The Caretakers

Sabbatical stories

It’s so good to be back home and in church. We’ve had an enjoyable ten weeks of Sabbatical and I’m ready to go again!

If you’re wondering what we did, here’s a few pictures:

We traveled cross-country to a wedding in Virginia, seeing Mount Rushmore and the Badlands along the way and we got to see Niagara falls in NY on our way to visit family in Michigan.

We spent some time with friends in Ohio and got to see the ark and the creation museum in Kentucky.

We went to a pastor’s convention, and then Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.

After a visit with my parents in Illinois we raced back here to try to recuperate from six weeks of travel. And by recuperate what I really mean is that I remodeled the kitchen and a week as camp pastor at camp mivoden.

And we spent a lot more time with Aunt Ruth. She had stayed with her daughter in California while we were traveling, and when she came back she was showing significant signs of physical decline.

This past Monday in the wee hours of the morning, Aunt Ruth fell asleep in Jesus. She was so courageous as she faced her final weeks. It was hard, she didn’t like it, she repeatedly said, “I just want to fall asleep in Jesus,” but she always prayed for strength and expressed confidence in her Savior.

Several of her children, grandchildren and siblings are with us this weekend to process together the beauty of a life well lived and the hope of the soon return of Jesus.

Introduction story

Title Slide

You all know that life is not guaranteed. We don’t have an expiration date printed on our manufacturer’s tag. No one knows the day or the hour of our end. Which is why the Bible repeatedly reminds us that “today is the day of salvation.” We shouldn’t wait for some future time when things will be more convenient.

And that reminds me of the story of two boys. Two boys with a choice to make.

The first boy was a rebel. He’s the kind of kid that you see flaunting his toys and running around town with the big mufflers and the lift kit on his truck. He’ll do drugs now and then, he drinks beers with his jock friends. He throws caution to the wind and does daring things that you shouldn’t really do. He’s the kind of guy that steals things when no one is looking. He’s not the guy you want your daughter to be hanging out with. His parents try to reign him in, but he won’t listen. He’s living his authentic life—raw and gnarly as it is.

The second boy was a good kid. He’s the kind of kid that does his homework, gets good grades, never skips class. He works hard and saves his money instead of buying a car. He plans on going to college. He goes to church every week and even volunteers in a ministry like the AV booth or as a deacon. He listens to his parents, and is careful about the friends he hangs out with. He’s a good kid. He’s the kind of kid you’d like to set your daughter up with. But what you don’t see is what’s brewing beneath the surface.

And that’s where the story begins. But to tell this story we need to back up a little. Open with me to Matthew 21 where Jesus comes to Jerusalem for the last time in His ministry:

Triumphal entry context

Jesus came to the town of Bethphage on the mount of Olives, just outside of Jerusalem and sent two of his disciples ahead to get a donkey. With shouting and praises the people lined the road and threw palm branches and coats on the road ahead of Jesus as he trotted along down the hill and entered the gates of Jerusalem.

The people in the city asked all the people who had gathered to praise Jesus who this guy was; Matt 21:11 “And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.””

They shouted out for the whole city to hear:

Matthew 21:9 (ESV)

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

This caught the attention of the priests and religious leaders who were already wary of Jesus and making plans against him. And then Jesus did something that seems calculated to put him on the bad side of the church leaders—He drove out the money changers and the people who were buying and selling sacrificial animals from the temple. Now, you probably already know that there is something wrong about what they were doing—why else would Jesus throw them out? In fact, the priests and council members were making kick-backs off the interest of the money lenders and the sales of the sacrificial animals. By the time of Jesus People had to buy their animals from the market in the temple—they couldn’t just bring in their own for a sacrifice. The required offering for someone who is poor is two turtledoves, but the prices were so high that these very common birds were too expensive for a poor person to buy in the temple.

Josephus, the Jewish historian who lived at the time of Christ, wrote this about one of the high priests:

“The high priest, Ananus, (after he had been relieved from his office) to some degree, was respected and feared by the citizens, but in a bad way; for he loved to hoard money. He became good friends with Albinus, and of the newly installed high priest. He did so by offering them bribes; he also had wicked servants, who associated with the most vilest sort of characters, and went to the thrashing-floors, and took the tithes that belonged to the priests by force, and beat anyone who would not give these tithes to them. So the other high priests that followed him as well as his servants acted likewise, without anyone being able to stop them; so that some of the priests, those who were old and were being supported with those tithes, died for lack of food.”

So Jesus drove out all these people and said,

Matthew 21:13 (ESV)

“It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

For all his force, Jesus still seemed approachable because the lame and blind and children all ran up to him and he healed them and showed them love. The children said, Matt 21:15 “Hosanna to the Son of David!” and the chief priests were indignant when they heard this.

Somehow, Jesus made it out of there alive and he spent the night in Bethany—probably with Mary and Martha and Lazarus. But this time Martha doesn’t seem to have made a big feast because the next morning he left and the Bible says he was hungry as he walked to Jerusalem. He saw a fig tree which ended up not having any figs on it, and he said, “May you never bear fruit again!” and immediately, the fig tree withered up. (Matt 21:18)

Yesterday he totally upset the economy of the temple, and today he ends the life of a barren tree. These two points are worth considering as we read the interaction the religious leaders have with Jesus next:

Matthew 21:23 ESV

And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”

How is you think you have the authority to upset the temple? Whose power is it that allows you to heal the blind and curse fig trees?

In asking this question the priests and leaders had a nefarious plan. They hoped Jesus would claim to be the Messiah and give them the evidence they needed to haul him into court and put him to death. But Jesus knew what was going on in their minds and he asked them a question:

Matthew 21:24–25 (ESV)

Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” ...

They realized that if they said, “from heaven” that Jesus would have them in a bind. He would ask them, “then why didn’t you believe John?” But if they said his power was merely human, then the people would potentially mob them because they believed John was a prophet. So, they just said, “we don’t know.” (Matt 21:27)

That was the opening that Jesus needed, and though he said, “then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things,” He still wanted to use this interaction as a teaching moment.

Even though He knew that these religious leaders and priests would soon put him on a cross, he still tried to awaken their minds to believe.

Two kinds of Christians

Matthew 21:28–31 (ESV)

“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.”

Notice the two boys. The first is outwardly rebellious and openly sinning. He’s living his true, authentic self, all out in the open for everyone to know. Jesus didn’t commend him for his authenticity, because authentic rebellion is still sin. But notice the change. He had no love for his father and openly refused to obey him. And that’s the scenario for so many in this world. They have no love for their creator and they openly, persistently rebel against His best advice for their joy and wellbeing. But when once they catch a glimpse of Jesus, like those blind and lame and like those children in the temple, they gather around Him in adoration and shout praises to God for His great love for them. They started out in open rebellion, but they turned to God in repentance, believed in His grace and love, and begin to follow Him with their whole lives.

But then there’s the other son. He’s a good kid. He seems to do everything right. No one can fault him in religious things—he follows the traditions of the church to the letter. But what’s going on in his heart? Like the priests in Jesus day, his mouth says, “Yes dad, I’ll go,” but his heart is hardened and he refuses to surrender. He clings to the hidden sins of greed and pride and spiritual arrogance. He knows so much that he can’t be taught by God’s spirit. And like the fig tree, he is spiritually barren. He has all the outward appearance of righteousness, but inside where it counts, there is no fruit.

Christ’s Object Lessons (Chapter 23—The Lord’s Vineyard)

The Jewish rulers did not love God; therefore they cut themselves away from Him, and rejected all His overtures for a just settlement. Christ, the Beloved of God, came to assert the claims of the Owner of the vineyard; but the husbandmen treated Him with marked contempt, saying, We will not have this man to rule over us. They envied Christ’s beauty of character. His manner of teaching was far superior to theirs, and they dreaded His success.

Notice what Jesus says to the priests in verses 31 and 32:

Matthew 21:31–32 (ESV)

Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

Caretakers for Christ

Jesus knew that the priests were thinking “he’s talking about us, as if we’re worse off than real sinners!” and so he didn’t give them a moment to respond. Without missing a beat he started into a second story:

Matthew 21:33–40 ESV

“Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

Remember that the backdrop to this story was that fig tree that looked great on the outside, but had not fruit on it. Jesus is using this story to show the Priests that they are the renters of the vineyard. They are stewards charged with its care. And what is the vineyard?

There are three vineyards in our lives.

The first vineyard is our own selves. We are caretakers of our own bodies and minds which God has leased to us with the expectation that we will bear fruit for Him. What fruit does he want to see in our lives? You can find it in Galatians 5:22-23 which says that the fruit of having God’s spirit in our lives is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If you aren’t bearing that kind of fruit in your life, are you being an unfaithful caretaker? Are you allowing the prophets and teachers of God, yes and the Spirit of God Himself, to come into your life? Or do you make excuses and delay every time someone holds you accountable in your spiritual life? When the Spirit tugs on your heart, do you quickly and humbly yield, or do you crucify Jesus afresh by rejecting him and continuing in your own selfish path?

The next vineyard is the church and the fruit God is looking for is brotherly love. What is our church like? Are we faithful, loving, considerate, selfless, kind, patient, and humble? Or do we get together to flaunt our self-righteousness? What is the fruit of religion in our church family. God has made us caretakers of our church family and he asks that when His servants—the Word of God and the prophets He’s sent to the church—show us our duty of loving service, that we will respond and that the joyful fruit of love will be obvious in our church family. Jesus used the word “disciple” when he was talking about the resondibility of the church. Its a word that implied mentorship and growth and a process of maturing. God wants our loving service for and with each other to produce a growing maturity in our congregation. One time Paul said, “Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.” (Heb 5:14, NLT) This is what God wants to see in His church—a loving, serving, maturing church family. And notice Jesus’ emphasis on the leadership—the caretakers of the church. The responsibility for this fruit rests on the leaders of the church: the pastor, the elders, the deacons and deaconesses, and the Sabbath School Teachers.

May God make us faithful spiritual leaders and may the Spirit grow this fruit in our church family.

The third vineyard is the world. God has said that this whole world is his field and the fruit is a life saved from destruction. The priests from Jesus day were suppose to be lights shining for the whole world to see the grace and love of God. Instead, they became inwardly focused. They were determined to defend themselves against the encroaching paganism of Rome and the evils of worldliness. But that was never the work God had called them to. He promised to be their defense, and He asked them to go on the offensive, marching into the world as a kingdom of spiritual leaders to draw the whole world to Him. But time after time they refused their calling. It got so bad that they required any truly spiritual person to not have interactions with people who weren’t Jewish.

It is possible for our church today be so focused on defending our church from the possibility of worldliness that we fail to “go into the highways and the biways” to call people to the “marriage supper of the lamb?” God has promised to be our defense. When we try to preserve the purity of the church we ALWAYS mess it up just like the Israelites did in Jesus’ day. We set up laws like the pharisees did, trying to legislate righteousness. We put up barriers to entry to people who don’t look just right or talk just right will feel too awkward to stick around. We argue the fine points of insignificant theology to make sure that no possible wrong thinking can get into our midst. All the while the world around is facing their last months and weeks and days without knowing the precious love of their savior.

It is not the outward show of beauty that tells the world who Jesus is. It is the heart of a transformed believer who won’t keep their mouth shut about what Jesus has done in their hearts. It is our duty to reveal the beauty and glory of God’s character to a dying world. Praising God in fullness and sincerity of heart is as much a duty as is prayer. (COL 299)

Appeal

Aunt Ruth knew Jesus. I didn’t know her when she was younger so I couldn’t tell you if she was ever the first son in Jesus’ parable, but I did know her at the last and I can tell you that I saw the fruit of the Spirit in her life. She died with hope. She closed her eyes knowing that the next moment in her life would be in a new body that will be made for eternity.

But few who die in Boundary County die with that hope. They die in fear, uncertain of their future. Or they die in overconfident pride, not knowing that their refusal to believe in Jesus will mean they will end up like that barren fig tree—facing judgment alone.

We have a responsibility to our vineyards—our own lives, our church and our community. We are God’s caretakers and he expects fruit to grow in His vineyards. He doesn’t leave us alone. Remember how Jesus set up the story?

The landowner planted the vineyard — it’s his vineyard.

The landowner built a wall — he’s the protector of the vineyard.

The landowner built a press — he’s provided every means necessary to produce the required fruit.

All he asks of us is that we faithfully do the work of watering and harvesting and preserving the fruit. And, thank God, He doesn’t even leave us alone for that. His angels work alongside us and His Spirit is always there to guide us and give us power. Bearing fruit is possible with His help. And it all begins with what those prostitutes and drunkards did when John called them to repent—we need to admit our wrongs, turn from our sinful ways, and be baptised. First, with water, if you haven’t been baptized before, and second, with God’s Spirit. And then, like the lame and the blind and the children in the temple, we need to hang out with Jesus. Anywhere He goes, let’s go too. Anything He calls us to do, let’s go and do it.

Over the last year we’ve been developing some ideas around this theme: the Year of Welcome. We want to be a church of love and kindness and service, and we want anyone who walks through our doors to feel that love and know that Jesus is here. We get there by first having the fruit of the spirit in our own lives, but secondly by the processes and structures of the church focusing on being a welcoming community. Everything from having a neat, clean, and bright meeting space to having systems that ensure that when someone is sick or a family is grieving a loss that we make a connection and show Jesus’ love. Before the year is done we’re going to work on fine-tuning a few of these systems.

Next year we’re going to keep on working on being a welcoming church, and we’re going to add a new theme called: Year of Discipleship. Next year we’re going to focus on growing and maturing as individuals, on deepening our knowledge and maturing in our faith, and especially on building community through small groups.

And then in 2024 we’re going to add evangelism to the welcoming and discipleship building themes.

God has called us to a field of service and He expects us to bear fruit. He has made every resource available to us so that there is no excuse.

Christ’s Object Lessons Chapter 23—The Lord’s Vineyard

Shall the warnings from God be passed by unheeded? Shall the opportunities for service be unimproved? Shall the world’s scorn, the pride of reason, conformity to human customs and traditions, hold the professed followers of Christ from service to Him? Will they reject God’s word as the Jewish leaders rejected Christ? The result of Israel’s sin is before us. Will the church of today take warning?

Which son will you be? I pray that you will not only say, “Yes, Lord, I will go.” But that your love for Jesus will compel you to follow Him into service too.

Foot Washing

Communion

Jason Will say a few words

Kneel together

_______ will pray a blessing on the bread.

______ will pray a blessing on the grape juice.

Rise and break the bread.

Deacons will pass out the bread and the grape juice and then return to the table.

______ will read Matth 26:26 and the people will eat the bread

Matthew 26:26 ESV

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”

Then ______ will read Matt 26:27 and the people will drink the grape juice

Matthew 26:27 ESV

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you,

Jason will close by inviting the congregation to stand and sing the closing hymn:

We Have This Hope (214)