Matthew 21:28-32-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.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?”
They said to Him, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.
A father had two children growing up.
They were still young enough that the choices they, made would not impact the path they would follow, in other words they hadn’t went down the wrong road so far that they couldn’t turn back.
Man has the choice of two destinies and Jesus frequently made use of various illustrations to contrast these two destinies:
1) The broad way and the narrow way (Matthew 7:13-14)
2) The rock and the sand of the two builders (Matthew 7:24-27)
3) The wheat and the chaff (Matthew 3:12)
4) The good and the bad in the dragnet (Matthew 13:47-50)
5) The wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)
6) The sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:14-30)
The father invited both sons to go and work in his vineyard.
The duty of every father is to instill in his children the necessity and blessing of work.
My Vineyard-The children must recognize the field is still their father's although they are called to work in it, we must recognize all this, and all we have, belongs to Him and that we have the privilege to be a part of His work.
These two children were of the same father and yet they were so different.
Both of these sons had:
1) The same father
2) The same instructions
3) The same opportunities and love
I Will Not-Tell a child to do something or go somewhere and the likely answer will be "I don't want to"
Afterward He Repented And Went- How much afterward? In Greek it implies not immediately afterwards, but toward the end of the thought process.
Repent-It means to change one's mind, which involves an instantaneous change of heart, a regret for unbelief and sin, and a determination to change direction.
It’s one thing to regret do something or not doing something, it is another thing to regret and do something about it!
Matthew 27:3-Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders
Judas was more sorry for the result of his sin than for the sin itself.
There Is A Huge Difference In Being Sorry About Your Sin, And Being Sorry For Your Sin.
There have been lots of times I’ve said, “I’m not going to do that…(Say I’m Sorry, Be Nice To Someone Who Has Been Rude To Me, Or Do Something For Them, When They Didn’t Help Me, When I Needed Help), but I repent and did what was right!
Thank God that He gives time and space to repent!
This is what both John the Baptist (Matt. 3:2) and the Lord Jesus preached: "Repent: for the kingdom of God is at hand" (Matt. 4:17).
‘I Go, Sir,’ But He Did Not Go-A lot of people have said they would follow Christ but they have ended up going their own way!
I believe God would rather hear a no from us, than a yes and us not follow thru!
