Friday, November 2, 2012

The Parable of the Vineyard Workers, Part 10 of 28

TEXT: "But many who are first will be last, and the last first. For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 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.' And they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?' They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.' So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.' And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. And when they had received it, they murmured against the landlord, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.' But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?' So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen" (Matthew 19:30 - 20:16).

IDEA: While faith is taking God at His word, it is also trusting God's character.

PURPOSE: To help listeners realize that trust focuses on what God says, but also rests in what God is.

Listen to this parable and think about what kinds of faith are involved. Faith isn't mentioned in the parable, but it's clearly there.

I. Faith takes God at His word, Matthew 20:1-7.

Did it take faith for the workers hired at 6 in the morning to go into the field? What kind of faith did it take?

If the vineyard owner had refused to pay these workers at the end of the day, what would that have said about the owner?

If the workers had faith that the owner would keep his promise to pay them a denarius, they had to believe he was an honest man.

II. Faith also trusts in the character of God.

The workers hired later in the day were given no contract.

What did the owner say to them? "I will pay you what is right." What kind of faith did they have?

If the vineyard owner gave them only a fraction of a denarius at the close of the day, what might those workers have said about the owner? If he had given all of them only a tenth of what he gave the first, what would that have said about the owner?

What, in fact, did these workers discover about the owner?

III. Is there a difference between trusting the promises of God and trusting the character of God?

Are both kinds of faith needed?

How do they differ?

What difference do they make?

Trust in the character of God is the only real basis for a theodicy.