PROPERLY APPROACHING PRIVILEGE-IV
—Matthew 21:33-46
OR:
A CHRISTIAN APPROACH To AMERICAN PRIVILEGE
Attention:
Lost Loot
A little boy came home with a $10 bill he claimed to have found.
"Are you sure it was lost?” asked his mother.
“Yes, I’m sure,” said the little boy. “I saw a man looking for it.”
The little boy did not approach his privilege properly!
Need:
Christians, like many Americans, can center their Privilege & Pride upon illegitimate sources.
Thru this parable, Jesus highlighted/clarified a proper approach to a God-ordained privilege.
There is a Proper(Christian) Approach to Privilege.
What is a Proper/Christian Approach to Privilege?
Or
How should Christians approach their God-ordained privilege?
9 approaches to American privilege.
We have previously discovered that we must
Approach our privilege with...
1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT(:33a)
2. RELIABILITY/Trustworthiness(:33b)
3. AVAILABILITY(:34)
4. HUMILITY(:35-39)
5—Approach your privilege with...
SENSIBILITY(:40-41)
Explanation:(:40-41)Logic/Reasonableness
:40—“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?”
The owner of the vineyard will return.
He will return for the sake of His son, & for the sake of the vineyard.
He will return with righteousness & justice in mind.
Jesus pointedly asked the spiritual leadership(chief priests, elders, Pharisees) what they thought the landowner would “do” to the vine-growers.
*It is personally eye-opening for us to see our situations objectively.
We are often better able to see our own fault when completely distanced from our personal part in a sin(s) by seeing the same fault(s) borne out thru another’s erring actions—*Thus Jesus used parables to effect change in others.
There are chains of events which we do not want to see others involved in or bring about or effect,... The very chains of events that we ourselves may bring about thru our own personal sinful influence. Such disparity is called ‘hypocrisy,’ or ‘being judgmental’ or ‘prejudiced.’ It is saying one thing while doing another. It is expecting certain behaviors from others, while seeing yourself as exempt(usually thru personal piety & self-righteousness).
cf.--David via Nathan--2Sam. 12:1-9(:7).
2Sam. 12:1-9—“Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, & said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich & the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks & herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought & nourished; & it grew up together with him & with his children. It ate of his own food & drank from his own cup & lay in his bosom; & it was like a daughter to him. And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock & from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb & prepared it for the man who had come to him.” So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, & he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing & because he had no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, & I delivered you from the hand of Saul. ‘I gave you your master’s house & your master’s wives into your keeping, & gave you the house of Israel & Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! ‘Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, & have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.”
*Jesus’ warning regarding hypocrisy—The ‘speck vs. the plank’ or ‘the splinter vs. the log’--Mat. 7:1-5(:3). Lk. 6:37-42(:41).
Mat. 7:1-5—“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; & with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; & look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, & then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
Lk. 6:37-42—“Judge not, & you shall not be judged. Condemn not, & you shall not be condemned. Forgive, & you will be forgiven. “Give, & it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, & running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, & then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.””
Casting the first stone--Jn. 8:2-11.
Jn. 8:2-11—“Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, & all the people came to Him; & He sat down & taught them. Then the scribes & Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down & wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up & said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down & wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, & the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up & saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go & sin no more.””
:41—“They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, & lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.”
The Temple rulers(chief priests & elders) responded to Jesus’ inquiry, that the landowner/housemaster would “destroy” those particular “wicked men”[blind spiritual leaders] bringing them to a “miserable”, wretched end[hell].
They also knew that such a landowner would do what is only natural, i.e., to rent out the vineyard to others who would care for it & bring its proceeds to the landowner.
It is a continual harvest[seasons is plural] which the landowner seeks & this involves vine-growers on a continual basis.
“The chief priests & elders judged themselves in the same way David had judged himself before Nathan’s revelation”(MNTC), yet following his adulterous & murderous sins regarding Bathsheba & Uriah. David’s response...
2Sam. 12:5-7—“So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, & he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing & because he had no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, & I delivered you from the hand of Saul.”
As was said before, There are chains of events which infuriate us when witnessed in others, even though we may be unknowingly or rather un-admittedly, living out these very same scenarios by our own sinfulness!
“Said”(See :43, 45; :38—epw)—legw—Verb—1) To say, to speak—1a) Affirm over, maintain, 1b) To teach, 1c) To exhort, advise, to command, direct, 1d) To point out with words, intend, mean, mean to say, 1e) To call by name, to call, name, 1f) To speak out, speak of, mention. Strong—a primary verb; properly--To "lay" forth, i.e. figuratively--Relate (in words [usually of systematic or set discourse; whereas epw & fhmi generally refer to an individual expression or speech respectively; while rew is properly, to break silence merely, & lalew means an extended or random harangue]); by implication--To mean.
“Destroy/Bring to a...End”—apollumi—Verb—1) To destroy—1a) To put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end to ruin, 1b) Render useless, 1c) To kill, 1d) To declare that one must be put to death, 1e) metaph.— To devote or give over to eternal misery in hell, 1f) To perish, to be lost, ruined, destroyed; 2) To destroy—2a) To lose. Strong—To destroy fully(reflexively--To perish, or lose), literally or figuratively.
“Wicked men/Wretches”—kakov—Adj.—1) Of a bad nature—1a) Not such as it ought to be; 2) Of a mode of thinking, feeling, acting—2a) Base, wrong, wicked; 3) Troublesome, injurious, pernicious, destructive, baneful. These words[kakov, ponhrov, faulov] may be used with very little distinction of meaning, but often the difference is marked. Kakov frequently means evil rather negatively, referring to the absence of the qualities which constitute a person or thing what it should be or what it claims to be. It is also used meaning evil in a moral sense. It is a general antithesis to agayov. Strong—apparently a primary word; Worthless(intrinsically, such; whereas ponhrov properly refers to effects), i.e. subjectively--Depraved, or objectively--Injurious.
“Miserably/Wretchedly”—kakwv—Adverb—1) Miserable, to be ill; 2) Improperly, wrongly; 3) To speak ill of, revile, one. Strong—Badly (physically or morally). Used 16X.
“Lease/Rent out”(See :33)—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.
“Vineyard”(See :33, 39)—ampelwn—Noun Masc.—1) A vineyard. Used 23X.
From—ampelov—A vine(as coiling about a support).
“Other”—allov—Adj.—1) Another, other. Allov as compared with eterov denotes numerical in distinction from qualitative differences; allov adds('one besides'), eterov distinguishes('one of two'); every eterov is an allov but not every allov is a eterov; allov generally denotes simple distinction of individuals, eterov involves the secondary idea of difference of kind. Strong—a primary word; “Else,” i.e. Different(in many applications).
“Vinedressers/Vine-growers”(See :33, 34, 35, 38, 40)—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.
“Render/Pay”—apodidwmi—Verb—1) To deliver, to give away for one's own profit what is one's own, to sell; 2) To pay off, discharge what is due; 3) To give back, restore; 4) To requite, recompense in a good or a bad sense. Strong—To give away(off/from), i.e. Up, over, back, etc.(in various applications).
“Fruits/Proceeds”(See :34, 43)—karpov—Noun Masc.—1) Fruit—1a) The fruit of the trees, vines, of the fields, 1b) The fruit of one's loins, i.e. his progeny, his posterity; 2) That which originates or comes from something, an effect, result. Strong—probably from the base of arpazw[to seize]; Fruit(as plucked), literally or figuratively.
“Seasons”(See :34)—kairov—Noun Masc.—1) Due measure; 2) A measure of time, a larger or smaller portion of time, hence:—2a) A fixed & definite time, the time when things are brought to crisis, the decisive epoch waited for, 2b) Opportune or seasonable time, 2c) The right time, 2d) A limited period of time, 2e) To what time brings, the state of the times, the things & events of time. Kairov denotes a definitely limited portion of time with the added notion of suitableness. Strong—of uncertain affinity; An occasion, i.e. Set or proper time.
Argumentation:
Prov. 1:7—“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom & instruction.”
Job 28:20-28—“From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all living, And concealed from the birds of the air. Destruction & Death say, ‘We have heard a report about it with our ears.’ God understands its way, And He knows its place. For He looks to the ends of the earth, And sees under the whole heavens, To establish a weight for the wind, And apportion the waters by measure. When He made a law for the rain, And a path for the thunderbolt, Then He saw wisdom & declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.’”
Isa. 29:13-14—“Therefore the LORD said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work & a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”
Isa. 28:1-13—“Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, Whose glorious beauty is a fading flower Which is at the head of the verdant valleys, To those who are overcome with wine! Behold, the Lord has a mighty & strong one, Like a tempest of hail & a destroying storm, Like a flood of mighty waters overflowing, Who will bring them down to the earth with His hand. The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, Will be trampled underfoot; And the glorious beauty is a fading flower Which is at the head of the verdant valley, Like the first fruit before the summer, Which an observer sees; He eats it up while it is still in his hand. In that day the LORD of hosts will be For a crown of glory & a diadem of beauty To the remnant of His people, For a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, And for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. But they also have erred through wine, And through intoxicating drink are out of the way; The priest & the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, They are swallowed up by wine, They are out of the way through intoxicating drink; They err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit & filth; No place is clean. “Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.” For with stammering lips & another tongue He will speak to this people, To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”; Yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little,” That they might go & fall backward, & be broken And snared & caught.”
Jn. 1:10—“He was in the world, & the world was made through Him, & the world did not know Him.”
Jn. 3:17—“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
1Cor. 1:19-24—“For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, & Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block & to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews & Greeks, Christ the power of God & the wisdom of God.”
Rom. 12:1-2—“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good & acceptable & perfect will of God.”
Jer. 17:5-10(:9)—“Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.”
Illustration:
I complain about other people letting their property fill up with trash/YET...I have done nothing to remove the trash that is just down the hill from the church dumpster/The little patch of ‘woods’ is littered with trash, which the bears have drug from the FBCC dumpster into the woods to eat/SENSIBILITY
Our pile of sticks & leaves from the yard which ‘we’(alright...technically my wife!) rake up occasionally/We don’t put it by the side of the road for the ‘brush truck’ to pick up—as we should—because the county is so sporadic about getting it(a poor excuse on our part!)/If we were patient, then it would get picked up eventually/We wrongly chose to transfer the brush to the same littered area near the church shed-dumpster/Which we must rectify!--There is no difference between us throwing it on the neighbor’s property!/Where’s the SENSIBILITY?
Application:
?YOU Approach Privilege with SENSIBILITY?
?How do YOU Approach your Privilege?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
The little guy who wrongly took the ‘lost’ $10 bill because he “...saw a man looking for it.”
Action:
Approach your privilege with...
5. SENSIBILITY(:40-41)Logic/Reasonableness
1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT(:33a)
2. RELIABILITY/Trustworthiness(:33b)
3. AVAILABILITY(:34)
4. HUMILITY(:35-39)
Pt.# 5 only! presented 07/23/2017pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave.(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
