Transcript

Grace Doesn't Work?

Matthew 20:1-34
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Pastor Randy Smith

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In the sixteenth century a young boy was born into a Christian home. For the early years of his life he was deeply loved and clearly taught the truths of the Bible by his parents. Sadly, his parents died when he was six and he was forced to live with his relatives. The young boy was mistreated and ridiculed for his interest in Christ. Unable to tolerate the situation any longer, he fled and joined the Royal Navy only to see his spiritual life rapidly decline. He became known as a brawler and was severely disciplined many times. Eventually he deserted the Navy and ran off to Africa where he attached himself to a Portuguese slave trader. His life continued to spiral downward. He searched for crumbs of food on the ground to merely keep himself alive. Every day he was becoming more depraved and everyday he was becoming more miserable. On one occasion he stole the ship's whiskey and got so drunk he fell overboard. The heathen crew harpooned him. His life was saved but it resulted in a large scar on his side for the rest of his life. Finally he hit rock bottom. But while the ship was in the midst of a great storm off the coast of Scotland, the young man began to reflect on verses that he had heard as a boy. God saved him and John Newton, as a testimony to God's work in his life, penned those famous words we sang last Wednesday:

Amazing grace - how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found;
Was blind but now I see.

Story excerpted from: Kent Hughes, John, p. 37

A beautiful song with beautiful words, right? "Amazing grace - how sweet the sound." Sweetness to my ears, God's grace lavished upon me! "That saved a wretch like me" Ummm, wait a second. Did you say, "Wretch like me?" I'm not a wretch. I'm a good person. Are you implying that all I contribute to my salvation is my sin? "I once was lost but now am found." Lost? Found? I was never lost, misguided. And God never found me. I found Him. "Was blind but now I see." I'm not sure if I'm liking this whole grace thing. It makes it sound like salvation is entirely a work of God. It makes it sound like I was a filthy sinner, both spiritually dead and spiritually blind. It makes it sound like my goodness contributed nothing and all the credit and glory goes to God. I want to earn my way to heaven. I deserve to be in heaven. I'm not a big fan of this spiritual welfare system!

This morning as we prepare for the Lord's Supper, I want to cover an entire chapter in Matthew. I am more concerned about breath than depth because I want you to see from an aerial perspective the conflict between God's grace and man's pride. I want you to note the teaching of Christ and then observe the human reaction when it is understood that salvation is a free gift of God's doing. This gift brings unspeakable joy, but not first without unsurpassing humility.

So let's examine the teaching of Jesus Christ and determine if we are more in line with His concept of grace than we are with people who love to use the term but have no idea what they are talking about. After today you will either come to despise the doctrine or appreciate grace more than you ever have.

No outline this morning, but here is where we are going. We will start with the parable in verses 1-15 and then branch off into the surrounding context for application.

This is a parable. To teach a spiritual lesson about His kingdom, Jesus used a situation with which people of His day would have been familiar. The people knew all about farming and all about the hired laborers that the farmers employed.

In this case, verse 1 (of chapter 20), there was a "landowner" who was in need of laborers to serve in his vineyard. Early in the morning as the sun was rising, about 6:00 AM, he went out to hire some workers. If you have ever driven by the Acme in Manasquan you can picture the scene perfectly - men, not tied to a particular employer, but simply hanging out at the market place looking to receive work for the day. These individuals were often living day-by-day, depending upon their daily earnings to feed their families.

A group of workers are rounded up. In verse 2 we see the workers and the farmer come to a financial agreement. A denarius was the common pay for a day's labor and it was quite generous for those in this present situation. Off the individuals went to work in the vineyard.

Verses 3 and 4, "And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; and to those he said, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' And so they went."

The third hour would have been around 9:00 AM. We have to speculate as to why the farmer returns to hire another round of men. Possibly he had more work than originally anticipated. Possibly the first crew did not work as hard as he expected. Possibly these newer workers were not available earlier in the day. Possibly he wanted the work done quicker. Possibly he was compassionate for their need to receive work. We can only guess, but we do know that this time no wage was agreed upon. The workers trusted the farmer's integrity to pay what was right, and desperate for the need to work, agreed to work in the vineyard.

The process is repeated. Verse 5, "Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing." Verses 6 and 7, "And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day long?' They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.'" The eleventh hour was 5:00 PM and because the working day had twelve hours (6:00 AM-6:00PM) these fellows were hired to work for one hour. No doubt after being without work all day, they were thankful for the opportunity and grateful for whatever they would receive.

The closing horn sounded. And since all these men, lowest on the economic ladder, lived day-to-day financially, there was a special provision in the law of God (Lev. 19:13; Dt. 24:14) that they be paid before the sun sets. So, verse 8, "When evening came [that would have been 6:00 PM], the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first."

So the men line up - those who worked one hour in the front and those who worked twelve hours in the rear. Verse 9, "When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius." You can imagine the men in the rear of the line. "Did you see that? Those guys each got a denarius for an hour's work! The old man is generous today. Based on that scale, we're getting twelve denarii!"

While they were licking their chops, verse 10, "When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius."

Their response is predictable. Verses 11 and 12, "When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.'" In other words, "We worked twelve times as long and they come out and barely break a sweat. We labored through the scorching heat while they were sitting under shade at the marketplace. You have unjustly made them equal to us. That's not fair!" Complaining, grumbling, the verb is in the imperfect tense which denotes ongoing and continual whining.

So the landowner responds by asking three questions:

First question, verse 13, "Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?" The amount to be paid was determined beforehand. The servant agreed to work for a denarius and the landowner paid exactly what he promised. Therefore, verse 14, "Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you."

Second question, verse 15, "Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own?" Of course! He can do what he wants with his money.

Third question, verse 15, "Or is your eye envious because I am generous?" The landowner now goes from logical fairness to moral failure as this is the heart of the matter. The issue was not justice, but jealousy. The problem these workers had was due to the fact that the landowner was more generous to others than he was to them.

So what is the spiritual lesson of this parable? What does all this have to do with the "kingdom of God" (Mt. 20:2) and our topic of grace?

Grace can be defined as, "God's free and unmerited favor shown to guilty sinners who deserve only judgment. It is the love of God shown to the unlovely" (Jerry Bridges, Transforming Grace, p. 21-22).

"God is not fair." The Bible is filled people uttering that complaint. We witness the comments in our daily living. "Why did it rain when I planned a big picnic?" "Why does my heathen neighbor have great wealth?" "Why did my sister die in her forties?" "Why am I not married?" "Why do I have a terrible marriage?" Like the men in the parable, we all feel we deserve better. We all feel that God is not rewarding us fairly for our goodness. We get jealous that others appear more blessed. We accuse the Landowner of injustice. We grumble just like the vineyard workers.

My friend, we must learn to eliminate that word "justice" from our thoughts when it comes to our understanding of God. Of course we could rely on our own goodness and demand justice, but the price will be higher than any of us would wish to pay. Because of our sinfulness, justice would require an eternity in hell. But because of God's mercy, grace makes it possible for sinners to enjoy an eternity in heaven. Which do you prefer?

Like John Newton fully understood, in the eyes of God we are miserable wretches. We are sinners who deserve nothing, but judgment and wrath. That is where our thinking must begin. Yet God blesses us with homes and families and food and vacations. Moreover, God sent His Son to die on a cross to pay the penalty for our sins - a free gift to anyone who believes and repents. Our God is a God of grace and we should be thankful for whatever He gives because anything which He gives is more than we deserve. That is why John Newton called it "Amazing Grace!"

Possibly the apostles needed to hear this parable. Possibly they felt that they were entitled to a better heaven because they were among the 6:00 AM crowd. How in the world could a Gentile or anybody saved on their deathbed (like the thief on the cross) expect the same blessings of salvation? Once again, a works mentality not a grace mentality. You will remember that it took a vision from heaven (Ac. 10:28) for Peter to finally accept the Gentiles as equal citizens in God's kingdom.

Since our salvation is grace-driven, owed entirely to the work of Jesus Christ, all are equally accepted in God's kingdom regardless of the hour that they arrive. Did you know that if you give your life to Christ today, you will be no less accepted or privileged in God's eyes than the most godly saint in this assembly? Your prayers will be just as powerful. Your worship will be just as accepted. Your gifts will be just as necessary. Your place in the church will be just as welcomed. Your salvation will be just as secure. And your assurance will be just as strong. God will love you just as much, and your standing in the kingdom will be just as equal to the apostles. Grace means all of us are leveled at the foot of the cross. Like the vineyard workers, all receive equal benefits (Mt. 20:12).

Misunderstanding grace was the major problem with the Rich Young Ruler that we studied two weeks ago. He wanted to maintain his own self-righteousness. After hearing Jesus recite the commandments he said, "All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking? (Mt. 19:20). Without admitting his spiritual poverty he was not a candidate for grace. Amazing grace was not a sweet sound because he did not see himself as a miserable wretch. Furthermore, his love for money was the true god he worshipped. Therefore an unwillingness to part with his idol meant his worship was misdirected. He praised his money rather than praising God for entrusting him with such a gracious gift. So why depend on God's grace when he could depend on his money. The self-righteousness fueled pride and the self-sufficiency fueled idolatry. His barren soul departed in grief without grace (Mt. 19:22).

Last week we saw how Peter struggled with the grace concept. He saw the Rich Young Ruler walk away from Jesus with his money intact. Yet on the other hand, he and his fellow apostles followed Jesus and in doing so sacrificed quite a lot. As Peter said in 19:27, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?"

Immediately Jesus' response eliminates the "sacrificial" tone of Peter's request. Jesus promises that whatever we place in His hands will return "a hundred times as much" (Mt. 19:29 - NIV). And this is not to mention the gift of salvation that is granted before we have already begun to work! So whether it be rewards out of proportion to our efforts or eternal life not granted because of our efforts, our God dispenses grace upon grace.

Yet this grace, free to us, was not free to God. It would come at a great cost. Jesus describes the purchase in verses 17-19 of chapter 20. "As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them, 'Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.'"

I trust you know that the only reason we can receive God's favor is because Jesus died to remove our sins. Justice was achieved, but at His expense. Merit was achieved, but by His work. There is no greater news than the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For without it there would be no grace.

Unfortunately grace is ignored and Jesus is ignored when we trust in our own goodness, rely on our own merit and are self-absorbed with our own glory like most people in our community. The divine proximity of the following reinforces this conclusion.

Just as Jesus finished predicting His sufferings (now for the third time) we see the mother of James and John in verse 21 make a request. "Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left." And to make the matters even worse, verse 24 says the other ten apostles were indignant. Why? Simply because they wanted those two places of honor for themselves!

To them it was still about glory and not agony, self-promotion, not humility and personal needs and not serving others. We do not earn grace, but when we receive grace we begin to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Salvation is without works, but evidence that we are really saved is when we begin to work like Jesus. Therefore our Lord responded beginning in verse 25, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mt. 20:25-28). That is a picture of a heart touched by grace.

The apostles blew it again. But by way of contrast, the best example of those understanding grace comes in the final verses hidden away at the end of chapter 20.

The blind were the social rejects. And these folks cried out to Jesus they were told to be quiet. Yet they had the "childlike faith" we have been learning about. "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" (Mt. 20:31). They were humble. They knew they had nothing to contribute. They simply wanted grace and the passage says Jesus was "moved with compassion" (Mt. 20:34). These weak ones became the recipients of Christ's power.

From this aerial perspective have you seen the point Jesus is making? Grace turns everything of this world upside-down. Maybe that is why we see four recorded references in this section that the first will be last and the last will be first (Mt. 19:30; 20:8, 16, 26-27). The financially rich and spiritually rich missed the point. The beggars understood it very well. Are you willing to deny yourself your pride so you can humbly receive from Christ His amazing grace? Is it your goal to be first in this life or first in the life to come? You can only choose one.