Matthew 21:33-46 Series
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Welcome
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to First Community Church, where we worship in Spirit and in Truth, one verse at a time.
Thank you for your faithfulness and for all you do for the Kingdom of God.
The times we are living in, changes on a daily and sometimes even hourly basis. Peter write the Word of God endures forever. Now that’s a longtime!
Let’s pray in and get into our text this morning.
Prayer
Prayer
Read Matthew 21:33-46
Read Matthew 21:33-46
Review
Review
As we have journeyed through Matthew 21 over the last few weeks, my heart is that you understand the text, that you can apply this text in your life, and that you can share the text with another as the Holy Spirit leads.
Over the last two weeks we learned that we are all called to work in The Father’s vineyard and that one day he will come back and hold us accountable for the fruit that was produced in his vineyard. We are to labor in His vineyard church, for his glory!
Remember we are not saved by works, but by grace through faith for good works:
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
3. Last week we learned about the love of God and how He sent his sent his prophets, apostles, disciples, and even martyrs today to wake us up, to bring us back to himself as we all wander form time to time.
4. When you look at Israel church and their wanderings, please remember, Israel is just a picture of us.
5. Israel had a bad habit of backsliding, and God had a good habit of being graceful, merciful, and longsuffering even though they would worship idols, break His law and commands.
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.
6. Here, I believe he is doing it again. God’s heart is not one shall perish, but that all shall come to the place of repentance and turn away from their sin and back to the living God who loves them and us so much.
So the landowner sent his servants at vintage time, and the vinedressers beat and killed them.
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
Here you can see the compassion and love of God coming out of Jesus.
But before Jesus had spoken this he gave 12 woes to the Pharisees in Matthew 23.
The word “woe” is often used to express grief, regret, misfortune or grievous distress stated from such a great affliction of some sort or being in such trouble that an escape out of it seems impossible. Sometimes, a woe is almost beyond description and words fail us so a “woe” may be the only thing we can say to express our feelings, very much like when we groan.
The word “woe” in the Greek is “ouai” and is more than just an expression of a feeling. Woe is a judgment as we read in the Book of Revelation (chapters 8. 9, 11, and 12). It means “alas” or almost like “oh no!” When the word woe is used, it is quite possibly signifying impending doom, condemnation and/or the wrath of God so it is never used to only emphasize something in the sentence in which it is used
Now we arrive at our text at hand:
Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
Who is this Son?
What kind of person would keep sending servants and after they beat and killed everyone of them, would send his son?
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
What do you do with the Son?
Have you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior or are you rejecting Him?
When the gospel is presented, when Jesus is presented church to the saved as well as the unsaved, we only do 2 things with HIM? we either accept Him or reject Him!
What did these vinedressers/ these religious leaders/ Israel do to the landowners Son?
So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
What a picture of what John wrote:
He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
He came to His people, the Jews and yet they did not receive Him, but rather crucified Him.
And church, we can do the same thing in a metaphorical sense
Did you notice they cast him out of the vineyard?
Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink. Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.”
Yes, you are correct! The Son in this story Jesus is talking about is himself!
This parable was prophetic in that Jesus was telling them that they would kill Him.
I think it is absolutely crucial that we do not reject the servant God sends into our lives church!
Why does God send servants into our lives?
To bring us back to himself.
To cause us to repent of some sin in our lives.
To stop us from jumping off a cliff.
To help us see where we are wrong.
To turn our eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face. Then the things of this world will grow strangely dim, i the light of his glory and grace.
How about to encourage us?
How about to walk alongside us?
How about to speak a word into our lives that God knows we need to hear.
How about for us to encourage and edify them?
How about because he wants bless us?
Church, God sends his servants into our lives, because he loves us!
Let’s not refuse them, but receive them joyfully.
Read 2 Samuel 12
Read 2 Samuel 12
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.”
Luke tells us that the people gathered around. Some of them cried, “God forbid. No, no, no, no.” Certainly not!
There are two things there. First is judgment. Second is replacement. First is judgment, the replacement.
In other words, those people, when they heard, “What will he do to them,” and the leaders, “Why, he will miserably destroy those wicked farmers and give the vineyard to someone who will give them – give him the fruits of it.” Cried out, “No, no, no, no,” as if they were unable to imagine what he would do to them. And they transferred their sorrow for those who would be so devastatingly punished. They were so caught up in the story, perhaps, that they were just unable to imagine what he would do to such wicked people. And the sympathy of their heart cried out even in behalf of the wicked. Or it may be that some of the people began already to see the true interpretation of the parable, and they sensed a spiritual reality that created great fear in their hearts.
There is three important points here:
Christ shared that the Lord of the vineyard is coming back !
The wicked will be destroyed. Note: it was the vinedressers who said justice will be executed.
The landowner is going to trust His vineyard to others. Note: that it was the vinedressers who said this.
Matthew, vols. 1-4 (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary) The Conclusion
They no doubt were highly pleased with this unusual opportunity to parade their self-righteousness before Jesus. They rightly assessed the proper ending of the parable, that the irate owner would first severely punish the wicked growers and then replace them with others who were reliable. They were completely unaware that, as they fed their pride on Jesus’ baited question, they sprang the trap of their own condemnation.
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
So first the judgement and then the replacement.
The vinedressers answered rightly.
It is interesting how Jesus placed this scripture here in this parable.
It like it does not fit
But here is where Jesus gives the explanation of the parable in a veiled way.
Remember parables reveal spiritual truths to those who are humble, while concealing to those who are proud.
Jesus said, “Don’t you read your Bibles to the religious leaders and those that were listening!”
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
Here we see Jesus quoting Psalm 118:22-23 and they were very familiar with it.
When Jesus rode in an a borrowed donkey to Bethany , they quoted and even sung Psalm 118:26
Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!”
Church, Son of David is a Messianic title. It is clear when the crowd was saying Hosanna to the Son of David that they made it clear that they were acknowledging Christ Messianic claim.
Hosanna in Hebrew means save now!
The Jews knew these verse really well because they would sing them at festivals.
It was called the Hallel, they would sing Psalm 116-118 because of what god did for them !
So here, Jesus, The Living Word of God confronts them.
Keep in mind they were well studied, so they thought.
Jesus makes three claims here church that affect both world history and the personal destiny of everyone who lives in this world.
He said he was the Chief Cornerstone
The Lord shall turn away form Israel to the Gentile nations, and to the church age.
A man’s rejection of Christ will cause that man to be crushed.
Church, it is better for you to fall on this stone, than for this Stone to fall on you!
Matthew, vols. 1-4 (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary) The Explanation
A cornerstone was the most basic and essential part of a building, from which the proper placement and alignment of every other part was determined. If the cornerstone was imperfectly cut or placed, the symmetry and stability of the entire building would be adversely affected. Sometimes the builders rejected a number of stones before the right one was selected. In this account, one such rejected stone eventually became the chief corner stone.
So if you start with the wrong stone, the whole building will be off.
Rock or Stone is often symbolic of the Lord Jesus Christ:
Blessed be the Lord my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle—
He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.
The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘He who rules over men must be just, Ruling in the fear of God.
Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
Jesus has just laid claim that the have rejected Him.
“Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.
Jesus says to the vinedressers that the Kingdom will be taken from them and given to a nation that will bear fruit
Church, it is better for you to fall on this stone, than for this Stone to fall on you!
Church Jesus is the living Stone that desires all men to come to Him, without this Cornerstone life will never be full, you will never be satisfied and you whole building will be off.
Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.
The results of the parable are threefold:
The religious leaders knew Jesus was speaking to them.
The religious leaders reacted instead of repenting. They should have heeded the Lord’s warning, but they did not. They were set against Him and wanted him dead.
The people saw Christ as a prophet ( a great teacher) and not as Messiah.
How has God spoken to you? Is Jesus Messiah or like the Jews, is he just a good teacher?
Prayer
Prayer
Announcements
Announcements
Keep Mary Jennings in prayer as she has a temp and is not feeling well.
Keep Kymbra in prayer as she is not feeling well herself.
Remember the little black box for love offerings, suggestions, or prayer requests.
Reach out!
Benediction
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
Be Blessed!
Be Thankful!
The Lord Bless you!
Your Mission Starts Now!