Mark 12
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 25 viewsNotes
Transcript
Big Idea:
Big Idea:
What more can God do to win our hearts?
Intro:
Intro:
Hey there Church Online - glad you can join us.
Today, we continue in the book of Mark, and as I was studying for this week’s passage, I realized something… we’ve been talking about a lot of hard stuff lately. The subject matter (and our response to it) has been challenging. Maybe you’ve sensed that too as you’ve showed up each week?
Therefore, before we jump into Mark, I want to spend a few moments encouraging us to openly receive God’s word, even when it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows...
First off, remember, the Bible itself isn’t a sanitized book of positive poems; rather, it is the story of how a holy God of love saved wicked people from their sin. And the unfolding of God’s plan of redemption includes a process of change, which confronts us about our sin. That’s tough!
Furthermore, here at the end of Mark, Jesus is about to go to the cross. I think sometimes we forget that if there was any other way to save mankind, that option would’ve been exercised! But our sin is so desperately wicked, only the Son of God (Jesus), stepping out of eternity, humbling Himself by taking on human flesh, and sacrificing His perfect life, could save us. Therefore, God’s word should challenge us. It should make us uncomfortable, especially if we continue to live in that sin - and that sin sent God’s Son to the cross.
Additionally, when the preaching of God’s word makes us uncomfortable about our sin - that’s ACTUALLY a good thing! It means God’s love is reaching out to us to call us from death to life! The Bible says...
Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?
In this season, as we are confronted with challenging content from God’s word, realize what’s REALLY happening... We’re experiencing God’s kindness.
Another thing that’s happening in this season (that’s specific to The River Church) is God is calling us to “grow up.” That’s a concept that’s been on my heart lately. Our leadership team has heard me mention it. You may have heard me talk about it in passing conversation - and truthfully, you’re gonna hear about it more, because that’s what God is telling me to lead us towards! And growing up can be hard.
Two of my boys are in that teenager season of life. It’s time for them to “grow up.” And I’ve noticed, I’m having much more challenging conversations with them. I’m having to correct them more. I have to teach them more. My expectation of them is higher. And it feels like a tough season - because it is! They need to grow up, but that’s a good thing! Because an adult who has the maturity of a child isn’t healthy.
As we continue thru the Book of Mark, discussing difficult topics, be open to what God is saying - even if it hurts. He is helping us grow up.
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
This is the season we’re entering at The River Church. It’s tough, but it’s exciting! Let’s jump into God’s word...
But before we begin in Mark 12, I want to start with a short passage out of the book of Isaiah that will help us understand today’s passage out of Mark.
Let me sing for my beloved
my love song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.
He dug it and cleared it of stones,
and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
and hewed out a wine vat in it;
and he looked for it to yield grapes,
but it yielded wild grapes.
And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem
and men of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.
What more was there to do for my vineyard,
that I have not done in it?
When I looked for it to yield grapes,
why did it yield wild grapes?
And now I will tell you
what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge,
and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall,
and it shall be trampled down.
I will make it a waste;
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
and briers and thorns shall grow up;
I will also command the clouds
that they rain no rain upon it.
For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts
is the house of Israel,
and the men of Judah
are his pleasant planting;
and he looked for justice,
but behold, bloodshed;
for righteousness,
but behold, an outcry!
Now the context for Isaiah’s words is rebellious Israel. God’s people are on the verge of being invaded, captured, and sent to Babylon. And the prophet is sent to them to give some final warnings...
And here are 3 things to pull from this passage that will help us in Mark 12 today:
God loved Israel and did everything He could to prosper them as His people.
Another of Israel’s prophets, Jeremiah, said of God’s love towards Israel, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” (Jer. 31:3). Here in the vineyard, God setup the ideal circumstances. He did all the work. He picked the best materials. He protected it. He even built a “winepress” before any harvest because He expected it to be extremely fruitful!
God did everything! Which is why Isaiah declares in verse 4, “What more was there to do for my vineyard...” Even so...
2. His people REJECTED His goodness.
They were wild. They chose to do their own things and became rotten. Therefore...
3. JUDGMENT is coming.
And in this specific context, God will use Babylon to harshly judge His people.
I share this with you, to begin, because while Isaiah 5 doesn’t interpret Mark 12, it does influence it. I believe Jesus intentionally uses words that would remind His audience of the Isaiah’s judgment.
Exegesis:
Exegesis:
In fact, verse 1 of Mark 12 begins with, “And He began to speak to them in parables...” Now, in general, parables are simply familiar stories that help people understand deeper principles… but biblically… they also have another function: judgment.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
Parables (and the understanding of them) indicated who had, and had not, rejected God. They pronounce judgment. And if you remember from last week, Mark 11 ended with Jesus talking to a group of Jewish religious leaders who rejected Him as Savior. Because of this, Jesus will now speak words of judgment...
And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country.
Say, “What more could he do?”
As Jesus begins to tell this story, we have to assume the religious leaders would’ve thought, “I’ve heard this before.” Because again, Jesus is intentionally pointing their memory to the words of Isaiah, when God had done everything for Israel. And God continues to do the same in their day.
I mean, standing in front of them is Jesus! The ultimate fulfillment of God’s goodness. He is God in the flesh coming to save them from their sins!
And He would do this work of salvation all by Himself. On the cross, by Himself, Jesus would save the world. And our forgiveness and salvation requires nothing more than faith (receiving by believing).
“What more could he do?” The answer is NOTHING.
When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.
Say, “That’s reasonable.”
You know, one simple responsibility God’s people, Israel, had was to point the nations to Him. To be a light to the world around them. Remember last week, when Jesus came into the temple, what did He say?
And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”
God did all the work. All they needed to do was receive His goodness, live in it, and help others do the same. But they didn’t. Instead, they made it all about themselves. And to make that clear, Jesus includes stinging details in His story...
When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.
Say, “What’s wrong with these people?”
Now, the application of this story goes far beyond Jesus’ present audience, though it is relevant for them, given they (like the farmers in the parable) had already killed John the Baptist (God’s greatest human prophet). But, going back to the days of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and long before… God’s people have a history of killing every prophet God sent to them. They habitually reject God’s goodness.
…and it gets worse...
He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.
Say, “That’s too much.”
And that’s exactly what the religious leaders were about to do to Jesus . Mark 11:18 tells us they “were seeking a way to destroy [Jesus].” They wanted to kill God’s Son, so they could selfish keep everything for themselves.
What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.
Here, Jesus makes it clear: Rejection of God’s goodness is a serious sin. It demands judgment. The parable makes this clear. The tenant-farmers are completely out of line. They must be dealt with in the most serious way.
Therefore, it is only right for the owner of the vineyard to destroy the wicked farmers, just like it was only right for God to punish Israel during Isaiah’s time. And now, Jesus is warning the current Jewish leaders, what you’re about to do to Me... is going to bring judgment upon you from God the Father.
And while judgment is a very real and intentional theme of Jesus’ parable… please stop to hear this… it’s not the main point. It feels like it, but it’s NOT!
I think I can confidently say judgment is never God’s desires for anyone. How can I say this? Because God’s word tells us this. And God’s word reveals His heart.
For example, when Moses asked to know more about God, God’s word says this...
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
I love the way author, Dane Ortlund, comments on this passage in his book, Gently and Lowly (some of you have this book… if you’d like a copy, come see me!)… to summarize his comments… He writes that God’s default response to us (even as sinners) is mercy, grace, patience, and love. It’s what naturally flows from His heart. God desires to love us! He must be provoked to judge us because He doesn’t want to judge us!
That fits what God told the prophet Ezekiel...
Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?
And Jesus said...
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Please understand this: God doesn’t want to judge us! He wants to pour out His goodness on us . He wants to save us from our sin. And that’s true even when you’re a rebellious religious leaders plotting to kill him. Because look at what He says next...
Have you not read this Scripture:
“ ‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
I see two purposes in this final statement:
Jesus was telling them their plan would not work. In fact, God would do a radical reversal and use their plan of death to accomplish His plan of life. Their rejection of Jesus would result in His marvelous resurrection.
But also, I believe Jesus is giving them an opportunity to stop and think about what they were about to do. He tells them, “You know the Scriptures! You know that God wins! Therefore, don’t reject Him. That only leads to judgment! Repent and receive life!”
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
In this final statement, Jesus is being patient, giving them yet another opportunity to repent, receive His goodness, and skip judgment.
But sin is no joke. It will cause us to willingly choose to reject God’s goodness, even in the midst of experiencing God’s patience and goodness. And unfortunately, that’s what Jesus’ audience chose...
And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.
Now comes the tough part... this passage isn’t just a history lesson on the rejection of Jesus by 1st century religious leaders. God’s word is alive and applicable to us today, 2000 years later.
Your eternal word, O Lord,
stands firm in heaven.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
This story has a lesson for us too, especially considering verse 9...
What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.
Guess what? God gave the vineyard to us - the church. Therefore, the warnings Israel got (as the previous tenant-farmers) mean something to us too. Paul teaches this in his letter to the Romans. Speaking of God’s plan for Israel (who is currently broken off from their relationship with God) and the church (who were given the vineyard), he says...
But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.
“Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.” Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t spare you either.
Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.
What’s this tell us? It tells us that the warnings of judgment Israel received in Isaiah 5, and the warnings Jesus give in Mark 12, are also warnings to us today. And honestly, this isn’t hard to believe because we still be rejecting the goodness of God...
There were sinners in Isaiah’s day.
There were sinners in Jesus’ day.
And there are sinners today - yes, all of you. And me.
Yet, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And remember Exodus 34 that says God is merciful and gracious, patient, and abounding in steadfast love...
He is the “God [who] shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8).
He is a God who saves us by grace thru faith (Eph 2:8-9). He gives it to us as a gift. We don’t have to work for it. He has already done all the work!
He can rightfully ask us today, “What more can I do to win your heart?”
And yet, how often do we reject His goodness?
And don’t get it twisted, rejecting God doesn’t have to be us saying, “God, I hate you.” Rejecting God can be a thousand small steps that lead us to the path of destruction.
I had to repent of my rejection this week! I realized I’ve been rejecting God in my coaching of youth sports. God wants to help me be a good coach. But, in the words of my friend Arthur, by my actions I told Him, “Hold on God, I got this.” And then I try and do it by myself and wonder why its unsuccessful.
In the grand scheme of things, that’s a small thing, but it has huge consequence, because sin (any rejection of God) is always serious.
Do you reject God’s goodness when He wants to help you at your job, school, sports, relationships, whatever.
Do you reject God’s goodness when He commands you to rest. Do you say, “God, I don’t need Your rest.”
We’re all guilty of consistently rejecting God’s goodness. Obviously, this parable is for us too! We too need to stop rejecting Jesus and start receiving His goodness; otherwise, all that awaits is judgment.
Response:
Response:
So, as we close, let encourage you: Stop rejecting the Son of God- who is the ultimate goodness of God.
Today, some of us need to do that for the first time. Up to this day, we’ve rejected the gospel. We have been unwilling to receiving God’s salvation from our sins found in Jesus. But now, it’s time to surrender to Jesus. Not tomorrow. Not in an hour. Right now. And then, go sign up to be baptized.
Today is the day you walk out of this place radically changed! On Monday, may people look at you and say, “What happened?!” And you can respond, “The Lord has done a marvelous thing. He changed me into a new person! I was lost but now I’m found!”
Now, some of us need to respond to God’s word by “growing up.” Some of us have been Christians for 30 years, but spiritually, are still 3 years old. We haven’t spiritually matured. And the reason is we simply continue to reject the goodness of God. Instead, we remain selfish and self-centered.
Maybe you’re asking, how do I know if that’s me? Let me give you a quick test:
Right now, we live in a crazy world. It’s stressful and scary. That being said, when you face hard times, do you run and hide (isolate yourself) or do you press into Jesus and your church family?
God created us for relationship with Himself and one another. And He designed pressing into those things to result in goodness.
And running from those things is ACTUALLY a rejection of that goodness.
Which do you do? Maybe it’s time to grow up.
If you are facing difficult circumstances - RIGHT NOW - your next step is to first, tell Jesus - RIGHT NOW - you need His help. Press into Him. Then, find someone here at church (TODAY) and say, “Will you pray with me?” And then tell them what’s going on.
Stop running. Press in.
Finally, some of us need to simply KEEP GROWING. Ya’ll are doing great, but don’t grow content. Keep producing fruit!
You know, the thing about fruit is it’s not enjoyed by the tree that it grows on. Fruit is for others to enjoy.
And a true sign of biblical growth is not just personal spiritual growth, but also when your faith brings JOY to others. Therefore, this week, challenge yourself by answering the following two questions...
When was the last time you talked to a non-Christian about Jesus?
When was the last time you invited someone to church?
God has called this church - The River Church - to be a people who love Jesus, build community, and bring joy to others. If this is your home church, that’s what we do. That’s how we roll here. And that starts with choosing to receive God’s goodness instead of rejecting it.
Let’s pray...
Father, forgive us for our sins. For the times we reject your goodness. But we thank you for your continual goodness. Today, we want to receive that. Today, we want to continue to grow in it. Do whatever you need to do to help us grow up into the likeness of your son, Jesus Christ. In His precious name, amen.
Thanks for joining us for Church Online. If this was your first time joining us, fill out a Connect Card. We’d love to say hi and send you a gift. Also, if you have prayer requests, would like to know more about TRC, or you decided to follow Jesus today - we want to hear from you. And there’s an easy way to do that on our website (riverchurchct.com), or follow the links in the comments below, or you can text TRCConnect to 94000.
