Let's Let God Be God, Part 1

When driving home.

A spiritual lesson Jesus often created hypothetical situations were parables to help his listeners fully engage in the true. It was a master storyteller today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll invites us to follow along as we recount a fascinating story Jesus told about workers in the vineyard. These hired hands fell into a labor dispute arguing about the fairness of their hourly wages will begin by reading the story together. Once the stage is set. Chuck will present his message about the fairness of God, entitled, let's let God be God. We are journeying through the gospel by Matthew and we have come to chapter 20 I interestingly since the chapter breaks are not inspired but have been helpful having been added by those who edits edit our Bibles through the years, allowing us to have places where we can refer to sometime this chapter breaks interrupt thoughts that are meant to run their course without an interruption, and such as the case here. All of this goes back to when Jesus has his dialogue with the rich young ruler, remember, and the the young man wanted to know what he what he could do. Emphasis on doing so that he could get what Jesus was offering eternal life and the Lord makes it clear that it's not something you do, but it's it's so what you believe and ultimately it will work its way out and turning one's life over fully to the Lord himself, which means releasing your grip on everything and of course, this young man was not ready to do that and it said he we went away sad sanding in the wings were the disciples who had watched this dialogue going on and then that led to a conversation which Jesus entered into with them and then that led ultimately to the story, which is often called in the Scriptures of parable would talk about that later, but will look it up parable that really flows out of that context that we be looking at now for just a few days now turn to Matthew 20 I'll begin reading from the new living translation at verse one I'll take us down through the 16th verse, for the kingdom of heaven is like the land owner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work at 9 o'clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. So we hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. So they went to work in the vineyard at noon and again at 3 o'clock.

He did the same thing at 5 o'clock that afternoon he was in town again saw some more people standing around. He asked them why haven't you been working today.

They replied because no one hired us the landowner told them then go out and join the others in my vineyard that evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them beginning with the last workers first when those hard at 5 o'clock repaid each received a full day's wage and when those hard first came to get their pay and when those hard first came to get their pay.

They assumed they would receive more than they too were paid days wage when they receive their pay.

They protested to the owner.

Those people worked only one hour, and yet you paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.

He answered one of them friend I haven't been unfair, then you agree to work all day for the usual wage take your money and go.

I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money. Should you be jealous because I am kind to others. So those who are last now will be first. Then, in those who are first will be less is these kind of stories that keep preachers up late into the night. You try to figure out how this relates to us today and how this helps people understand life as it unfolds.

And indeed this is a great story will will learn from your listening to site for living to study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll.

Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies going to Insight world.or/studies another message from Chuck. He titled let's let God be God. I have a very limited amount of time to change your mind when in fact I really cannot change it.

That's really the Lord's job as he uses truth from his word to awaken you to changes that are needed, but I will tell you before we go further, that if you are willing to make the change you set yourself up for many more peaceful days and nights, and many less restless days and nights.

What I have in mind is dealing with our life circumstances that don't seem fair, especially when we are around people who don't have the same situations that were dealing with.

When that happens, we tend to compare. I read years ago the little saying comparisons are odious and I don't know what the word odious man. Since I never use the word so I check a dictionary it means to arouse hatred, disgust and contempt. In other words, I spent a lot of my time comparing myself with others isn't long before I feel contempt toward others and I begin to build a growing resentment for an envy of others because my situation is painful hard to deal with. Where is that other person doesn't have my situation. Here are some examples. Someone is younger than you and yet more gifted and becomes better known than you.

You could take it further.

If you wish. A friend shows up with a brand-new car and here you are still driving at 11-year-old station wagon not called an SUV back then is called a station wagon today. It's called Dell but that's what your driving at workplace. Another is promoted even though you have seniority and you been more diligent than the one promoted get the picture.

Your health is failing one another, who was older seems never to be sick.

Your son has a disability.

Where is the family next door has a number of kids.

Not one of whom has a disability.

The tornado wipes out your house, take everything you own next door.

There is even a shingle missing from the roof or window broken. Your husband is lazy and irresponsible drinks too much.

Your best friend is married to a man who was a model husband and father. You're doing the best you can to get through college before you retire, but sitting next to you is a 20-year-old whiz kid whose parents are paying his way through school is already a senior and on his way to med school graduated from seminary our president told us.

Don't try to unscrew the inscrutable today in my cell I come in and try to do that, but I'm not because I don't know why I just know only what and if you think that might help you go beyond so that you don't get lost in the trap of comparison is a dead-end street that will build within you. Contempt and resentment and make you grow older, a negative person. These examples could be multiplied by the dozens, but I wanted to take the time so you would enter into this because you know little about vineyards like I do and we know little about the laborers in the story is about both women fact is really about more is about life is about the fairness in the goodness of God.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Keep all of this on the back burner and when you do remember the words of Ella Wheeler Wilcox one ship drives East another drives West regardless of how the wind may blow his facet of the sale, not the Gail that determines the way that we go one ship sales, East the other West regardless of how the wind blows his facet of the sale, not the Gail the determines the way that we go unwrap those words and theological garments and rewritten them your life lose eastward toward pain another's life westward toward Jane, regardless of how those differences are perceived is your acceptance of God's competence, not your feelings about fairness that determines the rewards you receive. All this brings us to a story Jesus told spontaneously.

There's no script. It rolls out of the dialogue with the rich young ruler, and then a conversation with Peter who wants to know what they have, to look forward to since they live broke this guy's got everything you could ever want to buy.

What's that about what we have.

Look forward to Jesus. After a brief dialogue about that tells this story know it's a parable. It's apparent that's a word we don't use in English very much unless were in church or referring to a Bible verse where the word appears power all means, beside if I place this magazine article beside this microphone.

I put it in Greek power. All the microphone beside Buffalo which is the end of the word power Buffalo means to cast to lay something down is for the purpose of comparison to place something besides something else for the purpose of comparison is apparent.got it power Buffalo to play something besides something else to compare you often find the word as are like in the parable, you'll find that in verse one of Matthew chapter 20 the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner.

There is so familiar to the by the way, when Jesus compared things he always went from the known to the unknown always went from the familiar world that anybody could understand. To the unfamiliar spiritual lesson that most people have not ever come to terms with the best way to understand a parable is to come up with the major message of the parable you confuse a parable if you're looking for multiple messages to try to make it walk on all fours were every part of it means something spiritual, don't go there. You mess up the story completely and you miss the main point list. Be sure we get the main point. I'll come back to it later spell it out but let's let the story unfold as the Lord places this interesting story before is the site really before you and me so that we get it for our lives. So what we have here in a resort is a main character in this case, the main character is the land owner. Verse one.

The land owner. He's not leasing the land he owns the land he owns the whole land which has audit of vineyard, so any day laborers because it's harvest time. He needs to hire some workers who work the volumes so that they can get them harvested without the crop ruining so we go through five different groups of day laborers look at them. Verse one. These out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and and and send them out to work so this is but this is daybreak or maybe even before daybreak subbrand brand-new day and in a group of workers that he hires to pay them the normal daily weight.

The Nellie SDN ARI US denarius is a client that was paid for one days work. That's the day's wage. So the workers were promised you work for me today.

I'll pay you the denarius that today's wage got no not a clock comes your Bible reads 1/3 hour goes in the Jewish calendar or the Jewish time of time begins at 6 AM so we got 9 o'clock in the morning. We got another group he was passing through the marketplace.

Also people standing around doing nothing so hard them. That's group to telling them he would pay them when I was right at the end of the day they agree were going to do this so they were to work in the vineyard at noon. Group 3 at 3 o'clock work for at 5 o'clock verse six group by whipping five groups of day laborers work the vineyard for this land owner it comes time for payday for the for the moment to pay verse eight that evening he told the foreman to call the workers in is a perfect example.

By the way of being careful about making every detail work. Some people try to make the foreman Christ little. The landowner obviously is God who owns it all and I'm not sure the foreman place that significant a role he's not mentioned again.

If you leave them out story runs its course is not that significantly just happened to be the. The paymaster so you could make in Christ, if you want to just don't tell anybody okay so we got the foreman here and and he's involved as the paymaster and he and he gives them.

I know what's closely he pays the people whom the yard last first and he pays them of the various you see that verse nine when those hired at 5 o'clock repaid each received full day's wage. Okay they worked in our evening is around six and and they got today's wage in and that's fine and the next group came in they been hard first so they were paid a denarius and that's when trouble started. Before going further will give you the main message major words. The major message of the parable God's grace is just and generous. If I may turn it right away to a spiritual lesson, the fact that anybody got hard, his grace. The fact that anybody might anything is grace regardless of the hours regardless of how others were hard in or how long they worked.

The God's grace is just and generous.

So we come now to the group that's paid second though they have been hired first and what happens verse 10, when those hired first came to get their pay. They assume that no light way way way way mistake number one. They assume I want to interrupt because it's what we do every day of our lives. We assume we will have all of our children their entire lives, and we won't lose any of we assume the wife that the Lord gave us will have for the rest of our lives. We assume that our husband will be our husband for rent forever and he will be the one we have dreamed of and long for. We assume the marriage is going to be as great as we thought when we came to the altar.

We assume we assume we assume we assume I have a friend who is in business and he will never let anyone in his business.

Use the word assume in conversation or in any correspondence pretty good rule happens through the travel business and in the travel business. You could have pursued anything and I can assure you would live nor can you there, but they assume they assume let's look they assumed that they would receive more than the ones you had been hard at five but that you repay today's wage God's grace is fair and generous, but when they receive their pay verse 11, they protested, what I comparison the 5 o'clock guys got the various various is not fair. By the way, there is no union okay is why it's good biblical story is no union promise you more than a day's wage. God's grace covers your life. The fact that you have breath in your lungs.

The fact that you can come to know Christ by coming to the cross and trusting in the Savior and having eternal life regardless of what life may throw at you regardless of what God may permit. Whether it's a life like Job's and Joseph's and Daniel or whoever, but they could, but they're busy comparing and when you compare and assume you are forever miserable you are forever trying to unscrew that inscrutable and you cannot do it and you are setting yourself up for restless nights and complaining days to their complaining to the landowner. We assume that we would make more because we been working in the scorching heat all day long and they worked only an hour you played in the same thing you paid us look at the answer. A lot. The answer verse 13. He answered one that he is the landowner so you landowner says it interesting you bring that up friend. I haven't been on fair didn't you agree to work all day for the usual way and is noted in the areas and don't you have that in your hand didn't I pay you that take your money and go on. I wanted to pay this last work the same as you are just getting started in this in-depth study of Matthew chapter 20 there's much more to uncover about this tenuous dispute between workers and the landowner and will dig deeper tomorrow and once again on Thursday. This is insight for living featuring the Bible teaching of pastor and author Chuck Swindoll. Chuck titled today's message. Let's let God be God, to discover the variety of resources we have available for today's topic, please visit us online@insightworld.org that you might be surprised to learn that in addition to this daily program insight for living produces a daily devotional that sent by email at church down to earth writings cover a variety of everyday issues to help you live above the daily grind of life and I just recently someone in California left a message that said Pastor Chuck, I subscribed to a few daily devotional emails and find many encouraging, but yours, yours, I dissect I pass along to friends and I write parts of your message in cards.

I give for birthdays or other occasions. May God continue to use you to reach our world.

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Chuck Swindoll continues his helpful message about the justice of God insight for living. The preceding message. Let's let God be God was copyrighted in 2017 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. all rights are reserved worldwide.

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