Matthew 20:1-16 • Everyone Matters - Really!
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(This transcript was prepared using software tools and has not been reviewed for complete accuracy.)
Matthew chapter 20 verses 1 through 16 Jesus says, "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. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace and he said to them, "You go into the vineyard too and whatever is right I will give you." So they went going out again about the sixth and the ninth hour he did the same and about the eleventh hour he went out and found others and he said to them, "Why do you stand here idle all day?" They said to him, "Because no one has hired us." He said to them, "You go into the vineyard too." 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." And when those hired about the eleventh hour came each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came they thought they would receive more but each of them also received a denarius and on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house 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." But he replied to one saying, "Friend, I'm doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I chose to give to this last worker as I give you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me or do you begrudge my generosity?" So the last will be first and the first last. I'm going to kneel as we pray. If you'd like to kneel with me too feel free to do that. Father, we praise you that we can hear from your word of a God whose grace is greater than our sin and even covers our inadequate righteousness. You teach us much about a God who takes what we think is last, makes it first, and takes what sadly we think is first and says that's not the most important thing to you. Teach us more of heaven's economy this day we pray that we might know how great is your love for us in Jesus' name. Amen. Okay, you get the parable? Those who did a little got as much as those who did a lot. That's not fair. I know Jesus said it's still not fair. I mean just imagine, you know Isaac Greniger has a little lawn business, cuts my lawn, but imagine that that Isaac had been working for hours cutting the lawn and in the last 15 minutes I hired his brother Joshua and when they come to be paid I gave them the same thing. Now I expect a big grin on Joshua's face but not on Isaac's face. He would say that's not fair and he'd be right but the strange thing is that Jesus who represents the kingdom of heaven says to us that is precisely heaven's economy and we're troubled. We don't expect this world to be fair but we expect heaven to be fair and yet Jesus is being very clear to his people. Fair is the last thing you want from God. You do not want an exact accounting from the King of heaven. Now making that point Jesus does affirm many things that we appreciate. He clearly says that he values all of our labors. He makes that clear doesn't he? I mean you recognize he values the labor that starts early verses 1 and 2. "The kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard." Verse 2, "After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day," that's a day's wage a day, "he sent them into his vineyard." And verse 10 is the completion. Now when those hired first came they thought they would get more but they got their denarius. They got the fair day's wage for a fair day's work. And we understand and we appreciate that principle that God values the early work. You know one of my privileges and pleasures is being a pastor of a legacy church where I recognize there have been long generations of faithfulness and I simply get to reap some of the benefits of that. I mean you all tell marvelous stories about your previous pastors. Isn't it great that Ben's here today that I can you know? But Dr. Dunn is the one that you tell a lot of stories about. You know that don't you? I mean you will recognize and I do too the great courage of a man who in a time of church compromise in his denomination was willing to stand firm for the truth of Scripture and we admire and respect that. I recognize too that many of you talk about how sermons of that day touched and even put you in directions that were healthy for all your lives. Young people who in their high school years remember a dare to be a Daniel sermon that said we're gonna stand for the Lord and you were challenged to do that by Dr. Dunn. And I remember the boldness of Dr. Dunn that some of you have cited that he was willing to say to people who would write anonymous critical letters. That's a sin and he would say if you don't have the courage to sign it I don't have the time to read it. Now I must tell you that's not my personality and but though it's not my personality it is my practice I won't read it. Having said that I recognize a very different personality in Ben Johnston and I recognize the wonder and the goodness of following a pastor who is known for pastoral compassion love and care. So much so that when he told you he was feeling called to go to another mission and calling of the Lord you did not condemn him but commissioned him. Which is a wonderful statement not just about him but about you as well. God values the work that comes early and comes first. But that's not the end of the message is it? You recognize as well that verses 3 through 7 are saying that God also values in fact values just as much the labor that comes later. Verse 3 going out about the third hour the master saw others standing idle in the marketplace now for the Hebrew work day started about 6 a.m. so the third hour is about 9 a.m. and you recognize he said to those verse 4 you go into the vineyard they went and this pattern repeats through the day there were those hired at 12 o'clock there were those hired at 3 o'clock there were even those hired at 5 o'clock the 11th hour and all of them got exactly the same this is equal pay for less and later work why is God talking to us about that pattern now I will tell you commentators I think often who are not threading through the gospel of grace through all the scriptures try to figure out why the late laborers are paid just as much some speculate there must have been a storm coming and they had to get the work done in a hurry you know I've even read one commentator who says there are certain types of grapes in the Middle East that have to ripen just at a very particular time and so that the sugar content is just the right there have to be do with an hour Oh get real the fact of the matter is we don't know why the master valued the later work as much as he valued the early work all we know is he valued them both the same and the message to us is we have a lesson to learn where the year early at the gospel task or late in the work of the gospel God values that work I had a I had a great privilege earlier this week and it was to speak to the Monday volunteers remember the mostly retired men who come in and serve this congregation by doing tasks all around the church and all around the church grounds and I know that there's a way of thinking that says their most significant days of labor and work and career are behind them and this is just somewhat insignificant volunteer work that is not seeing things from Heaven's perspective I want you to recognize something you well know this this wonderful facility that we are in has been provided by your generosity but we're also still paying for it and the consequence of that is this church seeking to ministry singing to grow ministry is feeling a great deal of financial stress and these men who give themselves to do work that the church doesn't have to pay for maintain ministry for hearts and souls and eternity that we would not be maintaining or able to maintain if they were not doing such work it is as significant as perhaps anything they have done in their whole lives and it's not just the savings of money it's the testimony to to peers and to young people and to a culture that it doesn't all have to be about you that life can be lived in service for others and that is significant in itself it's it's a wonderful testimony and and all of that can be repeated many times in thinking about the life of this church and what God calls people to do we we at times recognize that there are people who in their age late in life have to go into assisted living and a purely human perspective says the important work is now done but what if you saw things from God's perspective and you actually believe that someone going into assisted living might now for the first time in their lives actually have dedicated time and opportunity for prayer if you really believe what the Bible says that that prayer is not seeking a greater thing from God that prayer is the greater thing from God that by being able to seek God co-labor with him in the work of the gospel in that spiritual plane of which prayer is the primary artillery for Christians that that is the great work now that the late work is as important as the early work I I think of so many of you who who have done so much to get this facility and this church and this ministry flowing into this place to think what will the next generation hold and you have done great work and sacrifice and vision but what if the great work that God is now calling you to do is to think about your estate and estate planning to provide for generations after you now I know pastors aren't supposed to talk about money but after all it's Jesus who said don't lay up for yourself treasures on earth but treasures where in heaven there is a divine perspective and deep in your heart you understand it and grasp it it was so much on display to us last week do you remember we had Mrs. Nolte on the video and she gave her pledge to help us get past the bridge loan for this particular facility and now I remember what she said she said when she was asked by her daughter you know when did you give do you remember she said she said I fulfilled my pledge early because I wasn't sure I'd be around much longer do you know you were inspired by her and this church that had been behind in budget for months and months that last week after her testimony your generosity was pricked and you responded and we are now caught back up in ways that we weren't because of a testimony late in life from someone who loved the Lord and did significant ministry right then maybe the most significant thing in terms of maintaining the ministry of this church that she's ever done and it happened in her 90s the late work is as important as the early work in the kingdom of God you know what that means no one can say we're done if the late work is as important as the early work no one can say we're done if you're here if you're part of God's kingdom if you're able to think and reason and act and accord with the things of Scripture you're not done but there's another message too if the early work is as important as the late work that means the late work is as important as the early work and that means also no one can say what we have done is more important my kids to compliment their mother and to tease each other sent their mom a Mother's Day card this year that has the traditional opening on the front you know this is for a great mom on Mother's Day now our youngest daughter was the first to sign which means the most naive child was the first to sign all right so here's what she wrote thank you mom I love you the somewhat older daughter and her husband wrote next mom we love you very much the older son and his wife were the last to write and they wrote mom we love you more than they do you know there's always the temptation to be in competition what we do is more important than what they do but in the kingdom of God what comes later is just as important as what happened earlier I've already mentioned to you dr. Dunn and I think I really do marvel at what the Lord did through that man and that generation it's the generation that Francis Schaeffer called the time of Christian consensus where in this culture people even if they didn't all go to church assumed somewhat Christian values I'm not saying everybody's a dedicated Christian but there was a time in this culture when Christian values were generally held and as a consequence what this church did and so many other churches did was try to attract people in order to teach them because the idea was we have to mobilize and mature the majority because the perception of most Christians in the culture in that era was we are members of the majority remember we were part of the moral majority and Christians of that generation that you're a perceive themselves as needing to stand for the Lord so that the majority would be mobilized and matured well I must tell you the generation that is now coming up in this church perceives itself in a very different situation if you talk to any believer who is 35 and below they do not perceive themselves as being the majority in a Christian consensus culture they perceive themselves as being a minority in a pluralistic culture I mean you just think of the laws that our legislatures are passing the change of the culture is happening and that means the primary job that a younger generation perceives is not to teach but to reach and so mission Peoria and and vision pathways can you believe this that there are young people right out of their college years who are moving into apartments near us in order to reach the culture around them and I think of Mike Jackson and Kenny Hayes and Ryan Haggerty and John Vaney and and Greg Mastin and I think they have to say to young people around them our goal is not just to help you teach people so that we can control their actions hey our job is to help you reach people in whatever way makes Christianity credible to a culture that's actually antithetical to the faith as we begin to see that we begin to value people in very different ways to say there was a generation that did wonderful courageous brave things and what they were doing was they were preparing a generation that also must do wonderful courageous brave things and they need to value each other a calling for every age and era and time and this church has wonderfully demonstrated it but we will not demonstrate it if we don't say to one another your work is as valuable as mine and the work that I do must be considered valuable to no one's done no one is done and no one can say what we have done is more important everyone called to the calling of their time as God gives us opportunity to serve him and perhaps to make that point what the Lord does in this passage he doesn't just describe labor in general did you notice that there's a point in a parable of being personal and so we get conversation of the master with the laborers we get the laborers individually described and what they receive individually described as though the Lord is saying to us I'm not just talking about labor in general I'm talking about the people that I value in particular obviously the Lord is saying I value the people who add much to the work of the kingdom those are the ones who start early verse 2 after again with the labors for Daenerys today he sent them into his vineyard these are the ones that will work the longest and of course they receive their reward they receive a full day's wage for the work that they have done and it's the simple message that there are those who can for a long time be faithful to the Lord and the Lord rewards that labor for his sake now you know we've just moved and one of the things you do when you move is you open boxes and despite yourself you start reading what's in them you know you should be just putting things away but you can't help reading and one of the things that Kathy came across was a news story in a newspaper from a woman in the town that we first pastored years ago and it was the description of Ruth bullion yes that is the name Ruth bullion who was hesitant says the reporter to talk about her rare accomplishment of teaching Sunday School for 60 years her initial reaction when she was asked about it was you can talk about that after I'm gone but she finally agreed to the interview upon the condition that it be made clear that everything she has done or ever will do is through the strength and the ability given to her by her heavenly father not her credit but his and she said I started teaching when I was 17 and knew immediately that God intended for me to work with little children now I must tell you I think she's going to be before the throne of God someday and somebody's going to say well done good and faithful servant 60 years of teaching little children because that was my calling and I wanted to check those souls help those souls for eternity now I'm talking about Ruth bullion in a city some distance from here but I must tell you I I think Ruth bullion has a number of brothers and sisters here I think there's some chicken and beef here too and think about it you'll get it I think there are lots of folks here that because they have added much to the work of the kingdom their lives their resources their prayers their family testimony that God will say well done good and faithful servant there is value to the labor that you've done when you've added much to the work of the kingdom but you know there's not only the message of you being credited for your work something else is being said in this parable as grace is beginning to enter into the equation as well you get a sense of that in verse 3 let me just read it to you again chapter 20 in verse 3 and going out about the third hour the master saw others standing idle in the marketplace similar in verse 6 about the 11th hour he went out and found others standing and he said to them why do you stand here idle all day now that word idle is the Greek word that means without work they're doing nothing in fact some of the translations that you're looking at in front of you it actually says the master asked them why are you standing here doing nothing and what we're to understand is these workers are not only being rewarded for their long work they're actually being rescued from doing nothing do you remember the Apostle Peter says in 1st Peter that Christ has come and redeemed us from an empty way of life that that we are no longer called to nothingness that we have been called to make a difference and that as we are responding what God is calling us to do we are not just being reward we are being rescued from doing nothing at the end of 1st Corinthians 15 that great resurrection passes the Apostle Paul doesn't just talk about the life to come he talks about the life present knowing that we have great reward to come he says so stand firm let nothing move you always be about the work of the gospel knowing that your labor is not in what not in vain you are not doing nothing God has rescued you from that and his rescue means your life makes a difference you may not see the cause you may not see the way you may not understand but God is valuing the early work and the later work and he is saying even if if you don't understand it you have been rescued from doing nothing that there are those people in this congregation who who are in struggling challenging marriages and they are seeking to be faithful for the sake of the Lord and after perhaps years of struggle they begin to say am I doing anything is this worth it this this trial and this testimony for the sake of the witness to another person I love so are the Eterna of soul's sake am I doing anything and the promise of the gospel is you are not doing nothing your labor is not in vain there are there are young people who are seeking to live pure lives among their peers and it does not appear to make any difference whatsoever and they begin to question am I doing anything is this worth it at all listen you have been redeemed from doing nothing your labor you're striving for the sake of the Lord is not in vain there are people who are in political they are in business relationships and they are so striving for integrity it puts them at risk every day and they say to themselves am I doing anything here is this worth anything at which case we need to say you have been redeemed from doing nothing stand firm let nothing move you always be about the work of the gospel because your labor is not in vain the world may not see it God sees it and values it you who add much by your very struggles God honors and says he will but what if you have not done much that's another question isn't it you may have respect for those who have struggled and striven in the power of God to do what he calls them to but but what if your honest evaluation of yourself is that you have not added much to the work of the kingdom but you've just added a little for those people there is much here as well verse 9 when those hired about the 11th hour came each of them received a denarius equal pay for less time at work how can that be right let me try okay you know I've been in pastoral situations long enough to know that some of those persons in the church who feel the most guilty are those who have come to faith late in life so whoa wait a second if they come to faith late in life I thought their guilt was to be taken away yes I know but while they rejoice in their eternal salvation they look back over their lives children raised work associates met lives not live the way they wish and they feel so bad about the years that they feel they wasted before they came and claimed the goodness of their salvation you need to listen to me you are a banner of grace that this church needs desperately if everyone were like me good little Sunday school boy since he was that tall okay then everybody who came into this church would say there's no place for me if I haven't been raised in the faith if if I didn't know Jesus from the time that I was a little boy there's no place for me I want you to know that you're coming to faith in Jesus Christ in the timing that God intended is absolutely the right thing and God uses you as a signpost of hope a banner of grace for those people need to say there's still hope for me I'm coming late to the work but it is still valued by God we need people like that in this church to be a testimony the greatness of the grace of God that there are people young coming into this church and listen everybody you know it's true they look around and they see a legacy church and people long in the faith and people who know their Bibles and they can answer when I give these questions and you can find the right place in your Bible and they're going I can't do any of that I don't know how to do that I don't know what he's asking for I don't know where the page is do you know what a great thing that is for somebody else that's new in the church who also doesn't know the answer who doesn't know the page number who just wants to say isn't there someone else like me around here and the wonder and the goodness it is for God to mix us up to have those of early labor and late labor and to say you are both valuable to the work of the kingdom I called you when I knew I needed you and you are just as value young old new long in the faith God has purpose for you here contribute a lot contribute a little God has purpose for you listen we need people who aren't just part of the long-term family you know we need people who who are next to Pakistanis and have Indian friends and have people of different racial and demographic and career backgrounds because a lot of us have just known the same people for generations we know every one of us knows that the reason most of us are in the church is because a friend or family member invited us that's the primary reason over 90% of you are here is a friend or family member invited you if we're only going to keep talking to the same people nothing's going to change we need to be thinking of of those wonderful people that God is bringing to us that they are our instruments that they are our army moving out beyond what we could do we so desperately need people who don't know as much as we do who don't know all the routine do don't know the right words to say who may stand on the platform and not say everything just so it will give such hope to other people and expand our tent pegs to actually be what God is calling us to be for another generation so that the generation was so faithful in reaching others previously actually has the legacy to give that we have prepared we have prepared you to do your work now those who've added much well done those who add little we need you everyone is valuable to God but what if you're not one of those who's added much not even one of those who's added little what if you look at your life and you recognize you have actually subtracted now is there a place for you I want you to remember this passage and where it goes yes there are those who say look at verse 9 when those who hired the 11th hour came each of them received an Arius and when they those hired first came they thought they would receive more but each of them received it in Arius and what do they say verse 11 on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house saying these last worked only one hour and you've made them equal to us well that's not fair I mean shouldn't we who've done more get more what you remember who asked that question earlier who was it that asked the question shouldn't we who have done more get more who asked that question leading into this parable that was Peter what do we get who've done more do you remember how the master of the house responds to the one who asked that question look at verse 13 but he the master replied to one of them friend I am doing you no wrong to the one who is questioning the grace and generosity the master who's actually working against the message of generosity Jesus calls that one friend why does Peter need to hear that message look at the end of chapter 20 verse 18 Jesus is speaking again to his disciples and he says we are going up to Jerusalem and the son of men will be delivered over the chief priests and scribes and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified he will be raised on the third day but what will Peter do three times before that occurs he will deny him he will subtract I do not know him he will take away every claim I do not know him and the third time with a curse I do not know him and Jesus says to the one who subtracts I call those who work against me my friend Oh Peter desperately needs to know that when he is not at it a lot and he's not at a little but when he is actually subtracted that God's grace is greater and that he can still be the friend of the one who calls him friend and died for him it's the message you and I need to know over and over again we are not simply depending on a lot of work or little work we are depending upon the gospel upon the great message of the grace of God in Jesus Christ that is greater than all of our sin so that we have not done a lot and we haven't done a little but we look back at the years the locus of eaten at the sin that the greater than all that we could possibly do to make it up that we can say I depend upon the one who still calls me his friend though my life betrayed him if that's our message if that's the glory of what we stand for that is the gospel that must be heard more than all the work is his work in our behalf that he might still call us friend you know you all have been so sweet to Kathy me you have called us friends and family almost from the beginning but as sweet as you have been to to me to say you appreciate messages and you appreciate our presence here I must tell you that I know that since we have come there is a moment that you will remember more clearly than any sermon word that I have said to you you know what that shining moment is it's that Easter moment when Charlie Elwin stood here and said to you and to me I subtracted as alcohol got a hold of me it took me away from my family and from my testimony and from my job and from significance in so many things I subtracted so badly and yet Jesus loved me and forgave me and claimed me and you stood and you applauded for the gospel of Jesus Christ it is the great testimony that we want to make sure everyone hears it's not just if you've added a lot God values that it's not just that you may have added a little God can use that but the great claim of the gospel is when we have even subtracted our God in Jesus Christ says I can forgive your sin and call you my friend I can take back the years the locust of Eden I can forgive the sin that's greater than you can imagine after all you are my friend father would you work the gospel into our hearts and help us rejoice in a God who values us at whatever stage or place or age you have called us and in doing so you lay claim upon the value of what we would contribute at any moment but in doing so too you tell us that when we have failed at any moment we can come to you and you will redeem us and forgive us and call us your friend and this this is our great hope give us it again in Christ's name we ask it Amen