The Mathematics of Grace
Notes
Transcript
Jenn asked me to put ketchup on the shopping list, but then I couldnt read it.
IF you think facebook and your phone collecting data on you is bad, your vacuum has been collecting data on you for years.
Famous story of Jesus… kind of confrontational… it tells us the way the world functions is wrong.... but the kingdom is right… and he is going to kind of turn our thinking upside down… and if you feel kind of beat up over the last few weeks like Jesus has been calling you out the last few weeks this story is going to kind of show you how graceful he is and how it doesnt even make sense...
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’
5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same.
6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’
8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’
9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.
10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius.
11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house,
12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’
13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?
14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you.
15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’
16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”
This is a horrible business plan.... one author calls this the mathematics of grace… Jewish work day 6-6 Thats why the sabbath was so important…they worked and agreed to this price… but these guys roll in at the end of the day....and work for a hard hour and rewards that craziness… What is the deal with that… the union workers would be freaking out… and Jesus tells us this is the kingdom… this is how it works… this is important to the nature of our souls
Here is where the world needs to knock off their arrogance when it comes to the church, the skeptics often have an arrogance… if they would just put off those ancient ideas and learn from the world maybe I could go to the church and do things with them. But this shows us if we have experienced the grace of God in our livs we have to treat teh world with grace and the world should learn from church undeserved favor… maybe we have something to learn.
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1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
The world is divided up into people who are in teh kingdom and those that arent and the kingdom here means those that submit to the reign…
a king that goes mad.. all the land is messed up until he can get his brain back… this is every story we tell… this is the lion king… its all messed up until the king can set it straight… and this is what the kingdom means… that life will be crazy until you allow the king to rule… put the king on the throne… this is what the gospel is talking about…
I would like to believe that every religion leads to heaven but thats just not the truth… I would love to have the authority to believe that but Gods word doesnt show us that at all… there is no salvation under any other name but Jesus.,,,
I would love to do whatever I want… I want to do whatever… but when I look at the text it shows me its not right.... and I have to get myself in order…becasue if we dont align to this, then we arent under his kingship… the question this story has is are you under his authority now
THe question is do you want to serve this kind of God or not....
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
God ruler..foreman Jesus…goes out laborers you and I… denari eternity… work day our lifetime...
2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
Look they are standing idle… and they need Jesus to walk up to them and say wake up… and some of you on a Christian level are sitting idle… your money is still in your pocket… you arent a part of community.... your skin isnt in the game.... you are sitting idle right now as a believer.... and Jesus says you want something… go into the world and get to work… wake up… this is war time...
John Piper says most christians are living like its good times,,, but its war times… we need to live like they did in war time...
Some of you are idle… youre doing nothing… God has called you and you arent doing it.... life without God is ultimately being idle… its like a car thats running and not going anywhere… and it may not feel like that to you, its not that you dont feel like you have meaning in your life…3
Greek tellios Telliology what is the point what is the end goal to life at all, and this is what I mean,, life without God is pointless in the end telliology…
He put a rainbow… it was a bow..... in the hebrew… a war bow… and what it meant was from Gen 1-6 he was firing down saying youre sinful, and in this beautiful gospel moment He turned it on himself…because one day he will come down and take the wrath for himself… its not about you being a good guy, in the end its about God gets glory and you serve that glory… we should all ahve something we should live for and arent idle anymore…
IM not saying Christianity will make you feel better sentimentally… what I am saying is it gives you a meaning that life misses everywhere else and it takes you from idleness.... there is a deeper logic to your life in general… there is a reason we are moral.... there is something to build here on earth that gives a deeper logic than what you feel… teh ancients used to d
What is the ancient meaning of the universe… Christianity says it isnt a principle.. its a person… its Jesus its what holds the universe together...
Why wouldnt you take the invitation of the master… why wouldnt you go work,,, and you cant trust how you feel its against your best interest…
Goerge Orwell…
What Orwell feared was those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book for there would be no one who wanted to read one.
Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us.
Huxley feared that the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some of the equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy.
In 1984 people are controlled by inflicting pain. In a Brave New World, tehy are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In Short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us. And this book is about the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell was right.
Neil Postman
Thats the danger, you cant trust how you feel becaise the slavery is how you feel… we are enslaved to our own pleasure. Whats the real reason you dont want to accept this invitation. These laborers receive the invitation to go into the vineyard....
There are still people accepting the invitation
8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’
And he is rubbing it in their face, and he wants them to see it....and they are mad because they are legalist… they think they did more so they get more.. and its all about us and how much we can get… this is the same Idea as when our kids ask us how much they have to eat to get desert. and we get mad at death bed confession… what he doesnt deserve the same as me.... oh becasue you think you deserve something… no no no… the mathematics of grace show that dont deserve it...
11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house,
They get what they asked for....what the agreed to… and they grumble.... not that any of you are like this… none of you ever grumble…
And this is what we do, we experience life and we grumble… where is your justice Lord… when are you going to bring Justice?
1 Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
You ever looked around and thought how could that loser be doing better than me, he doesnt even believe in God.... how is that… surely you dont think that way.... but listen to what he says
4 For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment.
7 Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them.
11 And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.
13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.
Im so pure how is it that they are being blessed and I am not…for
14 For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed the generation of your children.
God how can you give them the same as you have given me… whats the deal.... and this question comes to fruition in this parable.... and look at what he says
16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.
In the moment you are asking the justice of God, its the same as the parable of Jesus.. wait until the end comes and you can ask your question about what you think… and we think we know how to run the universe better than God… you think you are going to put him on trial for that? Wait until the end when everyone gets paid for what they are do and you arent going to be able to ask a question
Look at the end of the parable...
15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’
