Grace Over Merit: Understanding God's Kingdom

 

Summary

In reflecting on the parable from Matthew 20:1-16, the focus is on the unexpected and revolutionary nature of the Kingdom of God. This parable, often misunderstood, is not about fairness in human terms but about the grace and sovereignty of God. The parable begins with a householder hiring laborers at different times of the day, yet paying them all the same wage. This story challenges our human notions of justice and merit, illustrating that God's kingdom operates on principles of grace rather than human merit.

The context of the parable is crucial. It follows the encounter with the Rich Young Ruler and the disciples' subsequent questions about reward and status in the kingdom. Jesus uses this parable to address a fundamental misunderstanding about salvation and the nature of God's kingdom. The disciples, like many today, were caught in a transactional view of faith, where good deeds and sacrifices are expected to earn divine favor. However, Jesus turns this notion upside down, emphasizing that the last will be first, and the first last, highlighting the unexpected nature of God's grace.

The parable teaches us that salvation is not a reward for merit but a gift of grace. It challenges the self-righteousness that often accompanies a works-based view of salvation. Those who believe they can earn their way into God's favor are often the ones who grumble and question God's fairness, much like the first group of laborers. In contrast, those who understand the gospel's true nature are amazed by God's generosity and grace, recognizing that no one deserves salvation, yet it is freely given.

This message is a call to abandon our ledgers and stop keeping accounts of our good deeds. Instead, we are invited to trust in God's goodness and submit to His will, knowing that His ways are higher than ours. The parable invites us to embrace the surprise and joy of God's grace, which is available to all, regardless of their past or their perceived worthiness.

Key Takeaways:

- The Kingdom of God is characterized by grace, not merit. Salvation is not a reward for good deeds but a gift freely given by God. This challenges our human notions of fairness and justice, reminding us that God's ways are higher than ours. [05:50]

- A transactional view of faith, where we expect rewards for our sacrifices, leads to disappointment and misunderstanding of God's nature. True faith recognizes that we cannot earn God's favor; it is a gift of grace. [09:39]

- The parable highlights the danger of self-righteousness and the tendency to grumble against God's generosity. Those who understand the gospel are amazed by God's grace and recognize that no one deserves salvation. [28:16]

- God's justice is perfect, and His grace does not negate His righteousness. The law is fulfilled in Christ, who bore our sins, allowing God to be both just and the justifier of those who have faith in Jesus. [51:23]

- Embracing the gospel means abandoning our attempts to earn salvation and trusting in God's goodness. This leads to a life of joy and gratitude, as we experience the surprise and blessing of God's grace. [57:50]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:10] - Introduction to the Parable
- [01:19] - The Context of the Parable
- [02:26] - The Rich Young Ruler's Encounter
- [03:39] - Misunderstanding the Gospel
- [05:03] - The Central Point of the Parable
- [06:06] - The Householder and the Laborers
- [08:22] - The Surprise of Equal Wages
- [09:39] - The Danger of Misunderstanding Salvation
- [12:16] - The Unexpected Nature of the Gospel
- [15:07] - The Revolutionary Kingdom of God
- [20:18] - The False View of Salvation
- [24:02] - Characteristics of a False View
- [41:13] - The True View of Salvation
- [57:20] - Embracing God's Grace

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
- Matthew 20:1-16

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#### Observation Questions
1. What is the main point of the parable in Matthew 20:1-16, and how does it illustrate the nature of the Kingdom of God? [05:50]
2. How does the parable challenge the disciples' understanding of fairness and reward in the Kingdom of God? [02:59]
3. What is the significance of the householder's response to the laborers who grumbled about their wages? [09:24]

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#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the parable of the laborers in the vineyard redefine the concept of fairness from a human perspective to a divine perspective? [09:39]
2. In what ways does the parable address the danger of self-righteousness and a transactional view of faith? [28:16]
3. How does the parable illustrate the unexpected and revolutionary nature of God's grace? [15:07]

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#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt that life was unfair. How does the parable of the laborers challenge your perspective on fairness and grace? [09:06]
2. The sermon suggests that a transactional view of faith leads to disappointment. How can you shift your focus from earning God's favor to embracing His grace? [09:39]
3. Consider the areas in your life where you might be keeping a ledger of good deeds. How can you let go of this mindset and trust in God's goodness instead? [57:50]
4. How can you cultivate a sense of joy and gratitude in your daily life, recognizing the surprise and blessing of God's grace? [57:50]
5. Think of someone in your life who might feel undeserving of God's grace. How can you share the message of God's generosity and grace with them this week? [52:38]
6. Reflect on your attitude towards those who have lived differently from you. How can you show compassion and understanding, recognizing that God's grace is available to all? [30:13]
7. How does understanding God's sovereignty and justice change the way you view your own salvation and the salvation of others? [45:57]

Devotional

Day 1: Grace Over Merit
The Kingdom of God is characterized by grace, not merit. Salvation is not a reward for good deeds but a gift freely given by God. This challenges our human notions of fairness and justice, reminding us that God's ways are higher than ours. The parable of the laborers in the vineyard illustrates this truth by showing that all workers, regardless of when they were hired, received the same wage. This act of generosity from the householder reflects God's grace, which is not based on human effort or merit but on His sovereign will. It invites us to let go of our expectations of fairness and embrace the surprising and generous nature of God's kingdom. [05:50]

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9, ESV)

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you find yourself measuring worth by merit? How can you begin to embrace God's grace in those areas today?


Day 2: Beyond Transactional Faith
A transactional view of faith, where we expect rewards for our sacrifices, leads to disappointment and misunderstanding of God's nature. True faith recognizes that we cannot earn God's favor; it is a gift of grace. The parable challenges the disciples' and our own assumptions about earning divine favor through good deeds. Jesus emphasizes that the last will be first, and the first last, turning the conventional understanding of reward and status upside down. This calls us to trust in God's goodness and to abandon the ledger-keeping mentality that often accompanies a transactional faith. [09:39]

"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." (Galatians 6:7-8, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you expected a reward for your spiritual efforts. How can you shift your focus from earning to receiving God's grace?


Day 3: The Danger of Self-Righteousness
The parable highlights the danger of self-righteousness and the tendency to grumble against God's generosity. Those who understand the gospel are amazed by God's grace and recognize that no one deserves salvation. The first group of laborers grumbled because they believed they deserved more for their efforts, reflecting a self-righteous attitude. In contrast, those who grasp the true nature of the gospel are filled with gratitude and awe at the unmerited favor they receive. This calls us to examine our hearts for any self-righteous tendencies and to cultivate a spirit of humility and thankfulness. [28:16]

"Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'" (Luke 18:10-13, ESV)

Reflection: Identify a moment when you felt self-righteous. How can you practice humility and gratitude in your relationship with God today?


Day 4: God's Perfect Justice
God's justice is perfect, and His grace does not negate His righteousness. The law is fulfilled in Christ, who bore our sins, allowing God to be both just and the justifier of those who have faith in Jesus. The parable reminds us that God's ways are not only gracious but also just. His decision to pay all laborers equally reflects His perfect justice, which is fulfilled in Christ's sacrifice. This understanding calls us to trust in God's righteous character and to rest in the assurance that His justice and grace work together for our salvation. [51:23]

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins." (Romans 3:23-25, ESV)

Reflection: How does understanding God's perfect justice and grace change your perspective on your own salvation?


Day 5: Embracing the Gospel
Embracing the gospel means abandoning our attempts to earn salvation and trusting in God's goodness. This leads to a life of joy and gratitude, as we experience the surprise and blessing of God's grace. The parable invites us to let go of our efforts to earn God's favor and to embrace the joy of His unmerited grace. By doing so, we find freedom from the burden of self-righteousness and enter into a life marked by gratitude and trust in God's goodness. This transformation is the heart of the gospel, calling us to live in the light of God's surprising and generous grace. [57:50]

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:17-18, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are still trying to earn God's favor? How can you begin to trust in His grace and goodness today?

Quotes

I should like to call your attention this evening to the parable which we read together at the beginning and which is to be found recorded in The Gospel According to St Matthew in chapter 20 and the first 16 verses obviously we don't read the 16 verses again but you remember that the parable starts in this way for for because the kingdom of heaven is like unto a men that is an householder which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his Vineyard and then I want to remind you again particularly of the words from verse 14 to the end or verse 13 perhaps but he answered one of them and said friend I do thee no wrong did not thou agree with me for a penny take that thine is and go thy way I will give unto this last even as unto thee is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own is thine eye evil because I am good so the last shall be first and the first last for many be called but few chosen [00:00:16]

Now as we consider this parable it is obviously quite essential that we should remind ourselves of the circumstances in which our Lord ever came to speak the parable you will find generally that there is some reason which has led our Lord to utter a parable he always does so to enforce some particular point or principle of teaching and he does so very definitely in this particular instance as I've justed Ed you in reading the first verse again it opens with the word for he's going to illustrate something for he says now listen and then he speaks the parable to illustrate a point and the context the setting of course is that which we saw again in the reading at the beginning it started over the case of the so-called Rich Young Ruler and uh his surprise at the result of his interview with our Lord and then it continued with the surprise of the disciples at what our Lord had said to and had done with the Rich Young Ruler and then it went on and became even worse by the question that was put by the Apostle Peter when turning to our Lord he said behold we have forsaken all and un followed thee what shall we have therefore [00:01:30]

Our Lord clearly saw a very great and a very Grievous danger in all these incidents the case of the Young Ruler the attitude of the disciples to him and still more serious as I say the attitude of the disciples towards themselves and their relationship to him and their at ude in general to this whole question of Salvation and a knowledge of God in other words our Lord I'm am suggesting saw in these combined incidents an essential misunderstanding of the whole of the Gospel of his whole object and purpose in coming into the world of the whole doctrine of salvation so have answered the direct question of the Apostle Peter who asks now we've done this that and the other for you what are we going to have well he answers him and then having given an answer he adds this but and he obviously says this quite deliberately many that are first shall be lost and the last shall be first he says that to shock Peter and the other disciples and to call their attention to this particular point about which he so concerned [00:03:09]

Now this kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven about which I'm speaking to you and which you've noticed is the very center and nerve of all my preaching and my teaching you know what characterizes that kingdom is this and then he speaks his Parable now it is always good to remember when we are dealing with a parable that a parable generally has one big Point only and no more the danger with a parable is that people try to find points and uh meaning and suggestions in every phrase and everything that's said that's to turn a parable into an allegory and is to do violence to it parables are meant to bring out one big point and that is true of this Parable and therefore our business is to seek the central point of the parable and it is patently this it is to illustrate and to show us how because of the character of the kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven it comes to pass that many that are the first shall be lost and the last first [00:04:49]

And you see at once how the parable does that here it is it's a picture a story of a man who was a householder and in addition to that a man who owned a fairly extensive Vineyard and we are told that he went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his Vineyard and he met some men and he agreed with them to do the work in his Vineyard for a penny a day now A Penny doesn't mean what we mean by a penny it was the recognized kind of wage for a day's work at that time and he agreed with these men to do the work for a penny a day and they agreed and he sent them into his Vineyard then we told he went out the third hour so other standing he said to them you go also to the vineyard and you notice this time there is no agreement he simply says whatsoever is right I will give it you and then he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour and he did the same thing and then he went about the 11th hour and he saw others standing idle and he said to them why stand you here idle all the day they said because nobody ha hired us and he said to them you go also to the vineyard and whatsoever is right that shall you receive so they went exactly as all the others had gone before him [00:06:06]

Now here is the thing for us to lay hold on the division comes as between the first group of men that were sent to the vineyard and all the others that's the point of the parable in the case of the first group there was an agreement there was no agreement in the case of all the others so you can forget all about the third the 6th the 9th and the 11th hours as it were the big point of cleavage is between the first group and all the others and the difference is a grp agement in the first no agreement with the remainder and then you remember how we come to the climax the end of the day came and this man this householder called his Steward and said now call the laborers and give them their heart and then you notice beginning from the last unto the first see many that are first shall be last and last first so in the parable he he continues to work that out go doesn't pay these men there are start with the last and end with the first and you remember what happened he gave the last a penny and he gave the others a penny then he came to the men who' gone first and we are told of them that they supposed that they should have received Every Man a penny and when the first came they supposed that they should have received more and they likewise received every men a penny and when they had received it they murmured against the Good Men of the house saying these lost have rought but one hour and thou Hast made them equal unto us which have borne the burden of the day and the heat in addition and he answered and said unto them to one of them friend I did thee no wrong I do thee no wrong did thou not agree with me for a penny [00:07:26]

Now then there is the parable and you see the point and the purpose of the parable what's it mean what does it tell us well it tells us exactly what it was meant to tell the disciples in particular it it what it was meant to say to everybody else who was listening on this occasion with the disciples what is it well that there is a terrible danger of our completely misunderstanding the nature of the kingdom of God the the whole purpose of the coming of the Son of God into the world the way of Salvation how to be right with God that's the matter and I say it was because our Lord was patently alarmed at The Stumbling of the Apostles he wasn't perhaps so surprised in the case of the Rich Young Ruler although we are told in one of the other accounts that looking upon him he loved him and felt very sorry for him but the this disciples are stumbling they don't understand this and they're in trouble and so Peter asks his question we've done all this what are you going to give us what shall we receive our Lord I say is Disturbed and in order to save them from terrible error he speaks his Parable and I'm adverting to it tonight for the same reason there are many people in the world tonight who are not Christians for one reason only and that is that they fall into this self-same trap which the Rich Young Ruler and the disciples and Peter were falling into that's why they're not Christians they're missing the blessings of God upon their lives they're missing the Glorious experience of the Saints they live a life of defeat and of unhappiness they're afraid of death and they often die in Terror they've got no hope as they look Beyond Death In The Grave they're missing it all and the glory that awaits the children of God in eternity simply because they've never understood the true nature of the kingdom of God the way of Salvation the way of being reconciled to God and coming to know him and to be his children and to be blessed of him very well now the parable is meant to Enlighten such people [00:09:39]

So we we can divide our matter up quite simply in this way this Parable obviously teaches us a number of points concerning that one great Central matter what does it tell us why did our trouble to tell this story well I say he did so in order to teach us the following things first the essential character of his gospel and of life in his kingdom it's essential character I mean by essential character this the gospel is something which is always surprising and unexpected now that's the thing that comes out here everywhere isn't it look at this Rich Young Ruler he's been watching our Lord before do you see we come to his incident the previous incident is one which tells us that they brought unto him little children that he should put his hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them but Jesus said suffer little children and forbid them not to come unto me for of such is the kingdom of heaven and he laid his hands on them and departed then and behold one came into him and said Master he'd been watching all this and he was attracted interested as they say today intrigued he'd never quite seen anything like this before he was a good man as you see and godly man a religious man and a very moral man but here he sees something and he says now I I I want there something extra that this extraordinary teacher seems to possess so he came full of Hope and of expectancy but he went away sorrowful he was shocked he was surprised he was amazed and so were the disciples they may have known the men they may have known his story they see this man this Excellent Man of everybody going away sful and our Lord proceeds to say some extraordinary things listen to him verily I say unto you that a rich man shall hardly enter hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven with great difficulty and again I say unto you it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God and we are told when his disciples heard it they were exceedingly amazed and said who then can be saved what are you talking about the thing is impossible who can be saved in the light of all this but Jesus said unto them with men this is impossible but With God all things are possible you see they were amazed the Rich Young Ruler was amazed the disciples were amazed and then our Lord quite deliberately after the question of Peter about what shall we have therefore in view of all we've done for you he now deliberately shocks them he hadn't been deliberately shocking them before but now he does it deliberately he says listen in this Kingdom of mine many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first he's turning things upside down he's shocking it's unexpected it's surprising it is amazing now I start with it for this good reason reason if you and I don't realize at the very beginning that this kingdom of God is entirely and all together different from anything and everything we've ever heard of before well then we know nothing about it we are just ignorant of it shall I put it bluntly like this if you've never known what it is to be surprised and amazed at the gospel well you've never heard the gospel you don't know what it is you see when the gospel is presented as it was here by the Son of God even the disciples are filled with amazement this excellent religious moral Young Ruler was amazed and goes away sorrowful he has the surprise of his life has the gospel ever surprised you my friend I'm asserting on the authority of the Son of God that if it hasn't surprised us and amazed us and astounded us we don't know it we've never heard it well this is obviously very important from the standpoint of our whole approach to it isn't it the Bible is full of this listen to God saying the same thing through the prophet Isaiah prophesying the coming of this gospel 800 years before my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are my ways your ways say the Lord for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my thoughts and your thoughts allog together different you see and as I say the Bible's full of this you get the accounts given in these gospels of the announcement of the coming of the Son of God and Mary was amazed couldn't believe it couldn't understand it everybody surprised about this most a revolutionary thing and as they hear the gospel you know the famous question is this how can these things be Nicodemus said it yeah again you see is a great and a learned men a highly religious men and he goes and seeks an interview with our Lord and our Lord begins to speak to him and he staggered how can these things be our Lord had said you must be born again and he said but how can a man be born when he's old can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be how can these things be surprised astonished amazed stagger and so we read in the book of The Acts of the Apostles that that when the apostles and others had gone around preaching people began to talk about them like this they said these men that have turned the world upside down have come hither also turn the world upside down of course what's it mean well it means this that this gospel is unlike anything that's ever been heard in the world first last last first seems to be no rhyme no reason in it can't understand it isn't logical doesn't keep to the rules isn't what we've always known isn't what we've always expected and that is why you see many reject it the Apostle Paul in speaking to the Corinthians tells them the thing very plainly the Jews require a sign the Greeks seek after wisdom but we preach Christ crucified and to the Jews a stumbling block unto the Greeks foolishness why well you see it wasn't what they expected it wasn't what they'd always thought here were these Greek philosophers they'd been working out an understanding of life and trying to see cause and effect and working these things out and they were trying to go further and further to understand the ultimate mystery and their idea of a savior is one who takes them a step further than they had arrived at that was the Rich Young ruler's way that was Nicodemus is idea but but he doesn't do that at all he doesn't seem to do anything of the type and the kind that they imagine and so they're stumbled and offended so were the Greeks so were the Jew their notion of their Messiah was that he'd be a great military personage and that he'd come and gather a great Army and Conquer their enemies but instead of that he spends his time not in Jerusalem but up in the north in Galilee with just a crowd of Ordinary People a Rabel people who didn't matter so they said if thou be the son of God why don't you go up to Jerusalem declare yourself and be made King his brothers taunted him you remember nobody could understand him he doesn't do what they thought he'd do they were amazed at him and therefore I say that this is the thing that we understand and must grasp at the very beginning the Gospel of Jesus Christ is never what the natural men expects it to be and if your idea of the Gospel has been until tonight that it's just an extension of what you've got or of what you are just an addition to what you are well then you're you're wrong you're already wrong there's no surprise in that it's not but an extension of your own position and there's no amazement produced but here our Lord is deliberately indicating this fact that it's revolutionary unlike anything else man has never thought of it he can't believe it it seems strange it seems Folly to the wise it seems ludicrous laughable but such it is many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first and so you notice in the parable this surprise these first people when they saw the last getting a penny they were already surprised and then everybody else gets a penny no difference then when they come to themselves well they thought this thing is impossible they thought when the first came they supposed that they should have received more but they didn't and they're amazed and astonished and aned why will it isn't as they thought it was going to be oh I must leave this point that I may hurry on to matters that are more important but let me ask a simple question to somebody who was in trouble about this whole business of Christianity you say I'm not a Christian I I I read about it I listen to sermon and I'd like to be a Christian but I can't get it what are you doing are you trying to understand it are you approaching Christianity as if you were approaching Shakespeare or politics or social conditions or any one of a number of other things tell me do you think that this just just one in series of all the things you're interested in studying if you do you'll never get there never our Lord puts up this notice outside his kingdom this is what he says to all to men and women young and old learned and ignorant Brilliant Minds ignores dards the witless he puts up the same notice and they've all got to face it here it is except ye be converted and become as little children little children ye shall in no wise enter into the Kingdom of Heaven have you felt the shock have you known it have you been pulled up by it are you still trying to understand this gospel getting it into your mind into your system trying to Encompass it with your understanding my dear friend you might as well give up you'll never do it it'll shock you it'll keep tumbling you and shocking you for the rest of your life and you'll always be seeking and you'll die a Seeker and go out into outer Darkness don't try to understand this give it up at once it's the kingdom of God not of men this is God's wisdom not human wisdom therefore I say give up a fruitless Endeavor and attempt and become as a little child and listen to what it's got to say [00:12:16]

Now then that brings me to my second point which is this what are the parable teaching es us about a completely false view of Salvation that's the thing our Lord is dealing with in particular the false view of Salvation that was held by the Rich Young Ruler that Peter seems to be stumbling into once more and the first group of laborers in the parable now then what are we told well here are the characteristics of a false view of Salvation that's what I going to do I'm going to hold a false view of Salvation before you I'm going to then hold the true view of Salvation before you they're both depicted in the parable listen here are the characteristics of the false View and oh may I plead with you in the name of God to examine yourself what's your view of Salvation what's your view of Christianity what's your view of being a child of God and a Christian on what are you basing your hope of heaven and of Eternity tonight as you value your immortal Soul as you know you've got to die and meet God in the Judgment I beseech you examine yourself and your idea of Salvation in the light of this analysis here are the characteristics of the wrong view of Salvation one it regards salvation as a reward for merit its view of Salvation is that it's something that we earn and receive as the result of what we do isn't it here everywhere Rich Young Ruler all these have I kept from my youth up anything more tell me what it is I'm ready to do it he was told what it was but he wasn't ready to do it Peter now look here we've given up all behold we have forsaken all and followed thee what shall we have therefore presenting a bill you see and this first group of laborers in the vineyard we've been working here throughout the day we have toiled here that we've borne the burden and the Heat of the day is this all now this you see is the first and the most terrible fallacy of all that salvation is a reward given for services rendered or if you prefer it in another way it is the whole idea that we make ourselves Christians by living a good life by not doing certain things by doing other things we make ourselves Christians by going to church by giving money to good causes by giving a helping hand by living a moral life and then because we've lived such a good life now then we say here I've done it let me have it give me my reward my Salvation let's put it like that then simply and plainly the first and the most tragic fallacy of all is to think that we can make ourselves Christians by doing this or that by living a good life and refraining from Evil and sin that we've amassed such righteousness that God rewards us is that your view do you think you've made yourself a Christian do you think that you are a Christian because you're living a good life now and because you have lived a good life or because you're proposing to live a good life from tonight are you basing your Hope Of Heaven upon the life you've lived and can say at the end well there's my life I I didn't do terrible things I never committed murder I was never an adulterer I never got drunk and I tried to do a lot of well that's my hope I've always tried is that your position well if it is you see you're in the position of the Rich Young Ruler of Peter and of this first group of laborers in the vineyard you have an agreement you strike a bargain you present a bill and you expect God to honor it that's the most fatal error of all but come let's see some further things about this false view you notice that there is another thing that characterizes people who hold this false View and that is that they never hesitate to stand up to God and they make demands of God and they Grumble against God and they query and question his ways these characteristics always go together the people who think they make themselves Christians are always people who are ready to criticize God and his ways you see we are told about this first group of laborers that they murmured when they received it they murmured against the Good Men of the house now it's our Lord who spoke the parable this isn't my teaching it's Christ's teaching and the good men of the house is God and they murmured against him they criticized him they queried him they questioned him and they don't hesitate to do that it's an appalling thing this but we know what it means don't we we've all done it at some time or another why should God say this I don't think it's right of God I don't think it's fair of God criticizing God it's always a characteristic of people have got a wrong view of Salvation what's your attitude to God my friend do you sit in judgment on God and question and query and murmur and criticize and complain oh I say this is an appalling and a terrible thing but it is a characteristic always of this false view of Salvation let's go to the third the third is this it is a view which always of necessity it seems to me there is no use at all for failures regards a man or a woman whose a failure in life as utterly hopeless and deserving of nothing it has no sympathy for them it has no mercy it has no compassion it's quite logical of course if I believe that I'm a Christian because I live a good life well when I look at a man or a woman who doesn't live a good life they must in my estimate be quite hopeless if I think I'm going to heaven because I've lived a good life well I say automatically and logically they have no right to expect to go to heaven what have they done about it they've ignored it they've lived a life of evil and of sin they've sown they've made their own bed let them lie in it it's quite logical isn't it indeed it it must follow of necessity from the first proposition and so these people you see were very annoyed when they found the last being given a penny why they said they've done nothing they haven't borne the burden and the Heat of the day they've rendered you no service look at the way you're treating them this is wrong these men look at you're treating them they spoke of them with contempt what is your attitude my friend to men and women who are living immoral and evil and foul and filthy lives how do you figure out their position what's going to happen to them you think what hope is there for them where do they come in your scheme you are good you're moral you're religious you're living to do good works and you say that's it that's going to please God and he's going to reward me now then I say before your view of Salvation is complete you've got to answer me this question what of the people who are doing the exact opposite to you what have you got to say to them oh you say I'm going to tell them to pull themselves together all right let's think of a man in his 80s who's always lived that EV real foul life and he's going to die before midnight this evening what have you got to say to him the doctors are agreed in the hospital he can't live till midnight he's lived an evil foul life all his life what have you got to give him you who say that a man makes himself a Christian you who say that heaven is the reward of a good life lived of morality and religion and so on what have you got to say to them as men on your standing on and on your argument you've got nothing he's hopeless there's nothing for him but hell no hope at all he's left it till the 11th Hour he's outside he must remain there he deserves to be there so I go on to the next which is this these people with the wrong view of Salvation like these first laborers in in the parable always feel that the New Testament and Christian way of Salvation is not only wrong but that it is immoral these lost have brought but one hour and there has made them equal unto us which have borne the burden and the Heat of the day what does it mean it means this they say you're acting in an immoral manner what you're doing is not right it's actually wrong it's unjust they said that because God treated them all alike and gave the penny to the last as he did to the first they're offended they're annoyed so the master says to them is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own is thine eye evil because I'm generous why are you looking blackly when Darkly at me and frowning and murmuring why' you say that I'm wrong and unfair and immoral in my action but you know that's what these people still say I heard some clever men when was it just over a year ago you known this famous brain strust one of them with a pipe in his mouth said he thought that this whole n you see of atonement and of another dying for our sins he said of course it's just surely immoral immoral that's what he called it exactly like these people here in the parable he said this idea that it doesn't matter how a man has lived that he's given salvation at the end as a free gift as if he deserved as much as the man who spent a lifetime in forsaking Delights and living laborious ways a man who has given himself and curbed himself and disciplined himself to say that this wretch who were in a moment of repentance at the end is given everything like the first man he said it sure downright immoral exactly what these people said but my dear friend I'm concerned about you we are preaching a gospel which says that Christ died for the ungodly that salvation is a free gift because Christ the son of God has borne our sins in his own body on the tree and that whosoever believeth in him whether he sinned for 80 years or is a young man receives the same gift exactly salvation freely do you say that's immoral do you say it's unethical do you say that it cuts at the whole basis of your moral system and all your educational programs that's what the clever men said on the brains trust and they were unanimous that's what the world is saying tonight this is downright immoral it's encouraging men to sin it's inciting them to moral lexity and looseness is that your view you feel it's unjust that it's unethical and that it is indeed even immoral that's another characteristic of the force view let me hurry to the fifth Point ah the fifth point about this wrong view is that it misses the whole glory of the way of Salvation they murmured of course they did they didn't sing they didn't Rejoice they didn't praise God well how could they they were Prim self-satisfied legal formal we've done this why don't we get more there's no sng in their hearts there's no rejoicing oh I must hurry on tell me my dear friend does your viewer the gospel make you sing glorious things of the are spoken Come Thou Fountain of Every Blessing tun my heart to sing thy praise or thy Grace did you mean it when you sing it when all thy mercies oh my God my Rising Soul surveils when I behold the Wondrous Cross on which the prince of Glory died do you mean it love so amazing So Divine demands my soul my life my all oh for a thousand tongues to sing my great redeemer's praise have you felt that well how can you feel it if you feel you've made yourself a Christian if you feel that you're a Christian because of the good life you've lived and that you're going to heaven because of your excellencies and nobilities and your moralities and your religiosity how can you you can't you don't sing these men murmured so do all such people finally there's nothing to sing about oh how tragic this is yes indeed leads to a tragic end you notice the end of these laborers these first laborers didn't you their end was disappointment murmuring and disappointment they supposed that they would have received more but they didn't and they were disappointed and unhappy and denied and re and dejected it's a terrible thing to have to say but I say it on the authority of the Son of God if you think that you make yourself a Christian and if you think that God's going to open the gates of him to you because you've lived a good life and have always given yourself to good works and morality and so on you are supposing aren't you like these men that they are going to receive a wonderful reward but I tell you in the name of the son of God that you won't you will be disappointed you will find that your whole outlook your whole thinking has been completely wrong and I'll tell you something still more terrible you will be sent Away by him as these people were sent away you know these words are not translated as strongly as they could we read in verse 13 but he answered one of them and said friend I do the no wrong he should have said this he didn't call him friend he said comrade man I do the no wrong did no not agree with me for a penny then take his phrase take that th KN and go the way it's a dismissal it was said severely take up that Penny away get out of my sight you're all wrong with your murmuring and your grumbling go away indeed our Lord put this explicitly in The Sermon on the Mount he depicts the same sort of person there in chapter 7 and they are going to say to him Lord Lord have we not done this that and the other in thy name cast out devils and so forth but I will say unto them I never knew you depart from me get away ye that work iniquity the end of that false view is always disappointment it is always unhappiness about such people our lord said verily verily I say unto you they get the reward of course the reward is to think they're good people and other people say so they're praised very much by men ye are they that justify yourselves before men says Christ but God seeth the heart for that which is highly esteemed amongst men is abomination in the sight of God verily verily I say unto you they get the reward or they'll get a good AIT of notice wonderful worker this highly moral person good person this they get the reward but that's all they get that's what it means they'll get no more they get everything in this world in the next world nothing but disappointment and unhappiness [00:24:02]

Let us turn to the true view of Salvation and oh thank God that we can turn from that miserable cramped self-righteous hard legal view of God and of Christianity look at the other my dear friend listen to it it's something that I can put you in terms of the view a man takes of God here are the tests of a true view of Salvation first the man who is truly Christian is a man who's got the right view of the Sovereign lordship of God listen to our Lord putting it he says is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my know I am the Lord I am absolutely free I have a right to do what I like I needn't have sent you into the vineyard I needn't have sent anybody else I can do absolutely what I like and what I please I am the master I am the Lord that's his way of telling us about God I can tell you very easily whether men's a Christian or not and what I want to know about him is what's his view of God if he's always standing up and say no I don't agree with this I don't think it's right I don't think it's fair is it fair that one saved one not these are the questions they asked is it right that that man's brought in at the end and in the same position as the man who was there all is I don't see I don't it's all right you need say no more I just know that you're not a Christian a Christian never speaks like that about God because he is a Christian he has been brought into relationship with God and he knows God and he knows that God is the almighty Creator the creator of the ends of the Earth he knows that he is absolute and illimitable in all his power and in his glory he knows that he's the ruler of the universe and the judge of the universe and the judge of the whole world he knows that everything and everybody himself included is in the hands of God and he humbles himself self performing the first thing that is true of a Christian is this that far from presenting his bill and his account and asking for payment he surprised that there is such a thing as salvation at all he's so aware of the sin in himself and in others and in the whole world he says you know what I can't understand is this why has God not destroyed the whole world long ago you see the other people say why does God allow war ah says this men the amazing thing to me is that God ever gives us peace why does God allow these things to happen why doesn't God Smite every one of us we deserve nothing from him that's the speech of the Christian what amazes the Christian is not that some people are not saved but that anybody's saved he sees that nobody has a right to be saved that God made us and not we ourselves and God has a right to do as he Wills with us and the Christian humbles himself before him he says he's the Lord he's God we deserve nothing if he damned the whole world I wouldn't be able to murmur for a second I forgotten God I've taken his gifts and I haven't thanked him then when I lost my health I began to Grumble and said why does God allow this to happen to me somebody's taken desperately and a child dies I say is this fair oh no no I say the amazing thing is that God has ever blessed me at all I've been such a cad I've been so selfish I've been so vile I've gone to God when I needed him and then when I haven't I forgotten him I've lived for myself I've been selfish and self-centered have I not a right to do as I will with my own you have says the Christian and I don't come presenting a bill I come as a POA casting myself upon your mercy and humbling myself in your presence that's the Christian's view of God's lordship and sovereignty not that he has a right to Salvation nobody has a right and he grants that God would be justified if he condemn the whole world to hell in other words this man is a true view in the second place of the justice of God he answered one of them said friend I do thee no wrong what are you murmuring about D thou not agree with me for a penny you say that I'm unfair that I'm unjust wait a minute says this man let's argue it out together where is the Injustice where have I been unfair look at the justice of God as you see it in the case of his dealing with people who strike a bargain with him and to present a bill to him is it unjust if they've agreed with a penny and are given a penny where is the Injustice there is none which I want to put you in this way do you say that your view of Salvation is this that a man stands on his own feet and that salvation is the result of his good life and all his efforts do you say I believe in Morality and in my own good works and I say that I want to be judged in terms of what I am not my supposed faith in Jesus Christ I Stand On My Own legs very well says God if those are your terms all right I'll take you on your own terms you say you want to be judged on your own life and on your own activities and on your own works very well I'll agree and when you come to stand in the presence of God this is what will happen to you you will say I have lived my life to try and please you and that's why I claim my right to eternal life and God will call upon somebody to read The Ten Commandments and you'll be told well those are the terms you've chosen you shall be judged by them let's take the summary given by Jesus Christ himself this is the law Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all all thy soul and all thy mind and all thy strength that's number one number two thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself that's what God wants you say I'm going to stand at my own feet I believe its actions and how a man lives very well says God I'll strike the bargain I'll take you on your own terms that's what you claimed that's what you stood on what you say and then the sermon on the mountain in the Life of Christ those are the terms and the moment you are judged by such standards you see what happens you're condemned you haven't eled to stand of there is none righteous know not one the whole world lith guilty before God all have sinned and have come short of the glory of God that's what the Bible says that which you know to be true of yourself you have not lived for God you have not loved him with the whole of your being you've not loved your neighbor as yourself you despise this man who's in the gutter tonight you turn away from him and say what horrible creatures what filth what foulness you haven't loved your neighbor as yourself you haven't loved your enemies no no you've done none of these things so if you stand on those grounds you see the inevitable conclusion don't you you stand self-condemned and you go to hell and you won't have any complaint to make you've been given your own terms you've been accepted on your own proposition you said you wouldn't have anything else this is what you felt was manly this is what you believed in very well says God and you know in Hell you'll have to grant that he's right that he was perfectly just that there's been no unfairness and no Injustice you said I'll do it for a penny and you'll be given your penny you'll have had strick justice but it is a Justice that consigns you to Eternal misery God's ways are always just to the Christian he's just in his condemnation you say I don't believe in hell don't you that's because you don't understand what Justice Means that's because you've gone back on your own contract that's because you don't carry out what you said at the beginning like these men in the parable if you want strict Justice you'll get it and you'll spend an eternity in Hell murmuring but you'll have no case and you'll know it in your heart as divies knew it according to our Lord in his parable of D and Lazarus God's always just in all his ways not only with the people with whom he strikes a who strike a bargain with him but is equally just in his grace is he right in giving this last man a penny like the first of course he is God's way of Grace honors the law we don't make void the law says Paul in Romans 3:31 y we establish the law how do you do that well I'll tell you you said but how can you say that is it just and right in God to forgive a man that sinned all his life and say that he's saved and that he's his son and he goes into heaven is it justice where is God's righteous punishment of sin it's a good question but I've got a good answer God has punished the sin how has he punished the sin oh he punished it by putting on his own son the law has been fully honored God does punish sin he punishes the sin of every sinner that becomes a saint but he punishes them in the person of his own son every sin has been accounted for justice has been satisfied the sword came down Christ died for our sins always just you see never unrighteous had you seen that about this gospel but let me say just a word about the last point which is this did you notice how the how the Lord put it to this men he said is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own then listen to this is thine eye evil because I am good says this authorized translation but you know it's it's not a good translation here's the real translation is thine eye evil are you put out of joint are you murmuring and complaining because I'm generous that's it because I'm generous this last man didn't deserve a Penny I gave him a penny I've been generous to him oh this is the thing that the menus a true Christian sees about God's way of Salvation the generosity of God the grace of God the mercy The Compassion the love look at it it's everywhere in the parable look at this man going out at the 11th hour he knew that a man couldn't do much work in an hour he knew they wouldn't be worth anything but he went out and sought them and he found them still unemployed and he said why are you standing here they said No Man's employed us go he says go to the vineyard I'll give you what's right and fair oh this is the grace and the generosity of God that he bothers with us at all though we've sinned against him though we've squandered our life though we've lived a life of sin and wretchedness and evil he comes after us he goes out after us he sent his son to seek and to save that which was lost the generosity of God he seeks the vile that deserves nothing the lazy the indolent the Hopeless the immoral the unjust the generosity of God one why did he send his son into the world was it because the world was good was it because he saw something beautiful in us you know it wasn't it was nothing in us it was in spite of us moved by his own Eternal everlasting love God so loved the world that in spite of us and all that is so true of us his generosity and look at the way he did it in his his beloved his only begotten the son of his own bosom his own Essence and being he sent him forth and not merely did he send him into the world to teach and preach he sent him even to the cross and laid our sins upon him and struck him and smot him that our sins might be born by him and punished that he might forgive us oh the generosity of God that sends his only son and didn't spare him he that spared not his own son he punished your sin in him to the uttermost he spared him nothing he knew the agony of hell and eternal hell at net he bore it all there is the generosity of God does it move your heart or do you feel it's immoral that it's unethical and that it isn't right which is it this is the Christian view and then think of what he gives us so freely pardon and forgiveness though you may have sinned the whole of your life until you came into this Chapel tonight you know I'm here to tell you that if you repent and believe in this way now you'll get immediate forgiveness I'm not going to send you home to live a better life no that's the error you see I'm telling you that you can have it now given for nothing what you say though I've blasphemed God though I've ridiculed Christ though I've lived a life of sin I say that you've committed every sin that you can ever think of and have touched the depths of iniquity and vness you can be forgiven now without a second's delay but not only pardon and forgiveness a new life a new nature a new start a new beginning become a child of God clo in the righteousness of Jesus Christ like people who have always been brought up in religion and have always been good and moral you'll be put into exactly the same position with the same robe the same everything at once you know I feel sorry for these people is thine eye evil because I'm generous isn't your heart melted at the generosity of God in Christ my dear friend if it is you didn't talk about Christianity you know nothing about it you know the you don't know the first thing about it this is it all the gift of God all for nothing nothing deserved no bill presented just as we are there it is so I end on this note what do this Parable got to say to us well isn't it obvious instead of being like that first group of laborers let us be like all the others this was what they did you remember the first group wanted an agreement they wanted to strike a bargain and the master agreed and did so but did you notice that in the case of all the others this is what he told them he didn't tell them what he was going to give them he said go and I'll give you that which is right that which is fair and they took him at his word and they went every one of them do do the same thing my friend throw away your ledgers and your books stop keeping accounts stop noting and totaling up your good deeds and your good works and your moralities throw them away once and forever stop making Bargains with God submit yourself to him utterly and entirely if you've heard his call tonight if you've heard his voice calling you and saying go into my Vineyard get up and go don't say but now what if if I do this what shall I have for that stop just go hear the voice he's calling you go go submit to him leave everything in his hands and you will find that he will deal with you as our Lord depicts it in the parable you'll have the surprise of your life he'll shower his blessing upon you and you'll know yourself to be a child of God and an air of everlasting bless amen [00:41:13]

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