Faith Seen In Action Series

Have you ever felt God asking you to do some type of ministry that you believed was beyond your capabilities, and then you became reluctant? Did you say to yourself, “I’m never going to do that?” This is the way many people respond to the Lord’s call on their life. I’ve heard it said you should watch out when you say that you are never going to do something for God; for should you refuse, that’s the very thing He will have you doing. For example, one pastor told me that when he was young he said that he would never become a preacher, and yet he’s a minister today!

In Matthew 19:30, Jesus said, “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” We sometimes interpret this verse to mean that those who are high and mighty in the world will be least in the eyes of God, and those who are meek and lowly will be exalted in His sight; and this could be a legitimate interpretation. However, you can also make the application that those who are expected to do great things for God will sometimes fail, whereas the ones we least expect to be used of God will be used by Him in a mighty way.

This evening we will look at what is commonly called “The Parable of Two Sons.” This particular illustration that Jesus shared will reveal how those whom we least expect to be used by God are often the ones He chooses.

Works without Faith (vv. 28-29)

28 But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, “Son, go, work today in my vineyard.” 29 He answered and said, “I will not,” but afterward he regretted it and went.

Jesus portrayed here a son who refused to obey his father and go to work in the vineyard; but for some reason or another, he later reconsidered and headed off to work. How many times have we observed a character in the Bible who initially lived in defiance to the Lord, but then wound up doing His will? We have seen this kind of behavior on numerous occasions.

For example, in Exodus chapters 3-4, Moses offered many excuses as to why he could not go as God commanded him. The Lord asked Moses to deliver the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, but he was reluctant to obey. Even though he initially didn’t want to go, he finally did as he was told. In Jeremiah chapter 1, the teenager Jeremiah acted just like Moses. He told the Lord that he was too young to serve as a prophet to the nations. He didn’t want to obey, however he eventually went.

Consider how Paul acted in the book of Acts. He persecuted the early church, killing many innocent followers of Christ (Acts 22:3-5). He was living in defiance against God, but the Lord humbled him by taking away his sight on the road to Damascus (Acts 22:6-16). Afterwards, Paul began preaching Christ to those whom he had formerly persecuted (1 Corinthians 15:9-10).

The Lord has a way of choosing the lowly, the outcast, the downtrodden, and even the disobedient to do His will. He selects those who outwardly exhibit little faith. I guess you could call this works without faith. Right? Some people are reluctant to go because they lack faith; nevertheless, they wind up going because they are compelled. Paul testified, “For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16, NIV). In 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, which is a very familiar passage, here’s what Paul had to say about being called:

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.

The Lord sometimes chooses those who are lowly, disobedient, or reluctant to do His will; and He does so in order to demonstrate His power. He chooses such individuals so “that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1:29). Using a person who has been defiant against doing the Lord’s will requires a miracle. This is what Henry Blackaby calls a God-sized task, or something that only God can do. Only the Lord can work His will through someone who is living in defiance; and only God can cause the reluctant ones to go in His name.