Sermon Tone Analysis

Matthew 20:1-16

I am calling this connected in growth because by the very definition of growth we get more opinions involved.

Sometimes our preferences and desires can cause disunity in a church.

It would be easy to draw from recent days in my kids lives and discuss how ones desires can cause a struggle and fighting in the family.

But when I begin to think about it, I remember back to my childhood and see many examples there too.

My brother and sister, I mean…I was an angel.

No, as the youngest child I often felt I needed to fight to get my way with my siblings.

And I soon learned the system!

We can naturally be selfish!

It’s a good thing we outgrow that as we get older, right?

Wrong!

Christians can sometimes act like demanding children when they don’t get their way.

Even the embryo beginning of the church with Jesus and the disciples we saw infighting.

At one point the men who would become the pillars of the church were fighting over who was the greatest.

Jesus heard them, and when they had gotten to the house where they were going to stay he asked them,

What was it that you were fighting about earlier?

But they didn’t answer.

I imagine them looking at each other waiting for the other to admit it first.

And the Bible says they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.

There it is!

We want to point a finger at those disciples and say, Oh wow, He got you good!

But really are we any better?

My motivation as a member of this church ought to be how can I serve instead of seeking to be served.

In our text today, Jesus is giving us a parable where the leader has made a decision and the workers are not happy because it wasn’t done according to their preference.

Now I know that the interpretation of this parable deals with the nation of Israel and the inclusive nature of the kingdom of God.

I do, however, realize that this has great application to our churches as well.

This parable teaches us that everyone has a part in the ministry of God, no matter when they came, no matter what their credentials, because God has placed them here to share their gift with us.

Let’s see first of all the...

I. Equal Promise

1-7

We see that the householder, or the master of the house, made a promise for a penny a day.

His words to the rest he said whatsoever is right I will give you.

Can I just say, as this parable represents God, God will always be fair!

We may not see it that way, but He is always fair!

But further notice with me that ...

A. God Sees Equal Potential

Each time he came to look for workers, he saw them with equal worth.

It would do us good to see each other as equal worth!

It would do us good to see our selves through God’s eyes…of equal worth!

God wants to use you just as much as He wants to use me, or Billy Graham, or Billy Sunday, or any other Billy, Joe, Susie, Martha, or Elizabeth!

God gave each of us gifts, yes differing from each other, but equal in importance.

Because God sees equal potential, where the difference comes is unequal yielding.

B. God Sees Time Running Out

3-6a

Notice how the master of the house, as the day was disappearing, and the work was not being completed fast enough, went back out to get more help.

Judging by the space of time when he came back out to get more help, we can assume that they began work at 6 am.

The Bible says he went back out at the third hour (9 am), then again at the sixth hour (12 noon), then again at the ninth hour (3 pm) and then at the eleventh hour (5 pm) perhaps at the last moments of the day just before sabbath, so the work needed to be completed.

Other’s were upset and grumbled that others didn’t do the same amount of work as they did.

But God calls who He wills to do the job He wants them to do.

Time is fleeing!

We pray even so come quickly!

And we should always be eager and ready for the Lord’s return.

But may we not be like those just waiting around the market place.

Let’s get busy and welcome all the help we can get!

even if they have different preferences than we do.

C. God Sees Some Waiting

6-7

He goes out to the marketplace, the church for our purposes, and sees those standing idle and he says, Let’s go get busy…and you too will have your reward.

Can I tell you...It’s not too late to earn your reward!

If you are just being a pew potato in the house of God, Let me ask you the same thing God is asking…Why stand ye here all the day idle?

“I don’t know what to do!”

Then start praying, “Lord what would you have me to do?”

“But if I pray that, He might tell me something!”

Hey!

Time is running out!

The day is far spent!

Or more appropriately as the Bible says, The night is far spent … because we are in the realm of the works of darkness…the day is at hand!

We are coming to the time when work on this earth will no longer be an option!

Winning the lost will no longer be a opportunity!

Get up!

Get Going!

Get out into the field!

Use the Gift that God has given you!

Each of us have equal promise to be used by God

Let’s get busy!

II.

Equal Payday

8-15

The master of the house is fair from the very beginning!

He agrees to pay them one penny, or one denarius.

This is a good days pay for a worker in these days.

So the promise of a penny was a fair wage.

So was it fair for the master of the house to give those who only worked one, or three, or six, or nine hours to get paid the same as those who worked for twelve?

Well that is up to the one giving, isn’t it?!

That is not really any of our business.

What is fair?

What they agreed upon!

What was promised to us?

A. His Grace Is Sufficient

Grace in this respect, is “God giving me the desire and the power to do His will.”

Everyone say that with me...”Grace is God giving me the desire and the power to do His will.”

God tells us my grace is sufficient for thee!

God doesn’t tell us my grace for you is sufficient for your friends offences.

God has not giving me dying grace today, because I’m not dying right at this moment.

Yet, I have seen the grace of God poured out upon a dying saint of God that gives them the desire to leave this world and the power to endure the hardness of death in those last moments.

I don’t have that grace right now!

I don’t wanna go that way!

I want to go living and still kicking!

But God’s grace is sufficient enough for me to go through the trials that he has be going through right now!

grace to help in time of need, not in time prior to the need.

So My grace is just enough for me, your grace is available just enough for you!

B. His Spirit is Available

Each and everyone of us who are saved have the Holy Spirit living inside of us.