Why Bad People Can Get to Heaven
Matthew 21:28-32
July 27, 2008
NOTE: THE ME/WE/GOD/YOU/WE FORMAT USED IN MY MESSAGES IS BORROWED FROM ANDY STANLEY’S BOOK, "COMMUNICATING FOR A CHANGE."
Me: During my freshman year in college, I went back to my high school to visit and to play in the band for a basketball game.
I had given my life to Christ not too long before that, and was excited about Him.
I also had an inkling that I might be headed toward ministry, even back then.
It wasn’t until about 17 or 18 years later that I really got “the call,” but I mentioned this possibility to the band director’s girlfriend.
She just looked at me with a shocked expression and said, “You? I never would have guessed…” and she started telling me why it seemed unlikely that I would be in ministry.
I won’t tell you everything she said, because it’s embarrassing.
But my point is that based on what she had seen of me before, there was little thought that I would even become a Christian, much less enter His service in ministry.
We: I think I can speak for just about all of us here when I say that you either have had people look at you like that, or that you have looked at others that way.
And for many people, including myself, it’s been both.
I’m ashamed to say that there have been times when I have looked at someone and passed them off rather than try to interact with them and help them find Christ.
We can find excuses to avoid such people. “Gotta go – the laundry’s almost dry and I need to get it folded! Look at the time! Where does it go? I need to get the cat walked, okay, so let’s pick this up another time, alright?”
Are you someone who feels that they’ve been shoved aside as an outcast by good “religious” folk, and it’s left you wondering if you really do matter to God?
Maybe you know someone that’s been treated that way, and it’s turned you off to God and to the church.
Are you someone who would have to admit that you’ve looked down your nose at others and decided they weren’t worth your time?
Well, I’m here to tell you that there’s hope for all of us in this arena.
God: Jesus had some things to say about those who the religious elite would call an “outcast.”
His words to the religious leaders are something we need to take note of, and my hope is that the Holy Spirit will use Jesus’ words to search our hearts as we discuss them today.
Just a reminder of what’s going on:
This conversation takes place during the last week of Jesus’ life, probably on the Tuesday of that week.
He has driven out those who were ripping off the people for the Passover, He’s been healing and teaching.
Just prior to this part, the religious leaders came to Jesus and challenged him by asking Him the source of His authority.
Jesus replied by asking a question that forced them to think through their ideas about John the Baptist and authority of his ministry.
When they answered that they didn’t know the source of John’s authority, Jesus says that He won’t bow to their demands to reveal His source, because John’s authority was also from God.
Matthew 21:28-32 (p. 698) –
28 "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ’Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
29 "’I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30 "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ’I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
Any parents here today? Can I get a witness? Every parent’s been there, that’s for sure!
Then Jesus asks a critical question, even though it seems like it’s not a big deal on the surface:
31 "Which of the two did what his father wanted?"
"The first," they answered.
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”
Now how do you like that? The tax collectors and prostitutes seemed to have more spiritual insight than the religious types. Interesting, huh?
Jesus sets up a contrast between two sons.
Son #1 initially refuses, then goes to do the work while Son #2 says he’ll do the work then doesn’t.
And Jesus uses this comparison to draw a parallel to the people He’s talking to.
The two sons in this story represent two sets of people:
Son #1: the tax collectors, prostitutes, etc.
These people were initially disobedient to the Law of God. They refused to believe and obey – until John came around.
When they heard the message of true righteousness through the arrival of the kingdom of God in Jesus, they responded. They believed and repented, and so they would enter the kingdom of heaven.
Son #2: the religious leaders who agreed with the Law and were outwardly obedient to it.
But when John came with God’s message of real repentance, they did not obey – they did nothing, and so they would miss out on the kingdom of heaven.
It’s ironic, isn’t it, that those who should have had the inside track to salvation were missing it altogether.
Why? Because they were trusting their own self-righteousness to make them right with God.
They thought that their outward religious observance would cut if for them and they didn’t need John – or Jesus for that matter.
But Jesus tells them that they’ve got it all turned around.
Jesus is saying that even the scum of society (that’s how the tax collectors and prostitutes were viewed), though it says no to God at first, will enter the kingdom if they repent and obey the Father’s will.
On the other hand, the religious authorities loudly say yes to God, but never do what he says, and so they will not enter.
They must have been stunned by Jesus’ words that despised, immoral people such as tax collectors and prostitutes were entering the kingdom and they, the religious leaders, were not! BKC
The pious religious leaders had said they would “go to the vineyard” but then had refused. The tax collectors and prostitutes had obviously strayed from God, but those who repented of their sin would enter the Kingdom of God. LANTC
So how can we summarize the parable? Here is what I would suggest:
Religion without repentance is worthless.
You can have all the religion you can handle, but if repentance is missing, then it’s not worth anything.
So before we really move to looking at how this parable applies to our everyday living, let’s look at this word, “repent.”
It’s a misunderstood word, and because it’s misunderstood, it’s often misapplied, and because it’s misapplied, it’s both ignored and mocked by the world.
Repent: literally “to change your mind.”
In the context of what we’re talking about – John’s baptism, it means changing your mind in regard to sin.
You used to think this way about sin, now you think this way about it. And the fruit of that new thinking is in how you live.
John the Baptist said to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” In other words, let your life reflect a changed mind and attitude toward sin and holiness.
A lot of people say they repent, but there is nothing in their lives to show that it’s real.
That’s not repentance, that’s lip-service.
Romans 12:2 –
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
In other words, get your mind on straight regarding sin.
What’s the modern-day parallel to this story about the two sons?
It’s people in churches, including pastors and other leaders who grow up in church, hearing the message, and putting on an outward show of religion but in reality rejecting Jesus as their savior and boss.
And while that’s happening, people who are looked down on by society and church-going folks are finding Jesus and finding their lives turned around.
Why can bad people get into heaven? Because they listen to the message of Jesus and respond to it.
They repent – they change their mind about Jesus and give their lives to him.
They come to Jesus and Jesus does the cleaning.
The Jews of Jesus’ day had the same issue that many in the church today have: they expect people to clean up their acts before they have any hope for being accepted by them or God.
But the call of Jesus is this: “Come to Me, just as you are. I’ll take care of the cleaning up. All you need to do is trust Me and let Me do My work in your life.”
You: Three main applications for today:
1. Ditch the lip service.
In other words, make sure you’re not like the second son – the ones who give lip-service to God but don’t really love or follow Jesus.
Can you talk a good talk – speak the language real well, but if God were to really examine your heart, find that there is nothing there in terms of real belief, love, and allegiance to Him?
Are you showing the fruits of repentance in your life or are you hoping to just skate by because you go to church once in a while?
If not, then I’d invite you to grab onto the second application for today, and that is to…
2. Repent and believe in Jesus.
Just like Jesus told the religious folks to do, just like the tax collectors and prostitutes were doing in response to John the Baptist’s message.
In other words, follow the example of the first son – by repenting and putting your faith and life in Christ.
Jesus died to give you forgiveness of sins and a home in heaven, and no matter what your status in life, no matter what your background, no matter what you’ve done, great or small, He wants you to be part of the kingdom of God.
Call out to Jesus, asking Him to grant you that forgiveness and that guarantee of heaven, asking Him to help you live for Him instead of yourself.
Here’s the third application, and it’s especially relevant for us in the church:
3. Invite the “outcasts” to hear the message of Jesus.
The Pharisees and other religious leaders did all they could to avoid people who weren’t just like them.
Jesus got into all sorts of trouble for being around tax collectors and prostitutes – those that society rejected.
Just last night I visited with a guy whose church here in town had an outreach event for a neighborhood that’s filled with people who are looked at as “trailer trash.”
He was describing the service to someone, another Christian, and this person basically said, “How could you do something like that? I’ll bet the kids were running all over the place.”
Huh? What’s that got to do with helping someone find Jesus? Folks, if you’re more worried about kids running around the church than about a family finding Jesus, you’ve got a problem!
We’re praying for at least 50 kiddos to come through these doors in the next few days. That’s a lot of running around, and a huge potential for stuff to get banged up or food getting knocked onto the carpets we just had cleaned last week.
But if one child finds Jesus, it’s worth it. If one family finds a church home that loves on them, it’s worth it. If one person sees the church acting like it loves Jesus and puts His priorities first, it’s worth it.
Folks, if we could really understand just how unworthy we are to receive God’s forgiveness and a home in heaven.
Then we’d understand that we’re no better than anyone else when it comes to being worthy of Jesus.
I recently ran into a fella who, when he was introduced at his girlfriend’s church year ago, was met by the greeter, who said, “You are an abomination in the sight of God,” because he had long hair.
The young man didn’t know what an abomination was, and thought maybe that was a cool thing.
He was an outcast in this man’s eyes. And he was outside of God’s love and care as far as this greeter was concerned.
Well, he ended up marrying the girl, and today, this “abomination” is working on what I believe is his third or fourth decade of service for Christ, mainly in missionary work.
There’s no such thing as “trailer trash” in God’s eyes, folks. Only people who need the mercy of God.
There’s no such thing as an outcast in God’s eyes, folks. Only people made in the image of God who need Jesus.
And who are we to think that we can hold it back from someone because of the way they look or act?
We: Folks, this week we have the opportunity to touch a lot of people.
When they come through those doors, what will they see?
Will they see a bunch of religious snobs like the religious leaders in Jesus’ day, or will they see people who are serious about loving and living for Jesus, and who are serious about helping others do the same thing?
Will they see us with open arms or will they see us as just tolerating and putting up with them because we don’t know them really well?
Will they see us acting like Jesus or like those who would push them aside because we’re not comfortable?
May it never be!
May the love of Jesus shine in us and through us and may His kingdom be expanded because people come to Christ through what happens here this week and in the weeks, months, and years to come.
Let’s pray.
