The Last Will be First

The Laborers in the Vineyard

Theme: Does God owe you?

· Relationship: how we treat us vs how God treats us – especially those “lower” than us

· Riches of men ––

· Grace of God – generous to all

· Jealousy – entitlement – some felt they deserved more because they did more

· End of time – judgment – physically died last will be judged first? Ending with Adam?

· Accountability – settling accounts –

Grace – unmerited favor – free gift – cannot be earned

Wages – recompense – compensation

Rewards / Awards – (crowns) above and beyond the call of duty

Background: -

· continued conversation from chapter 19… rich young ruler

Bible Study help – contextual analysis (hermeneutics) – look at verses before and after to look for any continuity

· Jesus did not speak in chapters – they were made by man

· He continues the theme and thought into chapter 20…

· Example – 12 disciples judge 12 tribes (Matt 19:28)

·

· Earning vs grace – looking to self-justify…

Matthew 19:16 (NLT)

16 Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”

· Wanted to be a hero – observing the Law was apparently too commonplace for him…

· Go and sell all – give to the poor – come follow Me – went away sad

Matthew 19:24 (NLT)

24 I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

· Peter – we have left all – what do WE get?

· Entitlement mentality?

Matthew 19:28–29 (NLT)

28 Jesus replied, “I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

29 And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life.

· How much are you willing to sacrifice for God?

Matthew 19:30 (NLT)

30 But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.

· Not every Gospel continues this conversation, but Matthew does

· There is no break in Red – same conversation, same subject – using different people

· Jesus now uses this situation as a teachable moment – by using a parable. Apparently they weren’t getting it …

· Life Lesson: It is ok to have things, as long as things do not have US!

Matthew 20:1–16 (NLT)

1 “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

Landowner – Jesus

Workers – church

Vineyard – world

Looking – why did the landowner have to look for workers?

The workers should be looking for work!

Pay – we will all be paid in God’s time

“Son-rise” – Early Shift - 6 am

2 He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work.

· 12 apostles – great commission

· Prophetically – 2,000 / 5 = 400 yrs (or 30 – 400 AD) reformation – renaissance

· “Early” church

· Attitude – eager, ambitious

Denarius

Denarius = unskilled labor

God does not call the qualified, God qualifies the called!

What would a denarius buy in Roman times?

Classical historians often say that in the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire (~27BC) the daily wage for an unskilled laborer and common soldier was 1 denarius (with no tax deductions) or about US$20 in bread.

https://www.google.com/search?q=denarius+value&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS872US883&oq=denaius&aqs=chrome.9.69i57j0i10i433j0i10l2j46i10j0i10l5.9943j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

· considered generous = denarius = “containing ten”.[1]

· ESV = “a denarius a day”

· Good shepherd vs hirelings – must meet their demands or desires before they accept a position…

Worker

· 2040 ἐργάτης [ergates /er·gat·ace/] one who works for hire esp. an agricultural worker[2]

2 Timothy 2:15 (NLT)

15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

· Worker = G2040

Wages vs reward – works or grace?

· Is it ok to minister for money?

· We should not DEMAND a certain price – (it was AGREED)

· Nor should we never expect a harvest of some type – the Kingdom is BASED upon sowing and reaping.

Don’t muzzle the ox – Deut 25:4

1 Corinthians 9:7–12 (NLT)

7 What soldier has to pay his own expenses? What farmer plants a vineyard and doesn’t have the right to eat some of its fruit? What shepherd cares for a flock of sheep and isn’t allowed to drink some of the milk?

8 Am I expressing merely a human opinion, or does the law say the same thing?

9 For the law of Moses says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” Was God thinking only about oxen when he said this?

10 Wasn’t he actually speaking to us? Yes, it was written for us, so that the one who plows and the one who threshes the grain might both expect a share of the harvest.

11 Since we have planted spiritual seed among you, aren’t we entitled to a harvest of physical food and drink?

12 If you support others who preach to you, shouldn’t we have an even greater right to be supported? But we have never used this right. We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ.

1 Timothy 5:17–18 (NLT)

17 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching.

18 For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!”

The laborer deserves his wages (ESV) = G2040

Wages

3408 μισθός [misthos /mis·thos/] n m. Apparently a primary word; TDNT 4:695; TDNTA 599; GK 3635; 29 occurrences; AV translates as “reward” 24 times, “hire” three times, and “wages” twice.

1 dues paid for work.

1a wages, hire.

2 reward: used of the fruit naturally resulting from toils and endeavours.

2a in both senses, rewards and punishments.

2b of the rewards which God bestows, or will bestow, upon good deeds and endeavours.

2c of punishments.[3]

Sent them

649 ἀποστέλλω, ἐμπέμπω [apostello /ap·os·tel·lo/] v. From 575 and 4724; TDNT 1:398; TDNTA 67; GK 690 and 1852; 133 occurrences; AV translates as “send” 110 times, “send forth” 15 times, “send away” four times, “send out” twice, and translated miscellaneously twice.

1 to order (one) to go to a place appointed.

2 to send away, dismiss.

2a to allow one to depart, that he may be in a state of liberty.

2b to order one to depart, send off.

2c to drive away.

Morning shift – 9 am

3 “At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing.

Repeated process – shouldn’t have to be –

· how many times does God have to speak before we obey fully?

· How many confirmations do you need?

· Your lifetime = Time – is still early but daylight is burning…

· Attitude – “Standing around – doing nothing” – lazy Christians who are “called”

· You are running out of time!

· Even if we live to an old age, Jesus is still coming back – SOON!

· Prophetically – 2,000 / 5 = 400 yrs (or 400 - 800AD) Constantine – end of Roman persecution of the church

· God looks in every generation for those who will follow Him.

4 So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day.

Whatever was right

1342 δίκαιος [dikaios /dik·ah·yos/] adj. From 1349; TDNT 2:182; TDNTA 168; GK 1465; 81 occurrences; AV translates as “righteous” 41 times, “just” 33 times, “right” five times, and “meet” twice.

1 righteous, observing divine laws.

1a in a wide sense, upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God.

1a1 of those who seem to themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves in their virtues, whether real or imagined.

1a2 innocent, faultless, guiltless.

1a3 used of him whose way of thinking, feeling, and acting is wholly conformed to the will of God, and who therefore needs no rectification in the heart or life.

1a3a only Christ truly.

1a4 approved of or acceptable of God.

1b in a narrower sense, rendering to each his due and that in a judicial sense, passing just judgment on others, whether expressed in words or shown by the manner of dealing with them.[4]

Noon shift

· Prophetically – 2,000 / 5 = 400 yrs (or 800 - 1200AD) dark ages

AFTER Noon shift

· Prophetically – 2,000 / 5 = 400 yrs (or 1200 - 1600AD) reformation – renaissance

Morning is gone – work while it is day – redeem the time – today is the day of salvation – night is far spent – our salvation is closer than when we first believed…

5 So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.

5pm shift – LAST CALL – the 11th hour

· Prophetically – 2,000 / 5 = 400 yrs (or 1600 – 2000 AD)

· End time generation

· Last day church = US!

6 “At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’

Idle all day

692 ἀργός [argos /ar·gos/] adj.

“slow” “barren”

1 free from labour, at leisure.

2 lazy, shunning the labour which one ought to perform

· Attitude – seems to be waning - not very ambitious – or they would have been out and hired already

· Last days – Where is the promise of His coming?

7 “They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’ “The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’

· We have the benefit and privilege of gaining the same “wages” as the early church!

Judgement day –

BEMA seat – receive REWARDS for what we have DONE

8 “That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first.

9 When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage.

Fraud

Leviticus 19:13 (NLT)

13 “Do not defraud or rob your neighbor. “Do not make your hired workers wait until the next day to receive their pay.

James 5:4 (NLT)

4 For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Assumed Workers

10 When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage.

Attitude – serving Christ was apparently viewed as a business proposition to get ahead

Many in the Kingdom want promotion and recognition

Angry Workers

11 When they received their pay, they protested to the owner,

Arrogant Workers

12 ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’

Newbies received the “equivalent” of 12x the base wage!

Prodigal’s brother – “this son of yours” vs” my brother”

· Error of assumption – don’t count chickens before they hatch

· Like the rich young ruler – the test of sacrifice just got real!

· Don’t value POSSESSIONS over POSITION

· Always put the ETERNAL before the TEMPORAL

· Our temporary “sacrifice” pales in comparison to our eternal riches in glory – like Paul’s shipwreck and suffering…

In contrast, Paul served for “free”

1 Corinthians 9:17–18 (NLT)

17 If I were doing this on my own initiative, I would deserve payment. But I have no choice, for God has given me this sacred trust.

18 What then is my pay? It is the opportunity to preach the Good News without charging anyone. That’s why I never demand my rights when I preach the Good News.

Is serving Christ a PRIVELDGE or a PRICE?

Is it a blessing or a burden?

Do you HAVE to or WANT to serve God”

Assured Workers

13 “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage?

Issues – jealousy, rivalry

Remember your assignment – stop comparing

He who compares is not wise

Either leads to offense – or pride

Matt 20:20-21 – mother of James and John – asked for them to sit on the Lord’s right hand , caused indignation of the other 10!

14 Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you.

What does God OWE you?

Do you deserve revival because you prayed for years?

Do you deserve a big church because you preach the truth?

Rocky – Adrian did not owe Pauly anything – trip wire of offense

Godliness with contentment is great gain!

15 Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’

5 calls = GRACE

Jesus looked for laborers 5 times!

The Meaning of Numbers: The Number 5

The number 5 symbolizes God's grace, goodness and favor toward humans and is mentioned 318 times in Scripture.

https://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/5.html

Do you get mad when others get blessed?

Example – Visitor healed while member stays sick…

Many take selfies – but few actually look at themselves!

Example – you jog and can’t lose weight and your friend eats hot dogs and smokes cigarettes and is fairly healthy

You work through college and a teenager becomes a millionaire YouTube star

Individual call – individual reward

Example – “What is that to you?” Jesus told Peter regarding John’s life

16 “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”

Least

Cross references -

Mark 10:31 (NLT)

31 But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.”

Luke 13:30 (NLT)

30 And note this: Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then.”