PROPERLY APPROACHING (American)PRIVILEGE-II
—Matthew 21:33-46
OR:
A CHRISTIAN APPROACH To AMERICAN PRIVILEGE
Attention & Need:
Americans(& generally any nation which is free) are A Privileged & Proud Nation/People...But many Americans, including yourselves, may find your ‘privilege & pride’ are misplaced--or--centered on illegitimate sources.
Characters/Representations in the parable:
Landowner—God
Vineyard—Israel as the focus of God’s attentions & love(& thus also speaks to the Church)
Wall—Ownership/Separation/Protection
Wine Press—Anticipation of fruitfulness/A return
Tower—Concern/Protection
Vine-growers—Spiritual Leaders/Nurture
Slaves—Prophets(Apostles & speaks to(?Preachers/Teachers?)
Son—Son of God/Jesus
Thru this parable, Jesus highlighted/clarified a proper approach to an God-ordained privilege.
There is a Proper(Christian) Approach to (American)Privilege.
What is a Proper/Christian Approach to (American)Privilege?
Or
How should America approach her God-ordained privilege?
9 approaches to American privilege.
We have previously discovered that we must
Approach our (American)privilege with...
1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT(:33a)
Furthermore, you must...
2—Approach your (American)privilege with...
RELIABILITY/Trustworthiness(:33b)
Explanation:(:33b)Entrust/Refreshment
:33b—“...And he leased it to vinedressers & went into a far country.”
The “Landowner” “plants” with the expectation & anticipation of a harvest.
The “Landowner” has expectations of the vine’s production.
The vineyard obviously requires specific care & attention.
*The “Landowner” “leased”/let out/rented or otherwise entrusted the “vineyard” to “vine-growers”/husbandmen/farmers.
*These “vine-growers” represent Israel’s Chief priests & Elders, i.e. their spiritual leadership. These are charged with tending the vines & vineyard. They are charged with encouraging fruit production from the “vineyard.”
These spiritual leaders are NOT the prophets, who are represented by the servants(:34-36)! But they are absolutely answerable to the message of the prophets & particularly the (S)son(:37). Their message is the same & comes directly & indirectly from God.
The “Landowner” “leases” the “vineyard” to those who have expertise in appropriately handling the vineyard & it’s produce. They were expected to be proficient at maintaining the “vineyard’s” health & coaxing it’s full fruitfulness.
They were specifically ‘called’ to the task(“lease”).
“The ‘lease’ allowed three forms: 1)Money-rent, 2)A proportion of the crop, or 3)A definite amount of the produce whether it was a good or bad year. Probably the last form is that contemplated here.”—RWP
They obviously were expected to be concerned with such a task. They were blessed & thus privileged to be such.
*After having established His “vineyard” & it’s care, the “Landowner” went on a journey away from his public & land, so that he was physically absent.
He had business to take care of & was comfortable that he had left his concerns/matters/obligations(2Tim. 2:11-13) in good hands.
2Tim. 2:11-13—“This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”
“Leased/Let...Out/Rented...out”—ekdidwmi—Verb—1) To give out of one's house, power, hand, stores; 2) To give out, give up, give over; 3) To let out for hire; 4) To farm out; 5) To let out for one's advantage. Strong—To give forth, i.e. specially--To lease. Used 4X.
“Vinedressers/Vine-growers”(See :34, 35, 38, 40, 41)—gewrgov—Noun Masc.—1) A husbandman, tiller of the soil, a vine dresser. Strong—A land-worker, i.e. Farmer. Used 19X.
From—gh—1) Arable land; 2) The ground, the earth as a standing place; 3) The main land as opposed to the sea or water; 4) The earth as a whole; 5) A country, land enclosed within fixed boundaries, a tract of land, territory, region. Strong— soil; by extension--A region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe.—& the base of—ergon—1) Business, employment, that which any one is occupied; 2) Any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind; 3) An act, deed, thing done: The idea of working is emphasized in opposition to that which is less than work. Strong—from a primary(but obsolete) ergw(to work); Toil(as an effort or occupation); by implication--An act.
*“Went into a Far Country/Went on a Journey”—apodhmew—Verb—1) To go away into foreign parts, go abroad. Strong—To go abroad, i.e. Visit a foreign land. Used 6X.
Lit.=‘Off from (his)public’
From—apo—1) Of separation; 2) Of origin—2a) Of the place whence anything is, comes, befalls, is taken, 2b) Of origin of a cause. Strong—a primary particle; “Off,” i.e. Away(from something near), in various senses(of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative).—&—dhmov—The public(as bound together socially).
Argumentation:
1Sam. 29:1-7—“Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, & the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel. And the lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds & by thousands, but David & his men passed in review at the rear with Achish. Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me.” But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, & do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men? “Is this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’?” Then Achish called David & said to him, “Surely, as the LORD lives, you have been upright, & your going out & your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight. For to this day I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me. Nevertheless the lords do not favor you. Therefore return now, & go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.”
These are the words of a mere man. Achish did not know that David had been raiding Achish’s own countrymen. Achish assumed ‘Reliability’ when it was not so.
Ex. 18:13-26—“And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; & the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, & all the people stand before you from morning until evening?” And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a difficulty, they come to me, & I judge between one & another; & I make known the statutes of God & His laws.” So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. Both you & these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, & God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. And you shall teach them the statutes & the laws, & show them the way in which they must walk & the work they must do. “Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; & place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, & rulers of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing, & God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, & all this people will also go to their place in peace.” So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law & did all that he had said. And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, & made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, & rulers of tens. So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves.”
Deut. 1:15-17—“So I[Moses] took the heads of your tribes, wise & knowledgeable men, & made them heads over you, leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, leaders of tens, & officers for your tribes. Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your brethren, & judge righteously between a man & his brother or the stranger who is with him. ‘You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, & I will hear it.’”
Lk. 16:10-12—“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; & he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?”
If I, as a Christian, am unfaithful with my charge, then I will not receive heavenly rewards that are potentially mine!
1Tim. 3:1-7—“This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach & the snare of the devil.”
1Tim. 3:8-13—“Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. Likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children & their own houses well. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing & great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
Mat. 11:28—“Come to Me, all you who labor & are heavy laden, & I will give you rest.”
Acts 3:19—“Repent therefore & be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, & that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,”
Acts 27:3—“And the next day we landed at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly & gave him liberty to go to his friends & receive care.”
Acts 28:2—“And the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire & made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling & because of the cold.”
Rom. 15:15—“Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God,”
Rom. 15:32—“that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, & may be refreshed together with you.”
*1Cor. 16:17-18—“I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, & Achaicus, for what was lacking on your part they supplied. For they refreshed my spirit & yours. Therefore acknowledge such men.”
2Cor. 7:6-7—“Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, & not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.”
2Cor. 7:13—“Therefore we have been comforted in your comfort. And we rejoiced exceedingly more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.”
*Php. 2:19—“But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state.”
2Tim. 1:16—“The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, & was not ashamed of my chain;”
Why? Because Paul’s “chain” was not there because of his personal sin, but undeservedly because of his personal commitment to Christ Jesus!
Phm. :7—“For we have great joy & consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.”
Phm. :20—“Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in the Lord.”
Illustration:
Mechanics—Finding a reliable Mechanic can be nerve-wracking when you are new in town/Nobody wants shoddy work because your car or truck is a major & necessary financial commitment/You want Reliable mechanics who will do their absolute best to ensure your vehicle’s sustainability/RELIABILITY--Trustworthiness
Painting—FBCC used J&K Paint Contracting to paint the interior/The contractor met with Max & it was explained what we needed—They agreed to the stipulations/He painted the sanctuary etc./We left him to his business/He faithfully followed thru/He-they painted what was supposed to be painted & in fact, ‘went the extra mile’ in doing a bang-up job/RELIABILITY--Trustworthiness
J&K was so reliable that we contracted with him again to paint the exterior & pressure wash the sidewalks/Again J&K produced another bang-up job!/RELIABILITY--Trustworthiness
Doctors—Finding a reliable Medical Doctor can be nerve-wracking when you are new in town/Nobody wants shoddy work because your body’s overall health is necessary/You want Reliable MD’s who will do their absolute best to ensure your body’s sustainability/RELIABILITY--Trustworthiness
Application:
?YOU Approach (American)Privilege with RELIABILITY/Trustworthiness?
?How do YOU Approach your (American)Privilege?
3—Approach your (American)privilege with...
AVAILABILITY(:34)
Explanation:(:34)Dependability/At God’s Disposal/Engaged
:34—“Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.”
Go when God sends
Harvest time approached.
*“Vintage-time”—Lit.=‘Season/Time of the fruits’(KJV)
That time was determined by the Master/Landowner & based upon the known capabilities & expectations of the vine. He has called all of His people to the harvest!
Ps. 103:14—“For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.”
Lk. 14:16-24—“Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper & invited many, & sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ “But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, & I must go & see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ “And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, & I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ “Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, & therefore I cannot come.’ “So that servant came & reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets & lanes of the city, & bring in here the poor & the maimed & the lame & the blind.’ “And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, & still there is room.’ “Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways & hedges, & compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. ‘For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’”
Rom. 1:16-17—“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first & also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Therefore He appointed the 12 & the 70...in order to solidify faith!
Mat. 9:35-10:1, 16—[Appointment of the 12]—“Then Jesus went about all the cities & villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, & healing every sickness & every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary & scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, & to heal all kinds of sickness & all kinds of disease.”.....“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents & harmless as doves.”.....“
Lk. 10:1-3, 16-18, 20—[Appointment of the 70]—“After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, & sent them two by two before His face into every city & place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.”.....“He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, & he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”.....“Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
He sent “his servants”/slaves[Prophets] to gather the produce.
Ours is not a Christian nation nor can it be, but it is absolutely a nation of Christians, with Christian influence...And as a result, our nation is unlike any other nation on earth!
BUT...What will God find when He comes to receive it’s fruit?
Lk. 18:7-8—“And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day & night to Him, though He bears long with them? “I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?””
...Are you faithful?...If so, then your faith will be perfected thru ‘works’ of God’s compulsion!—You will make yourself AVAILABLE for His service!
Argumentation:
Some suppose that since God is ‘gone,’(unseen) then we can do what we desire. He has left His things to mere human ingenuity. Wrong!
*Lk. 19:11-27—“Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem & because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom & to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, & said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ “But his citizens hated him, & sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’ “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ “And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ “And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ “Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’ “Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.[Unavailable!] ‘For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, & reap what you did not sow.’ “And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit & reaping what I did not sow. ‘Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ “And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, & give it to him who has ten minas.’ (“But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’) ‘For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; & from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ‘But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, & slay them before me.’”
*Isa. 6:1-13—“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high & lifted up, & the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, & with two he flew. And one cried to another & said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, & the house was filled with smoke. So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, & said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.” Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” And He said, “Go, & tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return & be healed.” Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered: “Until the cities are laid waste & without inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate, The LORD has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. But yet a tenth will be in it, And will return & be for consuming, As a terebinth tree or as an oak, Whose stump remains when it is cut down. So the holy seed shall be its stump.”
Heb. 10:31-39—“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches & tribulations, & partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; for you had compassion on me in my chains, & joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better & an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come & will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.”
*Gal. 3:9-14—“So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.” Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
*Lk. 9:62—“But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, & looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Acts 20:17-27—“From Miletus he sent to Ephesus & called for the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears & trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, & taught you publicly & from house to house, testifying to Jews, & also to Greeks, repentance toward God & faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains & tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, & the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.”
Illustration:
Riding lawnmower/Mowing deck houses belts & pulleys that turn the mowing blades/These are turned by the motor/There is a manual ‘shifter’ by which the rider ‘engages’ the belts & pulleys that, in turn, rotate the blades to cut the grass/The person mowing can ride the mower either without the blades turning or in mowing mode/The blades are available for engagement at the whim of the rider—Without such availability, there is no point or purpose at all for having the mowing deck/AVAILABILITY...The reliability is another matter as seen previously!
I watched a program about antique tractors on RFDTV which highlighted a certain tractor which was manufactured for only a few years/It had stationary forward gears & stationary reverse gears/BUT in order to make use of either forward or reverse gears, the engine was built on a slide system so it could be unlocked & slid from front to rear or vice versa/AVAILABILITY
Tractor/PTO
Application:
?YOU Approach (American)Privilege with AVAILABILITY?
?How do YOU Approach your (American)Privilege?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Approach your (American)privilege with...
2. RELIABILITY/Trustworthiness(:33b)
3. AVAILABILITY(:34)
1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT(:33a)
Pts.# 2-3 presented 07/09/2017pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave.(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
