Title First, Last
Contents
Text: Matthew 20:1-16
When I was in my 20s, I sometimes went to the labor market early in the morning and played the choir. There were many days when I went home with a big heart, and then came back home in vain, and there were times when I was lucky enough to work less and get a lot of money. A person who earns and eats every day is happy to have a place to work. There are a lot of people who breathe a sigh of relief even if they want to work, but there is no one to help them.
The landlord went out early in the morning to find people to work in the vineyard. To those who had gathered early in the morning to find work, the landlord promised to pay a denarius a day and sent them into the vineyard. But the owner of the house brought people into the vineyard at the 3rd (9am), the 6th (12am), the 9th (3pm), and the eleventh (5pm) playing outside. .
1 hour for those who entered at 5 o'clock, and 3 hours for those who entered at 3 o'clock. Those who went in early in the morning worked all day. It's finally time to get your daily pay. The landlord gave one denarius a day to the person who came in at 5 o'clock. Those who came in early in the morning could not help but be amazed. No... If we worked for an hour and received a daily wage, we who worked all day would get a huge amount of money... I'm very happy... But the owner of the house gave out a denarius equally to both early and late arrivals. People who worked all day began to complain. boss! If a person who worked only an hour received a denarius, shouldn't we be paid at least ten denarii? A fight was imminent. But the owner said adamantly. Take what is yours, and go, for it is my will to give to this last one with you...
Then why did the landlord give a daily wage to those who came in later? The owner showed love and grace to those who came later to live strong and not lose courage in a harsh and harsh world. Do you know what those who came in at 9, 12, 3, and 5 have in common? This is verse 7 of the text. “No one uses us as pooms.” I want to work... but because I don't have the skills and lack of skills, there is no one to hire me. It was insufficient. The owner of the vineyard felt sorry for this. So, the landlord paid the same daily wages as those who came in in the morning.
This is verse 2 of the text. The landlord promised to give the servants one denarius per day. As promised, he gave me one denarius. Who is God? He is the God of promise. There are 32,500 promises of God recorded in the Bible.
Let's pick out a few promises and read them.
First, it is a promise made by God to those who draw near to the Word of God.
“He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither, and all its events prosper.”
Second, it is a promise given to those who love God and depend on Him.
Psalm 37:4-6 “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust in him, and he will make it happen, and he will make your righteousness shine like the light of the day, and your justice as the noonday light.”
Third, it is a promise given to those who believe in the Son Jesus, whom God has sent.
Acts 16:31 “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Fourth, it is a promise given to those who pray.
John 14:13-14 “Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”
What is belief? It is believing in the promised word of God. Deuteronomy 5:10 I show mercy to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments, if they believe and obey the promises.
There is a study comparing the family of Edward (who served as president of Princeton University) of the United States and that of Max Juke, a distrustful family. Jonathan Edwards built a family of faith, and a man named Max Juke built a family of unbelief that did not serve God. What would happen to these two people and their descendants? 'Jonathan Edwards', who formed a family of faith, has 617 descendants to this day, of which 12 were presidents of the university. 75 professors. 60 doctors. 100 priests. 75 military officers. 80 writers. 100 lawyers. 30 judges. 80 civil servants. 3 members of the House of Representatives. One senator. We have one Vice President of the United States. However, 'Max Juke' has a family of 309 people who died when they were young. 310 beggars. 440 disabled people. 50 prostitutes. 60 thieves. 70 murders. There were 53 people like that.
Look at the sheep without a shepherd. Sheep are not capable of defending themselves. Therefore, all sheep without a shepherd are caught and eaten by wild animals. However, if you entrust yourself under the authority of the shepherd, the shepherd will protect you no matter what wild animals come. You can trust the shepherd, lie down in green pastures, eat grass peacefully, and live. The true shepherd of life is Jesus. John 10:14-15 I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father, so I lay down my life for the sheep.
However, the world lives with money as the shepherd of life instead of Jesus. Follow the money. Does money save lives? Does money solve the problem of sin? Judas Iscariot was chasing after money, selling Jesus and eating him, and he was cursed and died as a man who should have never been born in the history of mankind. Ananias and Sapphira were also cursed to death while pursuing money. If you do not follow God and follow money, you will be unhappy.
The landlord gave a fair wage to both those who came first and those who came last. God does not discriminate against people based on their appearance or ability. God is the one who has opened the door of salvation equally so that any nation and anyone who believes in Jesus can be saved.
Romans 3:21-22 Now, apart from the law, the one righteousness of God has been revealed, as evidenced by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God reaching all who believe through faith in Jesus Christ, without distinction.
Romans 10:11-13 The scripture says, "Whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."
There is no difference between Jew and Greek. One Lord is Lord of all, and is rich to all who call on him. Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Verse 10: Those who came first thought that they would come and receive more, but they also received a denarius each. After receiving it, they complained to the owner of the house, saying, “These men who came last worked only an hour, and they made them like us, who endured toil and heat all day long.
I thought I would get more... How grateful and grateful that the landlord just called me? But I got greedy, so I didn't get more than the person who worked for an hour instead of thanks. Complaints of resentment took over their hearts.
Where is the source of greed?
John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and cannot stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. for you have become the father of lies
The source of greed is the devil, Satan, the evil spirit.
Why did Adam and Eve disobey? As we fell into the temptations of the devil and Satan who say we can become like God, we did more and more, and eventually we crossed the line we shouldn't have crossed. So, when greed enters into your heart, peace is broken, fights ensue, and you are captured by the devil and Satan. More! More! More! Doing so will lead to ruin.
How can we receive more grace from God with the greed we should have? How can I witness the gospel to more people? How can we worship God in spirit and truth? How can the cell group revive and the church be revitalized... Seek first the kingdom and righteousness of God, and all these things will be added to you. In the face of greed, worldly things, corruption, and sweet temptations from the devil and Satan, we must turn around without any regrets. If those who entered the vineyard early in the morning said to those who came later, “Congratulations. Next time, let's come together and work hard... The owner of the vineyard is very kind...” If that had been the case, the owner of the vineyard would not have left the people who came early in the morning. They would have greatly praised those who came in the early morning and hired them as full-time employees to work in a higher position. However, because of greed, those who came in the early morning were kicked out immediately after working all day without receiving a single compliment. The opportunity to become better, the opportunity to receive more will only be missed.
It is just an excuse that comes out of greed, to say that you can eat and use something for yourself, but you can't offer gifts because you don't have money before God. It is purely out of greed to offer a gift when you have enough pockets. God looks at the heart. Whatever you do, work as you would to the Lord, worship with thanksgiving, give gifts and obey.
This is verse 16. The last will be first, and the first will be last...
To summarize this verse in one word, it is saying that if you do not live righteously in the sight of God, the candlestick of blessing will be removed. The first king of Israel was Saul. Saul is the king chosen by God.
1 Samuel 9:2 Kish had a son, whose name was Saul, a decent young man, and none of the children of Israel was more virtuous than him, and he was taller than all the people by his shoulders.
Everyone liked Saul. Appearance, personality, faith, everything was perfect. God recognized Saul as king. However, after Saul became king, his personality and faith began to change little by little. At some point, he began to rely on the absolute power of the king rather than God. When David defeated Goliath... Saul noticed David and began to envy him. You say you are better than me, so let's leave it alone... A greedy devil has come in. Later, Saul committed the evil sin of foretelling the future by visiting a witch. God gave Saul a chance to repent several times, but Saul did not repent. In the end, Saul fell on his sword in a battle with the Philistines and committed suicide. God's call