Introduction

Good morning, beloved family in Christ. As we gather here today, we are united in our shared love for our Savior, and our common desire to understand His word more deeply. We are not here by accident, but by divine appointment. We are not here to merely pass the time, but to seek wisdom and truth from the one who is our ultimate source of wisdom and truth.

Today, we're going to spend some time in Matthew 20:1-16. This passage of scripture is a profound parable that Jesus shared with His disciples. It's a story that reveals the heart of God, the nature of His kingdom, and the radical, counter-cultural way in which He dispenses His grace.

Let us read together:

For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went. He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?' 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered. He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.' When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his supervisor, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.' The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 'These who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' But he answered one of them, 'I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one 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?' So the last will be first, and the first will be last.

Heart Issues in Theological Hierarchy

In the parable, we see the landowner's response to the grumbling workers. He addresses them as 'friend' and asks if they are envious because he is generous. This response reveals the heart of the landowner, and by extension, the heart of God. It's a heart that is generous, gracious, and not bound by human standards of fairness. It's a heart that values people not based on their performance, but simply because they are His.

This is a radical idea in a world where we are often valued and rewarded based on our performance. We are used to a system where the one who works the hardest, the longest, or the most efficiently gets the most reward. But in God's kingdom, things operate differently. His grace is not something we earn by our hard work. It's a gift that He freely gives to all who are willing to receive it.

The second aspect is the issue of comparison. The workers who were hired first compared themselves to the ones who were hired last. They saw that they had worked harder and longer, and yet received the same pay. This comparison led to discontentment and grumbling. In our own lives, we often compare ourselves to others. We look at their blessings, their successes, and their rewards, and we feel that we deserve more. But God doesn't compare us to others. He doesn't measure our worth or our reward based on how we stack up against others. He values us simply because we are His.

The third aspect is the issue of entitlement. The workers who were hired first felt entitled to a greater reward. They felt that their hard work and long hours entitled them to more than the ones who were hired last. But in God's kingdom, there is no entitlement. We don't earn God's grace or His blessings. They are gifts that He freely gives out of His abundant love for us.

The fourth and final aspect is the issue of grace. The workers who were hired last received the same pay as the ones who were hired first, not because they earned it, but because the landowner chose to give it. This is a picture of God's grace. We don't receive His grace because we earn it or deserve it. We receive it because He chooses to give it. And He gives it generously, abundantly, and without partiality.

Humility in Christ's Salvation

As we continue to unpack the depth of this parable, we find ourselves confronted with the startling reality of God's grace ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO