(LogOut/ It was then that the Landowner said, You also go (verse 7). Christians should work diligently to glorify the Lord and bring others to Christ, and because of the genuineness of our hearts will we obtain rewards in This is what Bible study and prayer are all about. What Does it Mean That We Are Co-Workers with God? (1) For the kingdom. He employs the workers and not the other way around. I am always amazed to find people who read this as though the fruit were others won to Christ. Message transcript and recording 1973 by Ray Stedman Ministries, owner of sole copyright by assignment from the author. He exercised the power of God by performing miracles. I have been a member of the Presbyterian Church for thirty years, and have tried to be a consistent one all the time. Do you love God for Who He is, or do you love Him for the benefits He gives you? First, "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you [this is the way we let him abide in us -- by his word], ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you." Linking is encouraged, but republishing or redistributing, including by framing or similar means, without the publisher's prior written permission is prohibited. I believe that this is similar to today. RayStedman.org/permissions. The man who owns it has a heart of concern for what he calls "the up-and-outers" -- those who are over-privileged, who have all too much of everything, yet to whom very few are witnessing, telling them of life in Christ. Another principle to this parable is what people focus on as being unfair. WebThey will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. None of us get to dictate to God what we will receive. If we use the basic principle of understanding Scripture, which is common to all of Scripture -- letting Scripture interpret itself -- there is no doubt as to what this fruit is. For the master of the vineyard, there must have been a lot of work to be done for him to hire so many workers so many times during the day. From then on there are still no meetings, but invariably every week there are those guests who come and say, "I want to know more about this." And our Lord is indicating that the very purpose of the vine is to produce such fruit. ", TEN OF OUR LORDS PARABLES by Francis Dixon Scripture Portion: Matthew 20:1-16. On some, Lord, you see sucker shoots which need to be pruned away. Cultivating the vineyard of the Lord includes cultivating the lives of those who toil in the vineyard. I love the saying, "Joy is the flag which flies over the castle of the heart when the King is in residence." It is the love of Jesus for us, "shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit" (Romans 5:5 KJV), which awakens our love toward him in response. The day of work is their lifetime. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you. So they went. Jesus told the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard to illustrate the point that no one deserves Gods grace and each of us should joyfully serve Him with the time we are given. They continually were seeking ways to quiet Him or destroy Him. God came looking for justice and righteousness; instead he found oppression, cruelty, exploitation, and indifference to the needs of others. Your heart may go out to those workers who labored the whole day only to receive the same wage as those who worked for only one hour. This is the point our Lord makes in the story. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." He responded, This man thinks that because he has been a consistent church member for thirty years, a faithful Sunday school superintendent for twenty-five years, and an elder in the church for twenty years, that God is under obligation to answer his prayer. If you left everything family, friends, a good job, material possessions in order to follow Jesus, you might expect something more from Jesus. You suddenly were confronted with what you were doing to yourself and to others -- you felt it and heard it and saw it. What the owner does is to go throughout the country and interview young people for the crew to work on this ranch. In between, theres not a lot of work to do. Gods vineyard is the entire earth, and the workers in the vineyard You can even pastor a church without Christ. You can see what a beautiful analogy this is to the Christian experience, for in our lives we have that within us which produces the fruit of the Spirit. You can be flat on your back in bed, sick, but manifesting a Christ-like spirit, and you are glorifying God by that experience. If they respond just a little, then your love can reach out further, can deepen and grow. Millions live and die in Europe without a true knowledge of the love of God and of the way of salvation. WebThe Workers In The Vineyard Matthew 20:1-16ESV / 10 helpful votes HelpfulNot Helpful For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire Nationally, the Catholic Labor Network works to build church-labor partnerships to further the work of justice, by protecting vulnerable workers and educating the faithful about church teaching, including on a just and living wage. What Is the Significance of Not the Letter but of the Spirit? The point was not that everyone has to sell all that they have to give to the poor. This ranch is owned and operated by a mutual friend and is designed as a guest-ranch for wealthy and affluent people. As he held this vine and its branches in his hand, he indicated that this was the copy. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. We know that your work with us is to the end that we may produce more fruit, that all of us here in this vineyard will be so fruit-laden, that it will be a fruitful place which will make the world around us drool with desire to learn the secret of such fruit. When our hearts are moved by love it is easy to obey his word, for we obey the one we love. We are to each be sowing seed in His field. Recall, verse two of the passage: Matthew 20:2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. They wanted the power and prestige and didnt want anyone to take that from them. Take what is yours and go your way. Given the circumstances, we should center around God's benevolence toward us, and be grateful for what we have. One of the delights of life is to spend time in that kind of prayer. Jesus was teaching things that were contrary to religious tradition. The context of this parable was right after Jesus was talking with the rich man who valued his riches and was sad when Jesus told him to leave it behind to follow Him. One is in Isaiah5: "For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house [the nation] of Israel," (Isaiah 5:7a). Choose from news (Monday), leisure (Thursday) or worship (Saturday) or get all three! If you are called to lead, be the shepherd God has called you to be and follow what the Holy Spirit tells you. Here in remarkable imagery he captures the work which goes on in our lives as the Father employs the circumstances in which we are found, the situations of our lives, to make us heed and hear the Word which corrects and changes. Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. The denarius represents eternal life. WebGod needs workers for his vineyard. (Isaiah 5:7 RSV). Yet when this starts, the Father must trim off the unfruitful branches. You are God's field, God's building. The withering process was very short in his case. [Jesus said to the people:] Listen to another parable. It appears that this master, however, does not share that expectation. (1) The need for labourers is great in the continent of Europe. Website 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries. (John 15:6 RSV). When God sent someone to give a message, they would not listen. WebMatthew Chapter 20. If you try to pray as though it were some exercise in which you chalk off fifteen minutes' worth, mechanically going through a list like the turning of a prayer wheel, it is a valueless experience. Those who focus on that are really focusing on the material reward for their efforts whats in it for them. How discontented we are (Hebrews 13:5)! Why Did Pharaoh Tell Joseph to Enjoy the 'Fat of the Land'? They mistakenly believe that they are the ones in charge and can call the shots in Gods Kingdom. Should we not focus on the other four groups of workers? (John 15:9-10 RSV). Many church people take issue with this. Both of these are necessary in the Christian experience. (3) Criticism (verse 15) - criticism of the Lord and of His dealings. We think of God as some sort of vending machine where we can deposit a prayer or two and get a specific result. In closing, the principle of this parable is that it is foolish to demand fairness from God. If you do not know the Master of the vineyard, Jesus Christ, you can know Him today. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. We expect that those who work harder and longer will receive a greater reward than those who do not. 30 Verses to Reflect on in the Book of Hebrews. The point is that God owes us nothing. Our Father, as you have been walking through your vineyard this morning, you have been looking at various vines growing here. At the close of Chapter14 our Lord said to his disciples, "Rise, let us go hence." Christians should work diligently to glorify the Lord and bring others to Christ, and because of the genuineness of our hearts will we obtain rewards in heaven. Many are called to do Gods work. Thus, this parable flies at the heart of that assumption. What a temptation to be slack, careless and half-hearted in the Lords work. Without both of those, fruitlessness is the result. Needless to say, such behavior doesnt impress God at all. When we think of its size, how few workers there are! In verse three, the householder went out about the third hour into the marketplace and found others standing idly by. Compare Acts 8:29; 9:11; 10:19; 13:1-4; Isaiah 6:1-8. He or she may not have sung in a choir, never taught a Sunday School class, nor been a part of a church committee. But this man seems to have had a large vineyard that was supposed to make him a lot of money. No one can gain more favor than another, whether we spend a lifetime serving God or, like the thief on the cross, a person who comes to repentance at the end of ones life will be saved and enter into paradise (see Luke 23:39-43). But you learned from the Word that it was wrong. What a privilege and what a responsibility to be a worker! We do not deserve anything from Him. Maybe God has not called a few of us to accomplish something extraordinary or fantastic for him, yet would we say that we are unwavering in doing what he has allocated for us to do? Pingback: Laborers in Gods Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) | Good Hope Baptist Church. Every Christian, everywhere, should be fully engaged in active service for the Lord in these desperately needy days either by prayer (Matthew 9:38), or by preaching (Acts 5:42) - or by both (Acts 6:4). Why should it matter when and where God hires these workers, or how much they receive, as long as we are united in Christ and focused on the mission of making disciples? None of us are worthy to be there, but Jesus paid for our sins and died for us, so that all who believe may enter into heaven. The last point is that we are the laborers in the Masters vineyard. Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/BenGoode. Several times, he found people standing idle in the marketplace, which may just mean that were unemployed, not that they were lazy. That is what joy is -- this sense of our unity with Jesus, the sense of his power, his adequacy, his ability to handle the problems which are thrust upon us. 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