Religious Hypocrisy Exposed

Our purpose tonight is to preach from this parable of the two sons. It's recorded in Matthew chapter 21, five, versus a short parable that Jesus gave in a teaching and as I said earlier, Matthew was the only of the gospel writers to give us this account in my approach tonight as I want to spend some time and give you the. The background of the parable that will look at the meaning of the parable and then finally. Thirdly, some practical lessons for service in Christ's church from this parable is considered the background, the context Matthews coming to the end of his gospel record opposition against Jesus is increasing. Jesus is come into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The crowds that is coming said hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest and if that didn't infuriate the religious establishment. Jesus went into the temple and upset the merchants in the moneychangers and said my house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves and then at work told in Matthew chapter 21 in verse 14.

Then the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them auto because for rejoicing with everybody right wrong. Verse 15 but when the chief priests and scribes listen to this saw the wonderful things that he did and the children crying out in the temple, and saying hosanna to the son of David, they were indignant they were indignant and said to him, do you hear what these are saying.

And Jesus said to them, yes. Have you not have you have you never read, out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise. Then he left them and went out of the city to Bethany and he lodged there. Can you see the hostility and the anger and hatred for Jesus growing in the religious leaders.

The Pharisees and the elders. That said, from this point forward. They had one intention and that was the began to plot how to stop him and began to plot how they would kill the one who is doing wonderful things in healing and being a blessing everywhere he went. Verse 23 says when he came to the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted him, here's another confrontation and they wanted to know by what authority he did these things. Who gave you authority to do these things you have to chuckle at Jesus's response. Verse 24 Jesus answered and said to them, I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell me I like Isaac likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things. So in just a matter of a very few words, they find themselves on the horns of a dilemma. Jesus asked this question the baptism of John. Where was it from from heaven or from men, and then the sacred Scriptures give us insight into the dilemma they found themselves in as they were reasoning in their minds is an interesting that Matthew the human author of this book was helped understand what their reasoning was evidently Jesus not not evidently Jesus knew what they were reasoning in their minds. It says and they reasoned among themselves, saying, if we say, from heaven, he will say to us why then did you not believe him. Can't say that. But if we say from men. We fear the multitude for all count John as a prophet.

So again, they came to confront Jesus, but simply because Jesus turned the tables and asked him this question they became collards and they said to him, neither will a and they said to him, we do not know. We do not know. And Jesus said to them, neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things and then that's the background for the parables of Jesus gives what is the occasion. The occasion is the refusal of the religious leaders of Christ's day to respond to John the Baptist is teaching.

They didn't acknowledge John. They didn't respond to John the way tax collectors and harlots had responded to such the background of the parable. Let's look at the parable itself. Again, let me read these five verses again this is a this is in the continuation of this discussion, the Jesus is having with the chief priests and the elders. What do you think a man had two sons and he came to the first and said son, go work today in my vineyard. He answered and said I will not but afterward he regretted it and went.

Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said I go, sir, but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father.

They said to him, the first Jesus said to them, assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but tax collectors and harlots believed him. And when you saw it you did not afterward relent and believe him. Jesus tells a story of parable of a man who had two sons and he gave a command to both sons. What was the command son, go work today in my vineyard to different responses. The first sunset.

No, I'm not going but afterward he thought about it and relented or repented and he went and worked in the vineyard. The second son was asked the exact same question and he very politely said, I will. I will go, but he did not go empty promise didn't follow through with his stated commitment now is pretty straightforward to figure out what is going on here.

The context indicates to us the meaning of the parable. The sun who professed to obey his father but did not actually do it represents the chief priests and the elders. They had a reputation for being God's servants, but rejected God's prophets. The sun who first rejected his father's command, but later did what he what the father wanted him to do represents what the despised tax collectors and the harlots who would been in rebellion against God's moral law, and yet many of which had repented of their sins and had come to Jesus and since the command of the father was to work in the vineyard. This is a parable not merely of salvation. Although Jesus will touch on that at the end of the parable is not the main point. The parable is about Christian life in service. It asks these these two questions. Who were those who truly serve and who are God's children. Those two things are tied together so briefly put in this parable. The father is God, the vineyard is the church. The sons are two classes of men to whom the command to labor in the church comes from God and the first son is of the type of of open defiance, rebellion toward God, who, on receiving the command of God refuses, but afterward afterwards. After repentance, he becomes earnest in working the work of God, the second son represents the religious hypocrites. The chief priests who make promises that they never keep. That's the parable in a nutshell, the emphasis on the teaching is on doing or failing to do the will of the father. Your recalled what Jesus said after he told the story, the two sons the command of the father in their response to the command of the father.

Jesus asked the question which of the two did the will of his father.

That's the issue, who is complicit who is obedient who is willing to do the will of the father and what Jesus is against is much as he's against anything is empty profession is against those who say, Lord, Lord, and yet do not do the works of God. He's interested in sincerity of heart. He's interested in people who are serious about their relationship with God. These religious leaders. The Jesus is dressing down here.

They were active in all sorts of religious things, but they did not believe John the Baptist and you notice how Jesus characterized the ministry of John the Baptist. John came to you in the way of righteousness. They prided themselves in their righteousness. But you remember what Jesus said in the sermon on the Mount, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will in no wise enter the so what whatever righteousness they claim to have was shipped seriously deficient, and if your righteousness wasn't of another kind you would not get to heaven know they were working in the vineyard, but they were working in their own vineyard. They were building their own kingdom.

They were interested in advancing God's kingdom. Although they thought they were now need to think a bit about this first son because everything he does is not commended by Jesus, son, go work today in my vineyard, and he answered and said I will not. But afterward he regretted it and went, there is a climate in our culture and our Christian culture that has conditioned young people to think and anticipate that as they grow up they will come into and a a period of life known as the years of teenage rebellion and that is almost to be assumed rather than not assumed in my fear is that that notion has indoctrinated people to a certain kind of thinking.

This is something like this well up in the church and I know what God commands. I know what he expects of me. But you know I got my own life to live in the cultures already given me a pass that already is anticipating that I'm going to rebel and do my own thing for a while so I do my own thing and then afterwords I'll come around and submit to God and do what he wants me to do that's dangerous is very dangerous. I will question what makes you think that if you refuse to come to Jesus now that you ever will come to Jesus its presumption to think that you hold the carts you can come to Jesus on your terms on your timetable. What if he never comes and calls you again. If he's calling you now what if you refuse because here's the issue is hard as it might be to say yes to Jesus. Now it will get easier. You live in sin and expose yourself to the ways of the world saying yes to Jesus won't get easier it will get harder because sin will get its grips on you. I hear people from time to time almost apologize that they don't have this outlandish testimony that though they were living in sin and the horrible life and God came and rescued them, and what grace was manifest in their life. Well were grateful for every testimony of saving grace.

But don't be envious of that testimony better be better to be saved from a life of sin, then to be saved out of a life of sin. Better to come to Christ in a Christian home, under the tutelage of Christian parents that are laboring in fear and trepidation to bring you up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and to see you come to Christ. Then in the home. You don't need to taste the world look around and see what it's doing to people you don't need to be of first-hand experience take care of it. So the only safe thing to do. If you are being prompted and dealt with by God is to submit now because now is the day of salvation. Now is the accepted time. So this is the general teaching of this parable, but I want to transition look at the background and we looked at the meaning of the parable. I want us to number three. Look at four practical lessons for service in Christchurch. Four practical lessons for service in Christchurch were going to be installing newly elected deacons at the end of this preaching time so want us to think about this aspect of our Christian experience of service in Christ's kingdom and service in Christchurch. I want to draw those for lessons out of verse 28 because verse 28 comes in in a command and it came as a command to two sons and I believe that this command comes to all of us. Here's a command for us to think about and consider our response to it son or daughter go work today in my vineyard, son or daughter go work today in my vineyard. Four practical lessons.

Lesson number one in Christchurch, there is work to be done.

There is work to be done. So let's obvious well is it is obvious is seems to on the surface there are nearly 4 million people living in this world approximately 1 billion of those 4 billion people have made some commitment some profession of faith in Jesus Christ.

1 billion. There's another billion of those people who've heard of Christ and yet have renounced it and have dismissed it up out of hand altogether.

There are nearly 2 billion people on the face of this globe who have never one time heard of Jesus Christ. Just knowing that ought to convince us very strongly that there is work to be done. That's just global missions. There's work to do in this church.

This local church. There's a lot of work that needs to be done and thank God. Many have put their shoulder to the plow and are working within the church and working outside the church for the cause of Jesus Christ and that is something that we are very encouraged by and thankful to God for the first lesson here is there is work to be done work to be done.

Lesson number two the work to be done is God's work.

The work that is being pointed to the work to be done is God's work, because I know a lot of people who have a work ethic and they work very hard and they won't work so hard that they have very little time for God. And I know there's a balancing act here men as the chief providers for your family. We feel the responsibility as a steward before God to provide for our family and the chief way of doing that is working. Working a job and giving many hours to that work. So I'm not wanting to put anybody on a guilt trip for that but how often does our work become an excuse for doing the work of God. I yeah I know been asked to serve but I'm just so busy when the last time you heard anybody say they weren't busy. Everybody's busy even retired people are busy right. Everybody's busy. The question is what are you busy op helped.

What are you busy about the lesson here is work to be done is God's work and there's a lot of God's work to be done when you commit yourself to be a Sunday school teacher in this church.

When you commit yourself to be a children church worker in this church. When you commit yourself to work and the impact clubs you're not just committing yourself to show up in a place that appointed time in your committing yourself to ours of preparation so that when the time to execute your responsibility comes, you already. That's a lot of time. The men and their wives and in some cases families that carry on services in rest homes in our area. It takes time not only to go do that, but it takes time to prepare to prayerfully prepare so this is a challenge, but is I was thinking about the challenge part. I'm very encouraged by how many people are giving themselves to the work of God we have a significant the often adhered beacon Baptist Church men who are serving in the office of deacon, we require a good bit from them. It takes an effort to prioritize your life to be a good deacon to give the time necessary to this good work, but were thankful for the men that God is given to us who are serving now and have served in the past and Lord willing, perhaps, will serve again before practical lessons for service in Christchurch. Lesson number one. There is work to be done. Lesson number two the work to be done is God's work.

Lesson number three I want to take it from the word now became the first and said, son, go work today. Today in my vineyard, not tomorrow, not next week, not next month but today today so lesson number three. The need to work is now the need to work is now this is not a time for idleness. This is not a time for wasting of time. This is a time now because opportunities are before us, we must be men and women redeeming the time for what the days are evil. I find it interesting when you think about this the God who is eternal and who presumably has endless ages to do whatever he wishes should emphasize the importance of doing work now when we who are creatures of the day and were not even certain it will be around tomorrow that we should procrastinate. We might think that God would delay and we should get immediately to work but that is not how it is as it we delay and it is God who not only works now but also encourages us to work now and God is at work he's at work and all of his children both to will and to do according to his good pleasure. He is working now and he encourages us that the hour to be involved and engaged in service of Christchurch is now. Lesson number four. Notice what he says again.

A man had two sons and he came to the first and said son, go work today in my vineyard. Lesson number four. It is a grace filled duty. If I can put it that way. A grace filled duty to respond to the father's bidding when you have taste of grace saving grace redeeming grace sovereign grace. What is the duty you visit cause you to be indifferent as a cause you to be selfish does it cause you to want to live your own life the way you were living at no you come under the this the compulsion that your life now is not your own that you owe a debt of gratitude to this God who is saved you that you couldn't. You couldn't resolve in a million years but it's a grace filled duty to respond to the father's bidding. So rather than be looking for excuses not to work in Christchurch you're looking for ways you can work because you want to express your gratitude you want to show how thankful you are because we are what his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. And that's the point of this closing commentary that Jesus gives in this parable here is the reason that the parable ends this way again.

He asks the question which of the two did the will of the father. They said to him, the first Jesus said to them, assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.

For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but tax collectors and harlots believed him.

And when you saw it, saw the response to John's message you did not afterword relent and believe him. Here's the point.

The religious leaders. The religious hypocrites. They had no father-son relationship and therefore felt no compulsion, no obligation to serve in the father's kingdom. They were busy building their own kingdom making a name for themselves and they revealed by the response to John's message that they were children of God now works will save you don't. Don't misunderstand what I'm saying works will save you. But if you've been saved. Your eager to work for God you all your life to him. You understand that heaven and hell wasn't in the balance.

There's people around us who need Christ to need to be taught who need to be instructed to need help, who need the things that we have so here are four lessons practical lessons for service in Christchurch you see more than John came the forerunner came they rejected him, but they were right now in the very heart of rejecting the one who is the way the truth and the life, the one who is righteousness himself, such as the condition of the of the depravity of the human heart does it amaze you that people could talk and interact in confess of wonderful works. This man is doing and yet at the same time hate him, despise him, be indignant toward him, one a killing. That's that's the depravity of the human heart on display. That's what that is. So shouldn't Rick shouldn't surprise us that when we go with the message of Christ that liberates and sets men free and forgives men of sins and and assures men biblically have a place in heaven that people say don't hear keep your religion to yourself. That tells me unless God breaks and on a man. There's no hope for. There's no hope for him, but bless God he breaks in on men's hearts. Does any. I recently heard someone defending a position that we are opposed to the God is a gentleman that he would never, he would never intrude upon the human heart. I read that I thought bless God he intrudes on the human heart, because if he didn't would all be lost in our way to hell right when people make statements like that, you wonder what Bible the reading Dona mean did did did the resurrected Christ invade Saul of Tarsus. His heart in the morning. He was breathing out hatreds against the church of Jesus Christ and admit day he's on his face on the ground, saying, Lord, what would you have me to do, but sounds like I want to be irreverent, but it sounds like God kicked the door down right invaded that man's heart against his will. While I hope that this is been helpful instruction forces we think about Our Pl. in Christchurch. There's work to do is work to do now and it is our glad response to find a place of service in Christchurch in gratitude for what he's done for us is found. Pray father. We bless you and thank you for the grace that is saved us, Lord, we would be indebted to you forever and ever, simply for the gift of eternal life. And yet, beyond that you have called us you've commanded us to work in your church to find a place of service, and you have equipped us, given us gifts to do that given us enabling grace to do that. What an amazing God, you are, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation. So Lord, would you have mercy upon anyone in this place this evening who is hardhearted who has a self-righteous attitude who pays lip service to you, but lives a life of disobedience. Lord, change them, grant them faith and repentance to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to the saving of their soul and Lord. For those of us who are redeemed Lord recharge our batteries renew our vigor and our energy and our desire help us Lord not to become weary in well doing, but find fresh delight in the privilege of representing King Jesus in this world of being light and salt in the in a dark and decaying world and rejoice that this this life, however long it is is worth living that we are investing our life in eternal matters that we have the privilege to open the word of God in our own language to study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, or forgive us for our slaw. Forgive us for the ways in which we waste time on things that really are more temporal than they are eternal Lord, convict us where we need, convicted, and rebuke us where we need rebuked and correct us where we need corrected so that in response to this message tonight to be a difference tomorrow, next week in the way we prioritize our time, for we really do believe that there is an accounting that we will give of our life and the stewardship of our time.

Lord we want to not waste the time we have. We want to make good use of it. Help us Lord. To that end, for for our good and for your glory. We pray in Jesus name, amen