The First Will Be Last

INTRO

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 2095 Three Wonders in Heaven

John Newton said, “When I get to heaven I shall see three wonders there. The first wonder will be, to see many people there whom I did not expect to see—the second wonder will be, to miss many people whom I did expect to see; and the third and greatest wonder of all, will be to find myself there.”

A wonder I have today is how many of us think like this ourselves!!?

Salvation is a free gift of divine mercy totally devoid of human merit.

Matt 19:13-20:34…

Matt 19. 30; 20.16, 27-28 = Upside down kingdom ideology

First = Last | Last = First

MESSAGE

Rugrats and Rich Men

Matt 19:13-30

Jesus Receives the Humble

Jesus Rejects the Proud

MATT 19:30 “30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Laborers in the Vineyard

Matt 20:1-16 .

I| The Workers in this Parable

Matthew 20:1–7 ESV

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.’

Reason for Working

The Call - God Himself is calling us to work for Him

John 15:16 ESV

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

The Command - Jesus last Sermon = “Great Commission”

Mark 16:15 ESV

15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

The Compassion - We cannot say we love God if we do not love what He loves

1 John 4:19–21 ESV

19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Rejection of Work

Lack of Conviction - We do not really believe what we say we believe

Lack of Contrition - We are not as bound by the force of the gospel as we should be

II| The Problem of the Parable

Matthew 20:8–12 ESV

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.’

The Compensation - Everyone was paid!

The Complaint - The perception of unfair treatment… FT / PT = pay equal

III| The Masters Explanation of the Parable

Matthew 20:13–16 ESV

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.”

Promise | Pay | Power

God’s Grace is Sufficient

God’s Grace is Surprising

God’s Grace is Superior

God’s Grace is Saving

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Jesus and The Disciples

Matt 20:17-28

Third time Jesus tells about death and resurrection

James & John - Mother = ask for powerful positions in kingdom…

Matthew 20:25–28 (ESV)

25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Why Jesus Came

Suffer / Save / Substitute / Show / Serve

What This Means

We are to live like Him!

How We Respond

Natural Truth = 5 times called workers for his vineyard, even to the last

Spiritual Truth = God is calling workers for his vineyard even today

1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching An Unpurchasable Person

Dr. Reid Vipond of Canada shares a story of an oil company that needed a suave public-relations man for its office in the Orient. After interviewing several candidates, the officials decided to ask a local missionary to take the position. Company executives met with this man of unusual gifts. Whatever their proposition, his answer was always “No.”

“What’s wrong?” asked one interviewer. “Isn’t the salary big enough?”

The missionary replied, “The salary is big enough, but the job isn’t.”

CLOSE

Salvation is a free gift of divine mercy totally devoid of human merit.

Proud < Humble

Sufficient

Surprising

Superior

Saving!

Outlines on the Parables of Jesus 25. Laborers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1–16)

Let God do the judging and rewarding. He knows better than we. He will be fair and just. The Christian has no reason to complain at his treatment. Did Jesus complain? Did Paul—or the other disciples? They suffered much, but they accepted God’s will. Complaining is the first step in backsliding. Complaining about what comes into your life is questioning God’s will for you.

Communion

Hebrews 13:15 ESV

15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

400 Prayers for Preachers A Prayer Following Communion

Christ, our God, Lord, King, Saviour, and Life-giver, through His grace has made us worthy to receive His body and His precious and all-sanctifying blood. May He grant unto us that we may be pleasing unto Him in our words, works, thoughts, and deeds, so that that pledge which we have received may be to us for the pardon of our offences, the forgiveness of our sins, and the grand hope of a resurrection from the dead, and a new and true life in the kingdom of the heavens, with all who have been pleasing before Him, through His grace and His mercies forever.

Going Deeper

Why are people so resistant to receiving salvation as a free gift? How does our sinful nature play into this?

Explain the difference between Christianity and the false religions of the world with regard to human merit.

In your own words, describe what it means to come to Christ like a child.

What is the difference between childlike faith and simply being immature in your faith? How can childlike faith exist alongside a diligent and disciplined pursuit of God and His Word?

What might Matthew be showing us by contrasting whom Jesus accepted with the rich ruler?

In Matthew 19:16–22, was Jesus calling the rich man to earn his salvation by obedience and sacrificial giving? Explain your answer.

What does the parable of the workers in a vineyard teach us about God’s grace?

How does the misguided approach of the disciples beginning in Matthew 20:20 parallel your own approach to God and the Christian life?

How does Jesus’ healing of the blind men in Matthew 20:29–34 contrast with the request for privilege by James and John in the previous paragraph?

Why can’t grace and pride coexist? Can you think of other Scriptural passages that speak to this truth?

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