel their show. How many of you have had this feeling. You see a Facebook post about religion or politics. You know you should probably say something, but you ‘re like it’s not worth it. Because you know there’s gonna be 50 more comments of people judging getting angry, CRY EMOJIS, and it’s just not worth it. Culture is not patient. If anyone has experienced Cancel Culture, it was Jesus.

CONTEXT: Last week we saw how the religious leaders are seeking to kill Jesus. To ultimately discredit Him, to shut Him up. Over the course of this last week of Jesus’ life this is all they want to do. CANCEL JESUS BY KILLING HIM. So in response to these leaders, Jesus tells the following parable:

Mark 12:1–12 CSB

He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug out a pit for a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went away. At harvest time he sent a servant to the farmers to collect some of the fruit of the vineyard from them. But they took him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent another servant to them, and they hit him on the head and treated him shamefully. Then he sent another, and they killed that one. He also sent many others; some they beat, and others they killed. He still had one to send, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenant farmers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill the farmers and give the vineyard to others. Haven’t you read this Scripture: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This came about from the Lord and is wonderful in our eyes?” They were looking for a way to arrest him but feared the crowd because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. So they left him and went away.

Mark 12:1–12 CNVT

耶穌又用比喻對他們說：「有一個人栽種了一個葡萄園，四面圍上籬笆，挖了一個壓酒池，蓋了一座瞭望臺，然後租給佃戶，就遠行去了。到了時候，園主派了一個僕人到佃戶那裡，向佃戶收取葡萄園一部分的果子。佃戶抓住他，打了他，放他空手回去。園主再派另外一個僕人到他們那裡，他們打傷了他的頭，並且侮辱他。園主又派另一個去，他們就把他殺了。後來又派去許多僕人，有的給他們打了，有的給他們殺了。還有一個，就是園主的愛子，最後園主派他到那裡去，說：『他們必尊敬我的兒子。』那些佃戶卻彼此說：『這是繼承產業的；來，我們殺了他，產業就是我們的了。』於是抓住他，把他殺了，扔在葡萄園外。這樣，葡萄園的主人要怎麼辦呢？他要來除掉那些佃戶，把葡萄園租給別人。你們沒有念過這段聖經嗎： 『建築工人所棄的石頭， 成了房角的主要石頭； 這是主所作的， 在我們眼中看為希奇。』」 他們知道他這比喻是針對他們說的，就想要捉拿他，但因為害怕群眾，只好離開他走了。

How does The Gospel respond to Cancel Culture? This parable is going to reveal 3 things about God’s character in the Gospel, His Patience/Kindness, His Wrath, and His Victory in Christ.

GOD’S PATIENCE神的忍耐

Jesus says a certain man planted a vineyard:

In the bible vineyard is a reference to God’s people. So from the very beginning, Jesus is saying, God is the one who planted, who formed a people for Himself. Notice what this man does for the vineyard:

Put a fence around it

Dug out a pit for the winepress

Built a watchtower

God put these things in place for protection. Sounds like what some of us want to do for our daughters too right?! Protect our women! He puts everything in place so that this vineyard will be protected and produce fruit. The watchtower and the fence are things that are put there to keep thieves out, but we will see in a moment that the danger to this vineyard didn’t come from thieves on the outside but on the inside.

Leased it out to farmers(should take care of vineyard)

They were put in place to protect, care, and help the vineyard produce fruit FOR THE OWNER of the vineyard.

Up until this moment, the religious leaders hearing this parable would be tracking with Jesus. They understand that God is the man who planted the vineyard, the vineyard is Israel, God’s people, and the tenant farmers are the religious leaders of Israel.

But then the story quickly turns.

“At harvest time” . It’s time to pay up. This man sent a servant to collect fruit. This was a common practice in Jewish culture. These kind of contracts lasted about 4 years where there would be plenty of time for fruit to grown and harvested, so by this time the owner of the vineyard would expect to receive some fruit from His vineyard. He expects these farmers to care for His vineyard.

Israel’s rejection

From verse 3-5 you have Jesus giving a short summary of Israel’s history. How they have consistently rejected the prophets that God has sent. What I love about the Bible is that it paints an honest picture of humanity and God’s people. Let’s see some examples:

Elijah was driven into the wilderness by the King of Israel (1 Kings 19:1–5).

Isaiah, according to tradition, was sawn in two.

Zechariah was stoned to death in church(2 Chronicles 24:21).

John the Baptist was beheaded.

All examples of the farmers, AKA leaders, rejecting God’s messengers. This is a clear case against the religious leaders of Israel. What we see is that the harm to God’s vineyard didn’t come from thieves outside but from the one’s who were meant to take care of it. How many of us know that most of the great harm that has been done to the church hasn’t come from the athiests on the outside, but from false teachers and sinful leaders on the inside? I’m sure many of us have stories where we’ve been hurt not from non believers outside the church, but from leaders and Christians in the church. This is Israel’s history. Rejecting God.

However, in the midst of this history of Israel’s rejection, what else do we see? God’s kindness and patience!

Time after time, God consistently is pursuing His people. Prophet after prophet, message, after message, pleading with His people to repent and turn from their sin, and receive His grace. Culture often paints God as an angry deity, just waiting for you to mess up so He can throw down fire from heaven and destroy you, but is that the picture you see here? No! God is patient. We as people are not patient people, we are quick to judge, quick to get angry, but not the God of Christianity, look at how the Bible describes God:

Psalm 145:8 CSB

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithful love.

Psalm 145:8 CNVT

耶和華有恩典有憐憫， 不輕易發怒，大有慈愛。

And why is God patient? Why doesn’t He just come right now destroy evil wickedness, and just end the world and the coronavirus right now?

God is patient for you. God is patient for these wicked farmers. Why? So that we might repent and be saved!

Romans 2:4 CSB

Or do you despise the riches of his kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

2 Peter 3:9 CSB

The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

Romans 2:4 CNVT

還是你藐視　神豐富的恩慈、寬容和忍耐，不曉得他的恩慈是要領你悔改的嗎？

2 Peter 3:9 CNVT

主決不耽延他的應許，像有些人以為他是耽延的一樣；其實他是寬容你們，不願有一人滅亡，卻願人人都悔改。

SO WHAT?

This is good news for us! The bible shows that although we are GREAT SINNERS, God’s GRACE IS GREATER THAN OUR SIN. The patience and kindness of God is stronger than the rebellion of man.

But also as Christians this quality of steadfastness, of long suffering is also something we are to live out. Look at Romans 15:5

Romans 15:5 CSB

Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus,

Romans 15:5 CNVT

願賜忍耐和安慰的　神，使你們彼此同心，效法基督耶穌，

“gives endurance” same word used for patience and long suffering.

Husbands and wives do we reflect this kind of long suffering patience with our spouses? With our kids? With our co workers? Do we tend to be reactionary, quick to anger instead of patient? This is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It’s rooted in God’s kindness and patience towards you! That however much we think we have to be patience and long suffering towards someone, God has had infinitely more patience and kindness towards us! Our ability to endure, to be long suffering, to be patient, is rooted in the Gospel, it is rooted in what God has done toward YOU!

God Comes Himself in the Son:

God’s Final Appeal to His People(PAUSE) When the Kindness of God Appeared(Jesus)

Jesus says this man, in a final appeal to these farmers, send his Son. His beloved Son. Look at verse 6. The language here, literally means “last of all” He sent His Beloved Son. What does this show us about God?

Reminds us that God gives us His best. He doesn’t withhold good from us. God doesn’t withhold His Beloved Son from us, but HE sends Him! There might be some of us who believe that God is withholding good from us, that HE really doesn’t have what’s best for us. But the Gospel proves us wrong! IT says that in Christ, God did not withhold good from us, but IN THE RIGHT TIME, He sent His son, His best, His one and only, to us and for us!

God had already given them the vineyard, God had already allowed them to farm and to plant, and they still want more? They still are being greedy? This is the scandal of GRACE. We are people who take advantage of the GRACE OF GOD. God is patient, so we think we can sin, God is loving so we think we can do what we please. Yet, still God is gracious to give us Himself.

Titus 3:4 CSB

But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared,

Titus 3:4 CNVT

然而，到了　神我們的救主顯明他的恩慈和憐愛的時候，

This phrase, finally, means “last of all” that there is none after Him. Jesus is the ultimate prophet, God in the flesh, the very incarnation of the Word of God. God has finally spoken and made His appeal to us in Jesus.

Hebrews 1:2 CSB

In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him.

Hebrews 1:2 CNVT

在這末後的日子，卻藉著他的兒子向我們說話。　神已經立他作萬有的承受者，並且藉著他創造了宇宙（「宇宙」或譯：「諸世界」或「眾世代」）。

God didn’t come through Buddha, God didn’t come through Muhammed, God didn’t come through anyone else, God came in Jesus, and if you want to know the Father, it is through His Beloved Son who HE sent!

But what happens to the son?

They kill him! This isn’t the mafia or 黑道 looking to kill Jesus, these are the religious teachers and leaders responsible for leading the people towards God.

Motivation? To take the vineyard-for them to be the owners of the vineyard instead of God, that’s what they wanted. Jesus is saying to the chief priests. “You aren’t mad at me or going to kill me because of your love for God, it is because of your LOVE FOR POWER”. Basically you want to be God.

I find that many times people’s rejection to Christianity comes down to not wanting Jesus to be Lord of your life. We want to be our own Saviors our own gods, and the Gospel confronts that and calls us to repent of that. I don’t want someone telling me what to do with my body, with my finances, with my time, with my relationships. I want to be Lord over my life.

Romans says that people suppress the truth about who God IS, BY THEIR UNRIGHTEOUSNESS!

What does this show us?

This reminds us that these farmers were not rejecting the messenger, but ultimately the owner of the vineyard, God Himself. Jesus reminds us that when we share the Gospel and people reject us, they are really rejecting the one who sent us, which is Jesus, and not us. How many of us take rejection personally? How many of us are afraid to share the gospel because of the fear of rejection? This story reminds us, that as God continues to send us out, people are rejecting Him, not you, when you share the Gospel.

There was a lady who would go and do door to door evangelism. For most of us door to door evangelism is our worst nightmare. Every Saturday night she would walk to this certain house and knock on the door and share the gospel. This happened for weeks months on end, every week same result, please go away. The family in the house became so annoyed that do you know what they finally did? THEY MOVED! So this lady shows us same time to the place to find out that this family had moved. So she gets on her knees in front of this house and begins to pray, she got a picture of a certain house, a street name, and address, and so she went there. Knocked on that door, and guess what? It was this same family! That night they accepted Christ, and the daughter of that family is now a leader of a large ministry in the USA. Salvation is God’s work, and when we share His message people are rejecting Him not us, so we have to care more for someone’s eternal soul than a moment of rejection for us!

GOD’S ANGER神的憤怒

However, Don’t mistake God’s patience with sinners for the idea that God is tolerant of sin.

“If I were God,” cried Martin Luther, “and the world had treated me as it treated Him, I would kick the wretched thing to pieces.” Let’s be honest. So would we. Many of us consider ourselves to be patient people, but then put us in Taiwanese traffic, or put us in long lines at Costco, and pretty soon we see how patient we really are:)

Although God is patient, He has a holy wrath.

Psalm 50:20–21 CSB

You sit, maligning your brother, slandering your mother’s son. You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But I will rebuke you and lay out the case before you.

Psalm 50:20–21 CNVT

你經常毀謗你的兄弟， 誣衊你母親的兒子。 你作了這些事，我默不作聲； 你以為我和你一樣？ 其實我要責備你，要當面指控你。

How many people think this right now? Since God hasn’t judged sin YET, He isn’t going to. He’s "all bark and no bite”

Look at what Jesus says the owner will do:

He will come. Kill the farmers, give the vineyard to others. Make no mistake Jesus says, that even though God is patient and has a long fuse, HE HAS A HOLY ANGER.

Hebrews 10:31 CSB

It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Hebrews 10:31 CNVT

落在永活的　神手裡，真是可怕的。

There will be a day, when His patience ends, and there will be judgement. But it is in light of the coming wrath of God, the justice of God, that makes the Gospel so incredible! If there is no wrath of God there is nothing to be saved from.

This is a warning that we should still give to people. The Gospel is not “if you don’t believe in Jesus then you won’t a good life, or you’re really missing out” Those things are definitely true, but the reality is, if they continue to reject Christ, if people do what the farmers do here, they will receive the wrath of God.

GOD’S VICTORY神的勝過

But notice, this final point. What does God do with the vineyard? His people? A people who have been abused by sinful leadership? A people who have also taken part in rejecting Him? Does he reject the vineyard? Does He abandon His people? NO! HE REDEEMS THE VINEYARD AND GIVES THE VINEYARD TO A BETTER LEADER, TO A BETTER KING, TO A BETTER SAVIOR. The Son who was rejected.

Read the verses.

Three things quickly we see about Jesus through this last few verses:

Christ Rejected by men BUT EXALTED by God.

The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone!

Philippians 2:8–9 CSB

he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,

Philippians 2:8–9 CNVT

既然有人的樣子，就自甘卑微，順服至死，而且死在十字架上。因此　神把他升為至高，並且賜給他超過萬名之上的名。

2. This came about from who? The Lord. As you read the story the question arises, why would a Father, send His beloved, His only Son, into a place where there is a pattern of violence and death? Why does the Father sends His Son into danger? Why does Jesus experience, rejection, shame, dishonor, even death, The answer? FOR YOU FOR ME! Jesus is telling the religious leaders that what they are about to do, just 3 days from now, all is within the sovereign plan of God.

Church ONLY GOD, can accomplish, victory from our defeat, Christ’s Exaltation through His rejection, and our acceptance through Christ’s rejection!

Church Jesus is telling you that if God can work victory and accomplish His purposes through the sin of His people, through the death of His Own Son, He is still able to work through all things, pandemics, political upheaval, cultural tension, to accomplish His purposes FOR HIS PEOPLE. That’s incredible. We no longer have tenant farmers who are hired hands. WE have the GERAT SHEPHERD WHO LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS SHEEP.

the text tells us that this Gospel is what? wonderful( 在我們眼中看為希奇)! That word actually means, awe-inspiring!

“If you reject him, he answers you with tears; if you wound him, he bleeds out cleansing; if you kill him, he dies to redeem; if you bury him, he rises again to bring resurrection. Jesus is love . Spurgeon

So that in the GOSPEL, what we deserved, REJECTION BY GOD BECAUSE OF OUR SIN, Christ got on the cross, SO THAT what is Christ’s and what we don’t deserve, ACCEPTANCE AND THE LOVE OF GOD, WE RECEIVE THROUGH FAITH! This is the cornerstone of our faith. The mercy of God! To die to save the very one’s who put His Son on the cross! That’s you, that’s me.

“The motive for repentance is not only sorrow for sin but also the mercy of God in Christ. We have zero motivation to repent, unless we see the mercy of God awaiting us. Not the slap of God, but the embrace of God. Repentance is not just turning from sin but primarily turning to God, moment by moment, because He has promised His mercy to those who repent.” Ray Ortlund

CONCLUSION

Church how great is this Gospel! Only this Gospel only This Christ can overcome the cancel culture and the sin that we have in our own hearts. We might have the WORLD’S REJECTION BUT WE HAVE THE FATHER’S ACCEPTANCE. I would much have the Father’s embrace and acceptance, than the approval of the world.

APPLICATION:

Is your motive for repentance rooted in the kindness and the love of God? Do we see repentance primarily as turning to God, and His kindness in Christ?!

Are we still amazed at the Gospel? Is the Gospel, still something that causes us to wonder? If not, let us pray, and ask the Holy Spirit to “restore to us the joy of our salvation”.

You can be encouraged that Jesus has known rejection, shame, dishonor. Jesus can empathize with our rejection as we obey Him.

God is still sending His people to share the Gospel with those who don’t know Him. This includes all of us. This week what you can do is create a list of all the people who have relationship with who don’t know Christ, from your kids, to co workers, to coffee shop owners, ect. Then just pick a few and begin to consistently pray for them. Pray that Jesus would reveal Himself to them, then make plans to hang out with them, invite them into what you are doing, and ask the Spirit to lead you to share the Gospel with them! Church business cards in the back they can hand out.