Matthew’s Unique Message #6
Your Work in The Kingdom of Heaven
Matthew 20:1-16; 21:28-32; 25:1-13
CHCC: August 26, 2007
INTRODUCTION:
We’ve been talking a lot about the Kingdom of Heaven this summer … mainly because we’re studying the Gospel of Matthew … and Matthew quotes Jesus using that phrase a lot. We’re going to keep talking about the Kingdom of Heaven all fall because that is the theme of the Sermon on the Mount. So I got to thinking it would be a good time to talk about what The Kingdom of Heaven actually IS.
A lot of people think of The Kingdom of Heaven as being … in Heaven. Well, it’s true that the place where God’s throne is --- the place where the angels worship Him day and night … that place IS The Kingdom of Heaven. But the Kingdom of Heaven is not just the place we call Heaven.
When Jesus talks about The Kingdom of Heaven, the word heaven might be better translated, the heavens, or the atmosphere, or The Kingdom of the Air around you. Jesus said something similar to that in John 3:8: The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. You see, the Kingdom of Heaven is as close by as the air you breathe. It is not visible, but it is all around you, and you often feel its presence.
Someone asked me recently, “Do you think the Church is the Kingdom of Heaven?” Well, the answer is yes … and no: “The church IS the Kingdom of Heaven” But the Kingdom of Heaven is not JUST the church. The church (not the institutional church, but God’s true church) is a collection of all those people who are ruled by the spirit of God. And the Kingdom of Heaven is anywhere that God reigns.
The Church is The Kingdom of Heaven because Jesus rules His church. Every believer’s heart is the Kingdom of Heaven because Jesus rules that life. Jesus offers entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven to everyone who believes. It’s a free gift. … but it’s NOT a free ride. In Jesus’ Kingdom, you are given the privilege to work with God.
Today we’re looking at 3 parables that talk about the work we do within The Kingdom of Heaven. First we’ll look at a story Jesus told to show that your work in God’s Kingdom is custom made for YOU.
1. YOU work with God Matthew 20:1-16
You can look in Matthew 20:1-16 to read the parable. I’m going to quote it from the SAP version. (that’s the San Antonio Paraphrase.) “A certain Property Owner decided to subdivide his prime Hill Country property and build a Golf Resort Sub Division. He ended up needing more laborers, so early one morning he went to the Bunk House to hire Day Labor. He agreed to pay them $100 if they worked until sundown, and they were glad to take the offer since that was a more than fair wage.
He went back around 10:00 and hired some more, then hired more workers again at 1:00 and 4:00. Then the landowner went back one last time at about 6:00 and found some men still standing around. He asked them, “Why aren’t you guys working?” And they said, “Because no one hired us.” So the Property Owner invited them to come finish out the day working for him.
At the end of the day, they laborers lined up to get their pay, and the landowner started by doling out $100 to the men he hired that evening. Well, the ones who’d been there since daybreak got excited. If those guys who only worked a couple of hours got $100, they might get 4 or 5 times that amount! But as they went through the line they realized everyone got the same $100 no matter when they started work.
They went up to the landowner and complained, “Hey! What’s going on here? We worked through the heat of the day, but you gave the same pay to these goof offs who came in right before sunset!” The Property Owner told them, “I’m not being unfair to you. I agreed to give you $100 … and that’s what you got.” Then he said … (and now I’m quoting from Jesus’ words) … Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ Matthew 20:14-15
Now, don’t we all do the same thing those complainers did? Haven’t you ever looked around at someone else and thought, “Why do they get to have such an easy life while I have it so hard? How come they get the easy life while I get hard times?” We don’t see it that way, but what we’re really doing is looking up to Heaven and telling God, “That’s not fair!”
In this parable Jesus makes it clear that in His Kingdom, we won’t have identical blessings and identical workloads. In The Kingdom of Heaven, everyone who is willing to work will be given a place to serve. The Pay Scale is God’s business, not ours.
I’ve heard people complain at the idea that some Murderer on Death Row can be Saved ... and go to the same Heaven as someone like Mother Theresa. Notice in the parable that the Landowner did not base the pay on how much work was done. The pay was based on what the worker NEEDED. If these laborers were going to be able to pay their bills and feed their families, they needed a full days pay. And that’s what they got.
That’s the way it is in the Kingdom of God. So, don’t waste your energy comparing your life with people who seem to have it better! Don’t compare your lot with others. Just rejoice that you work for a Generous God. He will supply all you need and more! And, at the end of the day … He will PERSONALLY hand you your reward.
Normally some Contractor would be the one who would go out looking for laborers. The Property Owner would be playing 18 holes at his Country Club. But in Jesus’ parable, the Landowner HIMSELF did the hiring … and handed out the payment. God personally offers you the opportunity to serve in His Kingdom. And at the end of the day, God will personally give you your reward.
Now, as we look at the 2nd of these 3 parables, we’ll put the emphasis on a different word. This parable shows that in the Kingdom of Heaven, You WORK with God.
2. You WORK with God Matthew 21:28-32
I don’t think WORK is the word that comes to mind when most people think about CHURCH. After all, what do we do at church? We spend most of our time sitting on a padded chair … just like you’re doing right now. The people running Children’s Church or watching babies in the nursery … now THEY probably think of WORK when they think of Church!
But the Parable in Matthew 21:28-32 makes it clear that WORK is what we’re expected to do in The Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus didn’t tell this short parable to a general audience. He directed it straight toward the Religious Leaders who had just finished questioning His authority. He looked straight at them and asked, “What do you think about THIS?”
Then He hit them between the eyes with a short, simple little story about a man who had two sons. He said to the first, “Son, go and work today in the vineyard.” And the son said, “No. I will not.” But later he changed his mind and went and worked.
Then the father went and asked his other son the same thing. That son answered, “Yes, sir, I will.” But he did not go out at work at all.
So then, Jesus asked the Religious Leaders, “Which of the two did what the father wanted?” And they gave the only possible answer, “The first.”
I have a feeling they got the point. They prided themselves on being Religious Leaders … the kind who wore religious clothes and talked religious talk and enforced religious rules. But according to Jesus Religiosity isn’t what’s needed in the Kingdom of Heaven. OBEDIENCE is what impresses Jesus.
Would Jesus be impressed with you and me? We all look fairly “religious” right now, right? After all, we’re in church … and we’re awake (well, most of us are…) But we need to remember that looking Religious or talking Religious isn’t enough. We’ve all heard that old saying, “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” Well, when you look at this Parable, you see that’s not so far off. Good intentions won’t cut it in God’s Kingdom.
What work is God asking YOU to do this year in His vineyard? Maybe you already said “yes” to Him … but have you actually gone out and started the job … or are you putting it off, thinking your good intentions will be enough? I’m in a position where I hear a lot of people saying things like, “Yeah, we’re going to join a church soon,” or “I’d like to get more involved in the work of the church one of these days.” It’s sad when those good intentions never turn into anything at all.
On the other hand, let’s don’t just look at the negative. How wonderful it is that someone is like the first son. Someone who initially says “no” to God can change their mind later … and still have full acceptance in God’s Kingdom. I’ve met people who rebelled against God for years and years --- then their lives were totally transformed when they Repented. Those people are some of the most effective and inspiring workers in the Church!
For the last of the 3 parables, we’re going to look at it this way: You work WITH GOD.
3. You work WITH GOD Matthew 25:1-13
This is a story of 10 Bridesmaids that Dallas talked about last week. This parable makes one thing clear: if we think we can make it … apart from our CONNECTION to Jesus Christ … we’re only fooling ourselves.
In Matthew 25:1, Jesus started out by saying, "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” When Jesus says “at that time” He’s talking about the day when the Kingdom of Heaven leaves this Earth and actually ascends to Heaven --- in other words, the day when Jesus Returns to earth to claim His Church.
If you were just looking in on these 10 bridesmaids, you’d think they were all alike. They were dressed alike. They were all on location, waiting for the bridegroom to come. But there was a crucial difference. Five of them had refilled their lamps with oil. Five let their oil run out. While they rushed out last-minute to buy oil, the Bridegroom arrived. Here was the end result: The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. “Sir! Sir!” they said. “Open the door for us!” But he replied, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.” Jesus concluded by saying: Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. Matthew 25:10-13
That may seem harsh. Those poor bridesmaids just needed to get some oil. What was so bad about that? To understand the meaning of this story, we need to know that throughout the Bible, Oil is used as a symbol for the Spirit of God. When you know that, the point of the Parable is clear.
It’s possible to look like a Christian and dress like a Christian and talk like a Christian and hang around at Church like a Christian … and even think of yourself as a Christian … but actually have no connection with Christ at all. I don’t know about you, but I take this warning seriously. I want to be sure I stay genuinely CONNECTED to Jesus Christ every day of my life.
Notice that in the parable, ALL the Bridesmaids were sleeping when the bridegroom arrived. That was not the problem. Normal life goes on for all of us while we wait for the day when Jesus returns. “Keeping watch” doesn’t mean standing on a hill, waving our lamps and singing Cum Bah Yah all day long. We need to earn a living, spend time with our loved ones, eat and sleep and enjoy the life God has given us.
The problem comes when we fail to include the Spirit of God in our daily routine. Matthew Henry once said, “There are many who do not care to live the Christian life --- but they all want to die a Christian death.” It’s too easy to just get in a routine where we let our relationship with God get pushed aside. We let time slip by, thinking we’ll have plenty of time to refill our “spiritual lamps” another day.
That is a fatal mistake when you apply it to our connection with Jesus. We need to check our “oil level” every day. We need to make God a part of our daily routine. Getting together with other Christians every week is vitally important to Spiritual health ... But that alone is not enough.
I want to challenge you to start every day with prayer. Incorporate Bible reading into your daily schedule. Post scriptures on your mirror or your computer screen. As you go through the day, listen to Christian music or Christian TV shows. Do everything you can to keep your Oil Supply full. That gives you the power to serve Jesus on THIS day and to be ready to meet Him on THAT day.
CONCLUSION:
Next week I’m going to preach an introduction to the Sermon on the Mount. This will be the focus for our Pueblo Groups, which will start on September 9. I hope you’ll plan to be part of one of these small groups this fall. Part of the reason we have groups like this is so we can help each other keep our connection with Christ strong.
During our time of Invitation, I hope you’ll be praying about what kind of ministry God may be calling you to do this year in His Kingdom. Maybe this is the time you want to join our congregation and work alongside us here at CHCC. Maybe this is the day you want to become part of The Kingdom of Heaven.
