The Parable of the Laborers.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] And before we get started this morning with the sermon of the scriptures, [0:05] just a couple of announcements. First, we are going to on Easter Sunday have a great day. [0:11] We’re going to celebrate the resurrection of our God and King Jesus Christ, [0:14] and we’re going to do it down the street from here. Now, what that means for you is that on [0:18] Easter Sunday, we will not be having two services in this building. Instead, we will be having one [0:24] service right down the street, probably a little over a mile from here at the old Journey Church

[0:29] building, and we’ll be gathering there at 10 a.m. Now, we’re probably going to need some help that [0:33] day with set up and tear down. So if you want to go ahead and mark that on your calendar to come [0:38] a little early, maybe stay a few minutes late and help us, that would be very helpful. The Wednesday [0:44] before Easter, we will be having what we like to call the our tenebrae service. It is a night of [0:49] reflection on the cross. That will be that Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. And we will spend [0:56] time singing. We will spend time praying. We will spend time reflecting on the cross through

[1:01] communion. And it is a great time to really put ourselves in a mindset of reflecting on the week [1:08] of our Lord’s death as we anticipate celebrating that resurrection on that coming Sunday morning. [1:15] Now, here at Village Church, we love to serve. We love to to help reach the community around us. And [1:22] some of the ways that we do that are going to be a little countercultural. And there’s a few things [1:27] that we love to be involved in. And one of those is the fight for life, is helping homes around our [1:35] city that fight for adoption, that fight to help young mothers who are in desperate situations

[1:42] to realize that that life is not something that they have authority over, but rather that life [1:47] matters to God, no matter what the circumstance is. And there’s two places in our city that we [1:54] love to help. One of them is Grace Home. And if you look on the city on April 12th, there’s going [1:59] to be a workday there. And so I invite you to sacrifice that Saturday and go help on April 12th. [2:05] But another partner that we have in this city is the Pregnancy Resource Center. And coming up at [2:11] the Pregnancy Resource Center, they’re doing a fundraiser because they function 100% on gifts

[2:16] from the community, as well as gifts from the churches in this community. Something they’ve [2:21] got coming up to raise some funds is the Walk for Life. Now, they raise a great deal of money to [2:26] help them save many, many lives through counseling, through ultrasounds, through a host of means that [2:32] they have in helping young mothers, as well as young fathers. Learn how to be mothers and fathers, [2:39] as if you have any children, you know there’s a huge amount to learn. And they help with that. [2:45] But one person in our church that has a lot of connections there, helps serve at the Pregnancy

[2:50] Resource Center, who has as well been helped in her life by the Pregnancy Resource Center. And so [2:55] I’ve asked Ann Greenwald to come up this morning and share a testimony and give a charge for us [3:01] to help with the Walk for Life. Come on up, Ann. Good morning. Good morning. As he said, my name [3:08] is Ann Greenwald, and each of us has our own life story, a testimony of God’s work in our life. [3:17] This morning, I will share a part of my story with the hope that on May 3rd, you will support [3:22] God’s work at the Pregnancy Resource Center here in Richmond. Growing up, I searched endlessly for

[3:29] the solution to fix everything in my home. I thought that if I accomplished great things, [3:35] my dad would stop abusing my family. As I entered adulthood, I would not give up trying to [3:42] create the perfect life for myself. But a time came when my quest for the perfect life came to [3:47] an end. 25 years ago in 1989, as a young Navy Lieutenant, I served as protocol officer for [3:55] a four-star admiral in Norfolk, Virginia. The clinic was—the classic overachiever, I always [4:04] tried for perfection. Then I made a very poor decision, and there I was, single and pregnant.

[4:11] With no support from the father, I felt very alone. I remember thinking, this can’t be true. [4:18] How can I go through with this pregnancy? I was a single naval officer working for a high-ranking [4:24] officer. What about my career? I had failed, and everyone would know it.

[4:32] The pressure was enormous. I scheduled an abortion, to me the only option. When it came time to have [4:39] the abortion, I knew the exact location of the clinic. In my weekly routine, I would often go [4:44] to the local branch of the Navy Federal Credit Union. There, situated on the second floor of [4:50] the same building, was an abortion clinic. I recalled seeing protesters outside with signs that [4:55] murder and God hates abortion. Not knowing what it’s all about, I always thought it was kind of [5:02] strange and really unloving. Now there I was, facing the possibility that I was taking part

[5:09] in the murder that they had protested about. I was afraid, alone. Again, I thought, what should [5:16] I do? Is it really murder? How could I do this? But, if I don’t, how would I tell everyone that [5:24] I’m pregnant and be a single mother? It wasn’t supposed to be this way. I felt like everything [5:29] was closing in on me. Because the pressure to do everything perfect was at the forefront of [5:35] everything I did. I just wanted to die. But I decided that I would get the abortion. [5:43] At least not, I would not get the abortion. At least not right then. I had to be sure.

[5:49] So I went home and I looked in the yellow pages, and I looked under abortion alternatives. [5:54] The first entry was Birthright, which is a Catholic organization that provides the truth [5:59] regarding life and abortion. When I went to their office and I saw a photo of an eight week old [6:05] baby, I cried. It looked like a person. It had eyes and a heart. It had to be a person. And I [6:17] thought to myself, wow, this person could actually grow up and be someone special in my life. [6:27] So I made the decision that day to keep my baby. Today, our beautiful daughter,

[6:32] Katrina, is 24 years old. She’s a Christian living for our Lord, married, and we’re having [6:38] our first grandchild in September. I believe our sovereign God had his hand in my life that day. [6:47] Even though I did not yet know him. Throughout my pregnancy and birth of Katrina, I went through [6:53] some hard times emotionally. The loneliness proved the most difficult part. I began to wonder if [6:59] there was a God who really cared. I began to seek him. Jeremiah 29, 11, and 13 says, for I know the [7:08] plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans for welfare and not for evil. To give you a future and

[7:13] hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will hear you. You will seek me [7:19] and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Through several divine events, I came to receive [7:25] Christ as my Savior and Lord two years later. I often tell Katrina that God had a special plan [7:30] for each of us and I believe that God used her to bring me to him. Soon after receiving Christ, [7:38] I met my husband and officers Christian fellowship Bible study. He adopted Katrina and God has [7:43] blessed us with three more beautiful children. I want to share with you an excerpt from a note

[7:48] that Katrina wrote to me when she was 10 years old. Dear mommy, I just want to thank you for [7:55] taking me out a couple weeks ago to Bob Evans. We love Bob Evans. You really mean a lot to me [8:02] and thank you for not aborting me. I love you so much. You never know what God can do. God bless [8:09] you. Your wonderful gift from God. Your loving daughter in Christ Katrina.

[8:16] I am sure that in a group this size, there may very well be someone who has either had an abortion [8:22] or been a part of someone having one. God has taught me that our hope is in Jesus Christ alone [8:28] and no matter what mistakes I make, his love is far greater and will cover all my sin. [8:33] I made a poor decision but God turned it into something beautiful. He can do the same for you. [8:40] He offers the forgiveness we all so desperately need. There’s a flyer in your bulletin.

[8:49] The pregnancy resource center of Metro Richmond is a non-profit Christian organization committed [8:54] to providing compassionate care to women unprepared for pregnancy by offering resources and practical [9:02] assistance for life-affirming choices. Although Birthright shared the truth about life, they did [9:08] not share the gospel with me. At PRC, clients hear and see the gospel message. Having counseled at a [9:16] center and now I’m at the PRC, I know that sharing the love of Christ makes a difference in the lives [9:22] of many clients. We at Village Church have an opportunity to help raise the funds required to

[9:28] provide services and especially to share the gospel message to women who might not otherwise [9:33] hear it. On Saturday, May 3rd, PRC will host the annual Walk for Life at 10 o’clock.

[9:40] I invite each of you to be a part of this ministry by walking or sponsoring someone. [9:45] If you are interested, I will be at a table in the foyer after the service. It really is a lot of [9:51] fun. I know there’s a lot of strollers in this church so decorate your strollers, put balloons [9:56] on it, bring your kids, make it a family event so your kids can grow up knowing [10:01] that life is important and they can see that in action. So I just welcome you to join us in this [10:08] endeavor. Thank you. Our God is a God of life. He’s a God who saves lives. He’s a God who changes

[10:24] lives. And when I think about the opportunity that we have to be a part of that, [10:30] I can’t think of any reason that we wouldn’t. So I invite you to be a part of this this week. [10:37] There will be information on the city website about the Walk for Life and so constantly be [10:43] going on the city. Plug that and check that information out and please consider being a [10:50] part of it and pray that God would move you to be a part of it. Pray with me right now. [10:55] Our Father, we are so thankful for your grace that is more than sufficient

[11:05] for every need that we have in life, for everything that we could ever do in life, [11:13] as well as our very salvation. Lord, I pray that in this day and in this hour that your [11:20] race would become more apparent to us than maybe it ever has been before. [11:26] And it would fuel us to go out of these doors and live your mission in a culture [11:31] that desperately needs your grace, our God. Change us today. In the name of Jesus, I pray. [11:40] Amen. If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them up to Matthew chapter 19. We’ll begin in

[11:46] verse 30 this morning as we continue our series through the parables of Jesus and [11:52] the book of Matthew about the kingdom of heaven. Throughout these parables, what we’ve seen is [11:58] Jesus telling story after story to explain his kingdom. The stories that Jesus gives are [12:04] countercultural to this world and even by using common examples, Jesus shows that the values and [12:11] structure of God’s kingdom were contrary to much of what we’re taught to build our lives upon. [12:18] He tells us that the kingdom is like soil that produces fruit that spreads the good news of Jesus

[12:25] and is fruitful. It is like a master of a farm who knows the good wheat from the weeds and waits [12:33] until the harvest to separate the two. The kingdom of heaven is like a tiny mustard seed that grows [12:40] within this world to produce the greatest kingdom than anyone has ever seen and works from within. [12:48] The kingdom is like a treasure that will give greater reward than anything contained in this [12:53] world. Then last week we saw that the kingdom is like forgiveness that is impossible without [12:59] the true justice and righteousness provided by the cross of Jesus Christ. And throughout all of these

[13:06] parables, Jesus is seeking for us to understand one key component and that is that the kingdom of [13:12] God is all about Jesus. That he is God and without him you cannot understand his kingdom. [13:21] You cannot hope to grasp the meaning of his kingdom if you do not first and foremost know [13:26] that he is God and that he has come on a mission to save each and every one of us. [13:32] And so this week our parable turns to the parable of the laborers in the vineyard.

[13:39] This parable is not one that is really preached often. It is one that frequently is skipped over [13:46] because I believe it is one that is harder for us to comprehend because it is so different than [13:52] what we base value on. It is so different than what our system of understanding economics, [14:00] our system of understanding wages, our system of understanding, our very own involvement in [14:05] this world and what we do is based on. It is a system that equalizes us all. It is a system [14:11] of grace that Jesus brings into his kingdom. It is not based on what you have earned but rather

[14:17] it is based on what God can give. But I want to warn you this morning that if you follow Jesus [14:24] for any length of time you will find yourself failing in the sin of comparison.

[14:34] Because I believe that is what Jesus’ main point is for us this morning in this text [14:40] is that he is going to drive us to understand that when we follow him we never reach a point [14:47] where we are better than anyone else. When you follow Jesus and you become more and more obedient [14:56] to who he is and more and more obedient to what he calls us towards in our lives there will be a [15:02] temptation that is always close at hand as we always struggle with sin in this lifetime. [15:08] And what that temptation is going to do to us it is going to drive us to truly believe that we

[15:13] deserve more than someone else. We deserve more of God. We deserve more credit. We deserve more [15:25] value in the church as well as in his kingdom. But he means to tell us today that the kingdom [15:32] of God is like a master who gives generously based on what he has earned rather than what we [15:39] have gained. The kingdom of earth teaches us that our value is built on what we earn and getting [15:45] and giving what is deserved but the value of God’s kingdom though is built on grace. [15:51] It is built solely on what Jesus has earned for us and we are thankful recipients of his grace.

[16:01] And we will never need any less grace than anyone else.

[16:11] In chapter 19 verse 30 here’s what Jesus says.

[16:17] But many who are first will be last and the last first for the kingdom of heaven is like a master [16:23] of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing [16:29] with the laborers for a denarius a day he sent them into his vineyard and going out about the [16:34] third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace and to them he said you go into the [16:38] vineyard too and whatever is right I will give you. So they went going out again about the sixth [16:45] hour and the ninth hour he did the same and about the eleventh hour he went out and found others

[16:51] standing and he said to them why do you stand here idle all day? They said to him because no one has [16:58] hired us. He said to them you go into the vineyard too and when evening came the owner of the vineyard [17:03] said to his foreman call the laborers and pay them their wages beginning with the last up to the first [17:09] and when those hired about the eleventh hour each of them received a denarius. [17:15] Now when those hired first came they thought they would receive more but each of them also received [17:22] a denarius and on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house saying these last worked

[17:28] only one hour and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day in the [17:34] scorching heat but he replied to one of them friend I’m doing you no wrong did you not agree [17:42] with me for a denarius take what belongs to you and go I choose to give to this last worker as [17:49] I gave to you am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me or do you begrudge my [17:57] generosity so the last will be first and the first last Jesus gives us this parable that’s [18:08] extremely challenging because I can see myself working for 12 hours under the heat of the sun

[18:15] backbreaking labor as laborers did in that day and then some guy shows up barely breaking a sweat [18:23] he only has to work for an hour and at the end of the day his paycheck is equal to mine I would [18:29] revolt I certainly wouldn’t show up the next day for work because that frankly is something that [18:36] all agree that is unfair that’s not right we’re going to form a union

[18:47] Jesus gives this parable for us to comprehend the greatness of who he is

[18:57] when he’s the only one who has any worth whatsoever

[19:03] first I want us to understand this morning that God is on a mission of grace it’s very easy for us [19:10] to read through this parable and I’ve done it before as you read through this parable and you [19:13] just see this countercultural system of wages and you think to yourself man those people in the 12th [19:20] hour we don’t want to say this out loud but I know that we believe it that they do deserve more [19:25] because they’ve been there longer but we don’t want to question Jesus and we want into his kingdom [19:29] so we’re not going to say that out loud but by every system that we’ve ever constructed about

[19:35] the way it works if you’ve got a guy that’s been working for the company 25 years and you got a [19:39] guy that’s been working for the company a month they shouldn’t have the same wage it’s not fair [19:44] one has more value than the other one has more experience than the other one has more knowledge [19:49] than the other but one thing that we overlook in this parable is really the main extent of the [19:58] parable and that is the one that went out to hire the workers that he never had to hire anyone

[20:07] he wasn’t constrained to

[20:11] there was no law that said he had to have workers to work his [20:15] vineyard but instead he goes out on this mission to get laborers now the reality of this parable [20:22] is that it actually has nothing to do with laboring in a vineyard Jesus is not giving us [20:28] a system of earthly economics that we need to follow where there’s equal value on everyone [20:35] no when we read that into the parable we miss the point that Jesus is speaking about his kingdom [20:41] Jesus is speaking about his value and Jesus is speaking about his mission that he is the

[20:48] of the kingdom of heaven who has gone out to draw all people unto himself and to give value [20:55] to people who actually have no value and that he is the master that seeks to redeem [21:02] that redemption in God’s eyes is not based on anything that we have earned nor is it based [21:09] on how hard we work or on what we deserve it is based solely on the goodness of the master [21:15] that master is Jesus when we take the side of the laborers we begin to demean the value of the [21:25] master we begin to side with the created order we begin to look and say God who do you think you are

[21:37] we have value we have goodness we have something to bring to the table [21:45] and when everything in this world would teach us something different about ourselves [21:52] and that our argument with Jesus on the fact that maybe we can offer more than the worst of sinners [21:59] in this world we begin to worship ourselves we begin to place ourselves in the seat of the [22:07] master and we begin to define worth and we begin to put ourselves on God’s throne rather than [22:12] understand that Jesus is the one who has the worth and Jesus is the one that if he does not

[22:19] come out to seek if he does not come out to redeem then we are all bankrupt and we will [22:29] not be able to pay for the things that we cannot hope to pay [22:31] you see Jesus precedes this story by talking to a rich young man [22:39] and this comes right off of that story where this rich young man comes before Jesus [22:44] and tells Jesus Jesus I have obeyed the entire law all of it what is it Jesus spells it out for [22:56] me he says I’m clean as a baby that’s just been washed I’m good pure as the fresh snow

[23:05] I’ve done everything that you require

[23:09] and Jesus looks to him he says ah one thing sell everything that you have follow me

[23:17] he walks away he can’t do it he can’t bring himself to sell his possessions [23:26] see the man had misunderstood what treasure was and what worth was what value was [23:32] the god of the universe had called and this man did not answer you see his life’s mission [23:42] was proving how valuable he was by his actions by his wealth by his possessions he was good enough [23:51] he had earned more than anyone else he’d proven his worth more than anyone else and surely I’m [23:57] going to stand before this guy that everybody is saying is the messiah and he’s going to elevate

[24:02] me and say this is the example that all of you should follow but compared to the righteousness [24:08] of Jesus he had nothing and all of his wisdom of the law he had overlooked the fact that Isaiah [24:16] says that compared to the righteousness of God ours is as filthy rags it’s not worth comparing [24:21] we’re not pure even a little bit of impurity ruins it all

[24:27] we’re born like that nothing we can do can ever wash off the stain of our sin

[24:36] faith in Jesus requires our entire system of value to change [24:43] and when we look to earn our keep when we look to elevate ourselves above others when we look [24:50] to make ourselves prettier than others better than others more valuable to God than others [24:55] and we do nothing but look in the mirror to do it over and over and over again we will be just [25:01] like the rich young ruler and we will miss the god of the universe because we’re so focused on [25:05] ourselves we’ll begin to believe the lie that our value is better than everyone else’s

[25:13] and we’ll worship ourselves even with Jesus standing right in front of us saying [25:18] I have more value than anything you have it’s not worth comparing

[25:26] so when Jesus is done talking to this man the disciples are terrified

[25:34] because they’re like that’s a good dude if he can’t get into the kingdom what are we gonna do [25:41] we’re a bunch of poor fishermen I mean this guy over here is a tax collector what are we gonna do

[25:49] and Jesus looks to them and he says well with man you’re right absolutely impossible [25:56] he says with God all things are possible and then he gives them verse chapter 19 verse 30 [26:07] he says the first will be last the last will be first because he wants us to understand [26:15] the value of him not the value of us when you go through this life proving you [26:25] you’ll never gain anything more than yourself you are the best that you’ll ever get but Jesus wants [26:34] us to understand that there’s more than me there’s God and if I have him I have the greatest treasure

[26:42] I have a treasure hidden in a field that in my joy I’ll sell all that I have and follow him [26:48] in Ezekiel chapter 34 verse 11 the prophet prophesied that God would set out to seek [26:56] and rescue the lost sheep himself and then in Luke 19 verse 10 Jesus himself looks and he says but [27:04] the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost see everything that the law [27:13] that this man had obeyed had pointed to a coming God who had come for sinners [27:20] but what he had missed is that he was a sinner

[27:25] friends if you do not know that you’re needing that you are in need of rescue [27:30] you won’t be thankful when the rescuer comes and what Jesus is telling them in Luke 19 10 [27:39] he’s saying the one promised in Ezekiel has come I’m here I’m seeking and saving the lost he looks [27:47] to the Pharisees one other time and he says those who are good have no need of a doctor those who [27:53] are sick do he wasn’t telling them of their health he was telling them of their need [28:00] but they would only be thankful they could only trust they could only follow if they knew they

[28:06] needed him if they knew that his value superseded the value of anything they could ever hope to [28:11] earn anything they could ever hope to attain by themselves the master has come so secondly this [28:18] morning we must come to a place where we understand the kingdom of heaven is all about Jesus it’s all [28:25] about him that’s the only way a system of the first will be last and the last will be first will [28:32] ever make sense to us that Jesus is generous in chapter 20 verse 15 Jesus looks to them at the [28:43] end of the parable and he says am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me

[28:51] he’s putting himself in the seat of the master for us to understand that the grace that God [28:59] gives never has anything to do with our value never has anything to do with what we have it [29:05] never has anything to do with what we own it has to do with what God can give that when we are [29:12] thankful for the generosity of the master

[29:19] we’ve lost our need for grace we’ve lost our hope of understanding that the master was seeking to [29:28] show his value he’s never seeking to show your value you understand that God is not on a mission [29:36] to show how good you are God is not on a mission to show how valuable you are God is not on a [29:46] mission to show that you are the center of his universe and he wants to make you famous

[29:55] that’s not even the least of his concerns he doesn’t care about that it’s the opposite [30:03] of his mission his mission is to show his greatness his mission is to show his worth [30:11] and his mission is to show how generous he is but many of us fall for the lie that we can go [30:21] through this world and show how generous we are because we’re sharing all of our talents and gifts [30:24] with everyone around us how thankful they should be when I walk into the room

[30:35] Friends, grace is the great equalizer when only one has value and he gives it to everyone in the room [30:46] and that’s Jesus. If the kingdom of heaven were about anyone but Jesus the kingdom of heaven would [30:53] be hell. The kingdom of heaven only finds value in Jesus because Jesus is the only one with any [31:03] value. When Jesus says that the last will be first and the first will be last he’s preaching [31:15] the gospel because what does Jesus do? I mean clearly there’s only one who is first right? [31:23] And that’s Jesus and the scriptures teach us that Jesus is the one who spoke the entire world into

[31:30] existence that’s power incomparable he speaks and things just start existing that didn’t exist [31:37] before you can’t do that Jesus is the one that the scripture says he holds the entire universe [31:46] of creation in his hand and he sustains it he gives us breath so every breath you take in and [31:55] every time you exhale it’s by the power of Jesus that you have that ability and he can take it away [32:00] in the blink of an eye but he doesn’t because he’s so good he’s the one he’s all-knowing all-powerful [32:10] ever-present and yet he came down on a mission to redeem those who were in rebellion against him

[32:20] and his omniscience and he literally made himself last. How do we see that? Philippians 2 shows us [32:31] that Jesus lowered himself to be the scripture says a little lower than the angels so he lowered [32:36] himself to be that which he created and then lower than that to the point of death and then lower [32:42] than death to the point that he would die the death of a criminal on the cross he who knew no sin [32:48] and becoming sin so when you see first will be last stop putting yourself there

[32:58] because that’s pride that would make you say that the only one who’s ever done that is the only one [33:04] who’s ever been first Jesus then he says the last will be first there we have parallel meaning [33:14] we have the reality that he is now elevated above all that everything is under his feet [33:20] everything’s still going by his command

[33:25] but then those whose place he took will be elevated with him

[33:33] because he is the master who gives generously [33:37] he says he is the master who gives generously [33:41] Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8 tells us that by grace you’ve been saved through faith and this is not [33:47] your own doing it is the gift of God then in verse 13 of chapter 2 it says but now in Christ you [33:54] who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ if we earned it it would make [34:02] God’s generosity meaningless he desires to give and show his generosity do you understand this

[34:11] morning that self-righteousness belittles Jesus do you understand that that you on your mission [34:19] to prove that you are better than someone else is belittling to Jesus

[34:28] I have fought greatly against that in my own life because that’s just something that I think [34:33] culture teaches us that if somebody ever outwits us if somebody ever out earns us then we need to [34:39] make it our life’s mission to show that we’re at least equal to them you think you’re better than me

[34:50] and everything that we fight for and everything that we have a mission in our life for what do [34:55] we do when we’re confronted with the reality that everything that we’re living for is belittling Jesus [35:00] in our lives

[35:05] when Jesus finishes the parable to the disciples because that’s who he’s speaking to here [35:11] one of their mothers comes to make a request of Jesus that I think helps us understand the story [35:18] just a few verses later down in verse 20 of chapter 20 the mother of the sons of Zebedee [35:25] came in Matthew 20 20 through 22 the mother of James and John came up to Jesus with her sons [35:34] and kneeling before him she asked him for something and he said to her what do you want [35:39] she said to him say that these two sons of mine are to sit one at your right hand and one at your

[35:46] left in your kingdom and Jesus answered you do not know what you are asking are you able to drink [35:55] the cup that I am to drink then James and John

[36:02] tweedle dum and tweedle dummer speak up and say we are able

[36:10] we’re good enough gosh darn it people like us

[36:20] the next verse has Jesus looking at them and say you will drink

[36:26] but their value would never be the same as Jesus they could never be on the same level as Jesus [36:33] their mother along with them apparently by what they say had gone on a fool’s errand to prove [36:39] their worth as soon as Jesus says

[36:44] God’s the only one of worth God’s the only one that can be elevated God’s the only one who’s [36:49] the master God’s the only one who rules over all God is the only one whom you can come to for grace [36:55] in your time of need and by the way you’re very needy and they miss it and begin to ask for [37:04] motions above everyone else

[37:10] the first Timothy chapter 1 verse 15 the apostle Paul writes the saying is trustworthy and deserving [37:17] of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the foremost [37:25] you see our sin puts us in great need his righteousness is our only hope it’s only when [37:32] you revel in the greatness of Jesus that you comprehend the worth of his gift [37:37] so when you understand Paul’s statement here you’ll cease to compare yourself to others [37:43] it will help you repent of your power struggles and your desire to think of yourself higher than

[37:48] others others are not the rule of comparison Jesus is and his grace is then what defines life [37:56] without it we have nothing but sin

[38:01] you see the only person worth comparing yourself to is the only one who has righteousness and that’s [38:06] Jesus and when you compare yourself to him you understand what Paul’s saying I am the foremost [38:16] of sinners Jesus says

[38:22] finally this morning the kingdom of heaven is not about what you deserve it’s about what God gives

[38:33] do you know that no one deserves to be in God’s kingdom but God

[38:37] he’s the only one that deserves truly to be there [38:42] but when the master asked in verse 15 there if he was allowed to do what he wants with what [38:49] belongs to him he’s communicating that only he has the authority to place value or give any [38:55] reward it’s up to him not us then he makes a statement about his generous grace in verse 15

[39:08] he asks them excuse me now verse 15 yeah verse 15 am I not allowed to do what I choose what belongs [39:20] to me and then he says or do you begrudge my generosity okay in the original language [39:26] what Jesus asks is a little different but it would have no meaning in our culture if we translated [39:32] it literally what he says is literally do you have an evil eye okay and immediately you’re like [39:39] I know why they didn’t translate it that way because that makes no sense what an evil eye was [39:44] in Jewish culture at that time an evil eye was the eye of envy

[39:50] it was the eye of looking at what someone else had and saying well that truly belongs to me

[39:58] I deserve to be the master I deserve to be the one who gives wages I deserve to be the one who [40:06] has righteousness I I I probably why they called it the evil eye but what Jesus is saying is

[40:17] are you putting yourself in the same shoes that Eve did in the garden when the serpent said to her [40:26] has got really said I tell you if you eat of that fruit you will be equal to him and immediately [40:35] Eve had the evil eye of envy I want what God has I’m gonna get it [40:46] you see what Jesus is saying to his disciples is that when you begin to live life comparing what [40:54] you do for Jesus or what you do for anything with what others do you immediately put yourself in [41:01] the shoe of not being envious of others but rather you’re envious of God and you would replace his

[41:08] rule with your rule and we can never begrudge God of that type of generosity and have any hope of [41:18] on the other side with any type of real faith in God whenever you begin to focus on how much [41:26] you are doing and what you deserve out of it you lose sight of the very grace that saves you [41:33] that’s why the scriptures remind us over and over again like it does in Romans chapter 9 verse 16 [41:39] when it says so then it depends not on human will or exertion but on God who has mercy

[41:48] in Romans chapter 11 verse 6 but if it is by grace it is no longer on the basis of works [41:55] otherwise grace would no longer be grace

[42:02] as we follow Jesus there’s a temptation that wells up in us to compare ourselves to others to think [42:08] that our background or effort makes us superior but the scriptures warn us frequently about our [42:16] things over other people there’s always a firm reminder that it is an act of grace by God [42:22] that we are saved and that we continue to be saved friends you know that in the kingdom of [42:30] heaven those who come to Jesus in their final breath are equal to those who come to him as a [42:46] grace says oh thank you Jesus

[42:51] Jesus is the great rewarder who rewards not based on your work but on his goodness [42:59] praise God it’s not my goodness if you’ve known Jesus most of your life the goodness [43:07] is that you’ve been able to know him more

[43:14] the grace of God is an amazing gift you deserve hell do not misunderstand who you are

[43:26] your life is to be spent in making it all about Jesus the gift is something that we are to give [43:31] to the entire world around us and to build our very lives on but the moment we begin to put stock [43:38] in what we do for Jesus we cease to offer the world a good gift and we begin to offer them our [43:47] gift a gift in which they’ll never equal up to me because you haven’t put the years in that I’ve [43:54] put in you’ll never be as good as me because you’ll never have the power that I have over you with [44:02] my experience with my goodness with my obedience to Jesus I can point all the way back I’m a

[44:08] pedigree I was born into the church were you and so easily that mindset can pervade my life

[44:23] and I begin to forget my constant need for grace my constant need for repentance and slowly but [44:35] surely it stops being about Jesus and it starts being about me and in that moment

[44:46] we must ask ourselves the question of what does that say about our faith

[44:55] it could mark unbelief when we begin to be self-righteous people [45:01] it certainly lessens the value of the grace that we are called to offer to the entire world [45:06] grace of Jesus so I ask you this morning to take inventory of your life

[45:17] are you building a life of constant awe of the grace of God [45:23] are you checking things off of the list so that you can make sure you measure up

[45:30] am I seeking to show my worth and prove my value

[45:37] did I come in at the first hour

[45:43] to the detriment of those who come in at the eleventh hour [45:48] am I living a life that I’m so thankful for the grace of God that he’s always shown me over and [45:56] over again that I don’t deserve that those who come in at the eleventh hour I pull out the chair [46:01] for them and I say I’m so glad you’re here eat up his grace is so good

[46:13] when it’s all about Jesus we know that we are all in equal need to trust his grace [46:23] and we work to give his gift of grace to others as hard as he does

[46:31] in the book of john Jesus says that he and the father have not ceased to work [46:39] for redemption since the need came

[46:44] and that’s the life that grace calls you towards our missional God creates a missional [46:52] people who give his generosity to all who need him as the band comes up

[47:06] if we saturate our lives with the truth of Jesus his word spend time in his presence what will [47:14] happen is is that we are more and more grateful for his gifts every single day and he gives us [47:22] tangible reminders like the Lord’s Supper

[47:28] maybe weekend and week out you do this and you’re like man you know let’s just do this again it’s [47:33] that routine but I hope it never loses value in your life to understand what communion represents

[47:43] it’s the master ringing the dinner bell reminding us of his provision for us

[47:52] and his tables always stocked with the food of his grace

[47:58] and that it’ll never be empty

[48:03] the cup represents the shed blood of Jesus the one who gave this parable [48:07] the bread represents his broken body the meal of grace [48:13] that we deserve to die for our sin and Jesus put himself in our place [48:17] and he died for you he died for me

[48:24] this morning as you come come in faith don’t come bringing your work

[48:33] lay that at his feet and come to the table thankful for his work for you

[48:42] you’re as in need of his grace today as you were the day you trusted it

[48:50] maybe this morning you’re in here and you don’t know it you don’t trust it you’ve not believed [48:57] in his grace you say I’ll never measure up I’ll never be as smart I’ll never be as good I’ll [49:02] never be as holy you’ll never be as good and you’ll never be as smart and you’ll never be [49:09] as holy as Jesus that’s true [49:13] and Jesus says that’s okay because he’s going to give it to you anyway [49:18] he gives of what he has for what you need and he doesn’t care what you have

[49:26] this morning trust him if it’s your eleventh hour welcome to the table [49:35] when you’re ready come