The Tenants and the Vineyard, Part 2

Today on some at length with Jeannie Greer.

The only reason that we think were more merciful God is. We have no idea of the depth of the evil of what we've done and that's what we think were remorseful to God when you really see the extent of the evil been amazing is not the harshness of God's judgment, but the magnanimity of his mercy, God's mercy stagger scandalous God sent his son, knowing full well I'm your host Molly minutes today as we conclude our teaching series on the parables of Jesus question for you or you just hearing things about Jesus. As we go through this content or are you truly listening to him and understanding what he has for you. Challenging question as we wrap up today is a quick reminder. It's also the final day to reserve your copy of the matching 10 day devotional resource if you missed any of the messages of this teaching series work you like to get your copy of the listen up devotional. Visit us@jeannieprayer.com or by calling us at 866-3552 20. But for now let's join Pastor JD in Matthew 21. Sometimes religious activity as a way of keeping God at bay because you want to build real surrender. If you don't feel desperate for God and his grace in your life.

A lot of people would like the goal of their religion is to keep Jesus in timeout you parents know how your kid gets naughtier, noisier, just annoying. You want to put them in timeout later stand in the corner over there in timeout 20 Jesus is like is there.

Many of them would want to mold you away want in our lives but also keep them out of our lives and not interfering with what were doing so you know when you sin, use of the wrong but all of a sudden Jesus get the freedom to come out of timeout Jesus or their user in the corner and all of a sudden there's there's up you notice that he comes out is got you now. I got somebody gets to you really messed up and so you do whatever religious thing you gotta do you you say your Hail Marys across yourself or go to church Doddridge Bible, I do not act in timeout.

Jesus back in timeout because of their back in timeout waits on you to come get it. That's not repentance is on a relationship with God is an attempt to avoid God I'm doing just enough to keep God in his claims away from alive and don't really want to surrender. I just want to do enough to make sure that I stay I stay away from the judgment of God. That's with these religious leaders, Jesus was showing them is that you use religion to avoid God's rightful claim on your life that he is the one with all authority and he's the one that deserves all glory with laser number two, which is similar to the verse one most rejection. Most rejection is rooted in a desire for control. Some unbelief is is willful and most rejection is rooted in a desire for control.

The servants had been hired by the owner about verse 38 are not acting as if the mentor belongs to them everything in us in the human heart wants to pretend like where the owner, not the tenant. The world constantly reinforces the eyes that were the owner. This is your life. You make the most of it. You gotta enjoy get your bucket list and do everything on your the owner, a lot of sin goes back to that question who owns your life you like yours which you share some of Jesus reset his which he is allowing you to enjoy for many people I've told you that Jesus is like a GPS system in their car you decide you want a happy life and you know God's got something to do with the happiness in your life.

So many keep their turned on and helps you know which way to go but you know the GPS system you've always got the option to disobey the directions to the GPS system tells you, turning you choose not to. Turns out that look good to you and you figure like GPS system, God will patiently, recalculating come up with a new route for you.

By the way, I know a guy who told his wife that the GPS directional lady he thought was the ideal wife and he wanted to know why his wife could be more like her that when he made a decision like she should just recalculate the conversation did not go well and I would not command that to you but many of us have that relationship to God will reliable God.

I just expect you to be there to tell me when I asked the question, and I expect you to adjust when I don't get on the owner.

This car and you're there.

They said to give suggestions to make things work out.

God is the owner of your life is not the navigation system for a lot of our rejection of Jesus comes out of the sense that I'm the owner and he's the help rather than than is his and I am his servant.

That is just receiving this on loan from him for a while.

Number three number three what we see is a God's grace toward us is amazing God's grace toward us is amazing, but it won't last forever. God shows his grace toward us in the story and repeated ways. First, there's the fact that he gives the vineyard to us to enjoy. To begin with life and all the pleasures a go with it or just a great gift that God gives us that he wants us to be happy with and he wants us to enjoy. It shows his mercy to us through allowing us to enjoy the vineyard second to the repeated patient warnings. He sends the rebellious farmers he shows his mercy in the story don't do send them one messenger, one chance to repent he sends them chance after chance after chance when it seems like they've demonstrated it'll need even more chances same is true for you and me.

He sends us repeated warnings for some of you it's happening right now you're hearing God is been trying to get a hold of your life in this message is one other thing were God saying wake up, wake up, pay attention, sometimes it's more of a natural messenger that comes the process of aging. Aging is depressing. I figure 1st tablet in one sense aging is God's gracious reminder that I don't last forever and that everything that I have is borrowed from God that I'm a tenant and I'm not the owner that my daughter is a middle school and I've had their interview middle school soccer picnic into the head of a pickup game between the girls middle school soccer team and the parents doesn't sound that difficult right I'm gonna go out and play soccer, the much middle school girls. They got killed me. I I have parts of my by just two weeks later I got my body that I'm still I didn't even know that part still attached, but it hurts it's one was on my on my foot.

So if you see me walking appearance still limping slightly and it's from in middle school soccer game I I get sore sometimes a week in the morning and I'm sore and I'm like oh I did the night before sleep. Like somehow get one from this position to that position impaired is enough to make me sore for two or three days.

These things are all messengers that life just goes quickly. I'm not the owner. I can even hold on to the help of the body that I have.

It's all borrowed and ultimately it's returned back in the fragility of life is a messenger that were not the owner.

Maybe you've seen something you thought was secure. Get it taken away. I remember reading them couple years ago about a former successful Civil War generals are commendable for the South or North but all these incredible battles against ridiculous odds and then died right toward the last year the war because of a tick bite. My thoughts are here. You got a guy who could face down armies and overcome them and a little text that you could squash in your foot ultimately is what killed them. It's a messenger that you're just tenant not really.

The owner CS Lewis said that unfulfilled longings are assigned to you from God, but your tenant, not the owner is in every pleasure, the longing for the pleasure was better than the actual obtaining of it your experience that where the pursuit of that pleasure is actually more enjoyable than when you obtain the thing you are looking for the whole whole time.

I always tell people that there are only four things in my life that it fully lived up to expectations just for one become a Christian.

Number two getting married and having kids okay number three was going to the island of Hawaii and Hawaii were the only place of the verb in the polluted expectation number four skydive is the only everything else in my life is disappointed, everything, everything else the research for its was not as good as the obtain team of eight CS Lewis was talking about. He says he says I spent my life chasing after academic success and money and I've spent my life chasing all kinds of things and easily describe it is that it's like the scent of a flower was in my my my mind, but have never been able to find on earth. I've smelled the smell, but I can't find the flower's.

It was the echo of of attunement, my soul longed to hear.

I hear the echo of that soon, but I can't find the original honor, and he concluded by saying if I find myself desires which nothing in this world will satisfy the only explanation is that I was created for another world. Unfulfilled longings are a messenger that you're not the master, you're not the owner just a tenant. Again, some of you are in church today and and God has been after you and this is another warning that God is given to you.

Life is a messenger constantly coming at you saying you're not in charge you, not the owner you're just a tenant to God shows his mercy by letting you attend the vineyard to enjoy it.

He shows his mercy by sending repeated warnings. The ultimate way of showing mercy. Of course, was by sending his son. Like I said we would understand a little dumbfounded by the mercy of God that was shown to these farmers right after they killed the other messengers he would send his son. Why would anyone do that when anybody else would you any of you ever show that kind of mercy in that situation by the way, if you limit us digress for a second sometimes we complain about the harshness of God's judgment with a will of our God set up different and I've been a lot more merciful to him, but any time in Scripture. Listen to this anytime in Scripture. When God's disposition of mercy is contrasted to a man's disposition for mercy. God always wins by a longshot thing about is this how you have reacted to a group of tenants who stole your vineyard almost scandalized by the story and the story of Hosea, God tells Hosea to go out and first marry a prostitute make a prostitute. His wife then love her and then after she leaves him and goes out in sleep with a bunch of other men and resells herself back in the slavery God tells Hosea go back again and buyer back and love her and love her even though she been unfaithful to you when you're reading this book you like this. Not even fair. God, why would you do that to somebody who humiliated you and scorned you and God's answer Hosea is because that's how I love you Matt so I love Israel and you don't understand the scandal of it. I did Jonah Nineveh in minute either the people of Nineveh had abused and enslaved and killed and tortured Israelite people God did Jonah go preach mercy to them.

Genesis I cannot want to.

I don't want to get say you understand when you see the history like I did it I would want to reach those people either in goddesses do it because that's essentially what I'm doing with you on extending mercy to people to do nothing but hated me and scorned me in return she the only reason that we think were more merciful than God is. We have no idea the depth of the evil of what we done and that's what we think or more merciful to God when you really see the extent of the evil bent will amaze you is not the harshness of God's judgment, but the magnanimity of his mercy, God's mercy, to gets revealed in stories like this is staggering, scandalous, God sent his son, knowing full well why why will Scripture says, first, that he was demonstrating his love for us. Romans 58. He was through Christ putting on display his love in a way that we could never doubt and should never forget, we see that he was willing to make himself vulnerable and put himself in harm's way for no other reason for no vested interest in to rescue us will return for the collision of our teaching in just a moment, but I wanted to remind you once again that today is the final day to get our latest resource attend a devotional that follows this teaching on the program from the parables of Jesus. It's called listen at the only way to truly listen to God is to spend more time getting to know him by reading his word, praying and spending encouraging time with other believers who help us not just hear the word the to do like to encourage you to reserve your copy right now by calling eight 663-3550 T-20 or visit us online@jdgreer.com. Thanks for being with us today.

Alex get back to the final moments of our series. Second thing is he was enabling us to trust in by showing us his willingness to identify with us that no personal vested interest in becoming one of us other than just elitist of safety. I love my my friend Joby Martin's illustration every creature to church and I tell stories as well as get the vacant lot next to my house was filled with little piles of carpenter ants is the kid next to me. He said he had one of those big wheels he loves member big wheels. This kid go out and he would take a like Smuckers jelly and would smear it all over part of the ground there on this vacant lot so that the ants would know come out to see what was going on and be excited at the jelly to them how they had their network of communication. They put it at Facebook like a jelly and free jelly over the vacant lot. He says will about 1015 minutes the whole place would be filled with just all have to ants you could see was like a carpet of ants. He said that when he went up on his big will. He would tear it into the middle he would power slide and just send all these carcasses of diesel ants flying everywhere.

He said now he says as a kid watching this.

I figure that if I love dance and I was really sad about what was happening to them and I wanted to keep this from happening and wanted to communicate with them. This is what I do so see you. Maybe if I went over to the woman stood over top of them there anthills and said all yes, hear ye hear ye thou shall not eat the jelly because it will lead to thy death so that would paying attention. They would just look at this size. I got his boot.

They would be. They run back in the ground and in fear, he said, but if I if I were Justin and I wouldn't have the perspective to understand it psycho big wheel kid is on his way with with the jelly of death. Is it so I would need to simultaneously be big enough to have the right perspective powerful enough to understand what's happening and yet small enough like an aunt to be able to communicate with other ants.

I have to grow up like an ant speech and language in still have the right perspective uses in one day. If I did that I love them just the right time.

I would enter the colony and I would say, behold, ants follow me. I know the jelly taste good but around, look at all the carcasses and squish body parts of your fellow aunt brother you one day follow me across the street where there's no psycho big wheel kid because his mom let them cross the street and so nothing to safety over there and Jeremy said he said that's what the coming of Jesus was like, sort of, sort of cigarettes a ridiculous comparison. Yeah, but honestly, is that anymore, scandalous, or ridiculous than what God actually did so in becoming a man. He demonstrated his love for us. He identified with us. He got himself in a place where we could see his vulnerability and be in relationship with them and we could trust him and then his death thirdly became the means by which he saved us. This is the irony of the gospel is that her murder of him became the means of our forgiveness because her murder of him. Had him die for our sin and that satisfied the penalty that was due on our sin in our place.

You see there's only two ways to pay percent. One is you can pay for it eternally, or secondly he the righteous can suffer in your place. His death also released in us the power that would change us again.

The irony of the gospel. The murder that came from the hatred we had toward God became the means by which God destroyed the hatred in our hearts, his willingness to serve us and to suffer for us breaks the stronghold that self-centeredness and self will have on our hearts.

How do you get the new heart that they needed how do you get the new hard to hate and kill the prophets that only comes Jesus says, but being a right relationship to me little what he says. Next we says next in verse 42 the stone that the builders rejected became the cornerstone of the Lord is gone. It's wonderful in her eyes. Therefore I tell you the kingdom of God to be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit. Lazarus River Falls and the stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it falls that it will shatter him to what showing you that his grace is amazing.

It has the power to transform you, but it's a grace that will last forever.

You choose whether to let his death compel you to repent and to build your life on him and have him change your heart or you ignore him and that stone will crush you. God in his mercy has sent you messenger after messenger after messenger to remind you you're not the owners and finally send you a sign Jesus who came to live the perfect life and showed authority and mastery over all things are scared to death. The seasonal weather payments. He conquered all of it and he showed you that he was doing it so that he could rescue you.

It's amazing.

But in this parable he shows you won't last forever. The parables question Jesus is asking them and us is if you will listen to the sun and who would you listen to, who would you listen to what hope is there for you.

God will not force himself on you if you won't listen to the revelation of himself in Jesus and who would you listen to number four last one.

Finally, don't flatter yourself that God could get along without you. That's what he selling them.

That last statement, Jesus told the Jewish leaders something that they absolutely did not believe verse 43 therefore I tell you the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given you a people producing its fruit. I thought no way man since Abraham we been God's people.

What a faithful group. Does God have a history we have got you never turn away from us another place. They told themselves, never destroy us. Were the sons of Abraham were his only people Jesus responds by saying listen God can raise up new children of Abraham from these stones. If he wanted to churn office would happen 70 A.D. just 30 or 40 years after Jesus's teaching as the Roman ruler Titus, Vespasian massacred the citizens of Jerusalem tore down the temple so that not one stone was left on top of another and send murdered destroyed 985 villages in Israel wiped out almost the entire country. Spiritual leadership has to Jesus as apostles away from the religious leaders apostles had been completely disconnected from the religious establishment and would spend the majority of their ministries taking the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul gives the same warning to us. He said just because God took it from them give you the minutes come along to you forever. The Gentile Christians. He says don't take your place for granted. Romans 11 verse 20 the branch of Israel was broken off because of unbelief and you you Gentiles Summit church we now stand in their place by faith. Don't be arrogant though but tremble as a God did not spare the natural branches, why would you think you would spare you either if you listen you in the pen you can believe we would not be the first people in history that God had discarded, and then started over with somebody new.

The question is, are we walking in a way that is worthy of the grace we received until Paul frequently admonished his churches, I urge you, therefore he tells the Ephesians walk worthy of the calling which you have been called in Jesus are you walking in a way that is a proper response to the grace of God. Just think the different areas of your life you worship in a way that is a proper response. Do you worship with the enthusiasm that should come from somebody that had Sue soul had been purchased by the blood of the only son of God, is how you worship, put his work on display.

Does God look at you and say that's why I died right there because their response the way they worship is what I was going for when I came to redeem them from sin is how you give this how you give is it a worthy response to who Jesus is and what is done is a worthy response to the preciousness of the gospel that you have that you want to see other people have is your attitude toward sin and holiness. Do you fight sin with the fervor that should come from somebody that knows the great price that was paid in order to purchase their soul. God took the gospel away from Israel to give to others because they didn't respond in a way that was worthy of it, but he could certainly do that to our church means that if we did were not good stewards of the gospel in reaching our neighbors and raising of our children to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. And why would we think we can always just in perpetuity. Enjoy the blessings God has put upon us because we do not have a good steward over nothing from you give somebody else we would not be the first church in history.

God took his grace away from with the privilege of the grace of God comes a responsibility to steward it. Yes, the reason we work hard.

The reason we want to give more than anybody else. The reason we go to father places in the world that anybody else is because we believe that this gospel we been given his precious and we're trying to respond in a way that is worthy of this is why he saved us think about that in my family I mean my a liberal I would be the first family line that got it taken away his grace from. If I don't respond right where the gospel I will teach my kids to respond to the gospel if they don't steward the gospel. Is it possible that from the Greer family line would have in one generation that's able to be good stewards of it all taken from now and I'll put it on somebody else. God will keep his promise to build his church, but there's no guarantee that us and our descendents will be the ones he does it through the denomination were part of that's another question God has blessed Southern Baptist convention amid a mentally is the largest mobilize mission force in history. Plenty more churches around the world. That's no guarantee the God guy keep his hand on us and we don't respond in the right way to how his spirit is moving in us and if were not good stewards of the gospel. Our country here in our country we have enjoyed access to the gospel like no people in history. There is no guarantee that that will continue that the churches in this country are not responsible what God has given them in the gospel, then there's nothing to say, not take from us and to say yeah the new center is not be here. The new center to be sat down somewhere in South America and Africa, which by the way, is already beginning to happen as believers there begin to store the gospel in ways that American Christians have just grown comfortable complacent with the look God's promises are guaranteed and he is mighty things in the world, but we must never be so presumptuous as to think that God can only do mighty things through us because we are his people and raise up children of Abraham from the stones. We do not want forward in humility and grateful response in a worthy way to the grace that is given to us that he will pour out his powerful spirit somewhere else the grace of God's greatest gift to be taken for granted needs to be shared. Thanks for being with us for this great teaching series.

We pray that it's been a blessing to you and has brought lasting change to your life and your understanding of the gospel, not Janie. Now that we've concluded this series titled, listen, help us take a step back. Can you give us the big picture from the past couple of weeks was you probably realize it's about the parables of Jesus. Those are the key things Jesus would always say listen listen is an listen.

That's with your ears listen to your heart. These are stories of simple child can understand the plot line. Yet they are so profound that we can never really exhaust the wealth of their wisdom. We want to give you a copy of this new book of 10 devotionals that I've written that help you refocus on the gospel and the teachings of Jesus following right along with the five parables we are covering in this series we would love for you to reserve your copy JD grid.com had over there right now you get home and take a look at it and get your copy today because I think you'll find it to be a blessing. We believe this devotional book will help you for reading the Bible bring into your life right away.

Today the final day to reserve your copy.

Don't wait when you get $35 you a copy of our way of saying thanks for your generous support gives a calling 5 to 20 we can get online.com hi Molly, even if it's encouraging you to join us next short and timely teaching series distraction. Don't miss the next time it might. Janie prayer ministry