Share Gallery 1/share_gal_1.zip/share_gal_1/RD/RD015.ZIP/NOTES-01

Text File | 1991-01-12 | 15KB | 306 lines

                        THE ELEVENTH HOUR

                MATTHEW 20:1-16     VOL. 3  NO. 1

INTRO--For the next few moments I want you to step into the shoes
of a corporation Chief Executive Officer.  For one day, you are in
charge of GM.  Suppose that much of the labor force has been idle
for months due to a lull in the auto market.

     But for the one day that you are in charge, there is an
increased demand.  You issue an order early in the day to call back
many workers for one day of work at their usual salary.  As the day
progresses you realize that there is a need for additional workers
so several times during the day you issue a call for more workers
and give them the promise that you will treat them fairly
concerning their compensation.  You even choose to hire additional
workers just one hour before the assembly plants are to close so
that you can finish the work you started.

     As CEO for the day, there is one more thing that you have to
do.  You have to see that the workmen get paid for their work.
After due consideration you decide to pay every person a full day's
wages regardless of how many hours they worked.

     What is the result?  You are a hero with the half-day
employees but you are in trouble with everyone else.  The union had
filed hundred's of grievances against you for the "unfair" way you
treated the full-day workers since they did not get a bonus.  The
stock-holders are angry because you have given away the company
profits.  And at this moment the board of directors is having a
closed door meeting without you to determine the best way to deal
with you.  It is not a pleasant picture.  It is not very likely
that a CEO would ever take such action if he valued his job.

     But the Parable of the Vineyard portrays that exact situation.

Is it intended to be a lesson for corporate America?  Actually the
parable is not meant to be a lesson in economics or business.  But
it does have a message for the church.  This parable focuses on:


THE MOTIVATION OF PEOPLE,

THE GENEROSITY OF GOD, and

THE DIVINE ORDER OF THE KINGDOM.


     It is important that we understand the setting for this
parable.  A wealthy man asked (Mat. 19:16) "What good thing shall
I do, that I may have eternal life?"  Jesus answered (summarize
19:19-27) saying "sell all you have and then follow me."  Peter's
question (v.27) of Jesus as to what they could expect in the way of
reward since they had given up everything to follow the Lord.
Jesus gave a wonderful promise to His followers that they would
share thrones with Him when He established His kingdom.  Christians
will receive rewards from the Lord that are fitting and proper.
But Peter's question was evidently asked with the wrong motive.  He
wanted to know how great his reward would be since he had given so
much service to the Lord.  To answer his question Jesus gave this
parable.

     We must realize that this parable has nothing to do with
salvation.  The parable is not even necessarily about rewards since
the Bible says that (I Cor. 3:8) "every man shall receive his own
reward according to his own labor"--rather than all receiving the
same.  If we take this parable to giving us instruction concerning
rewards then we are in conflict with I Cor. 3:8.



                    THE MOTIVATION OF PEOPLE


v.2--agreed with the laborers for a penny a day--A danarius (penny)
was the standard wage for a day's work.  Notice that the first
workers entered into an agreement concerning what they were willing
to work for.  In fact the word "agreed" is from the word sumphoneo
(soom-fo-neh'-o) which means "harmonious."  Our word symphony
(where several instruments play in harmony) from this.

--sent them into his vineyard--With the verbal contract finalized
they were sent into the vineyard to go to work.  What did the land
owner expect from the workmen?  A day's work for a day's pay.  What
did the workmen expect from the land owner?  A day's pay for a
day's work.  They both agreed on the terms.

v.3--he went out about the third hour--There was still a need for
more workmen so he went back...

v.4--go...whatsoever is right I will give you--The employer was
perhaps known to them since he had previously been there to hire
workmen.  He pledged to pay them honestly and fairly.  The workmen
agreed to go to work without knowing what they would get paid.  All
they had was the word of their employer that he would do "what was
right."

     [ill--We would caution others not to go to work without first
knowing what they would get paid but many of you have had instances
in your lives when you performed a job without knowing what you
would get paid.  Perhaps the employer promised to "take care of you
if you do a good job."]

     [app--But the promise given by the employer is the same one
that the Lord gives to us.  He promised to do what is right
concerning our service for Him.]
     What should the workmen have expected to be paid for their
services?  Since the common wage was one danarius and a portion of
the day was gone, they could reasonably expect to receive a portion
of one day's wage corresponding to the amount of time that they
worked.

v.5--sixth and ninth hour--The job to be done was greater than the
work force could manage so the employer (steward) was sent back
continually to the labor pool (union hall, etc.) for more help.

v.6--eleventh hour...found others standing idle...why...?--As the
day drew to a close there was still work that needed to be done.
Why were they not working?  They said because no one had hired
them.  We are not told whether they had been there all day waiting
to be hired or if perhaps they finished another job and went back
to the labor pool looking for more work.  But the report they gave
the employer was that they were willing to work if they had the
opportunity.  They were hired, told to go to work and given the
same promise that they would be treated fairly when it came time
for paying the workmen.  They were sincere in their efforts to find
a job.

     [ill--A young man that I went to school with was working a
part-time job that paid minimum wage.  He quit it because he was
not making as much as he thought he should make.  For the next
several months he chose unemployment instead of working less hours
for less pay than he wanted.]

     [app--Just as he was more interested in reward than work, some
Christians are more concerned with some kind of heavenly bonus than
with serving the Lord.]



                      THE GENEROSITY OF GOD


In the generosity of the employer we also see the generosity of
God.

v.8--give them their hire...from the last unto the first--This was
the time that each of the workmen had anticipated since signing on
to work in the vineyard.

v.9--hired about the eleventh hour, they received...a penny--
Picture the surprise on the faces of the workmen who had toiled
only one hour.  They expected only one hour's pay and they were
paid for a whole day.  Surely they were overjoyed at the way they
were treated.  Not only were they happy but all the rest of the
employees were excited.  If those who worked one hour got paid for
a day just imagine what those who worked three, six, or nine hours
would get.  And the workmen who had worked all day were probably
the most excited over the good fortune of the one-hour workmen.
They could not wait to find out what kind of payment they would
receive.  They were figuring what their pay should be based on what
they had seen.  Why did the employer insist on this order?  Because
he wanted the workmen who insisted on working for a contract to
realize that they were working for a generous man.


v.10--every man a penny--But the foreman did not increase the wage
for the men who worked longer.  As the payroll was dispensed the 12
hour workmen first thought they would receive 12 day's pay.  But
when the 3 hr. workers received one day's pay they re-computed
their wages--"we worked four times as long, we will surely receive
4 day's pay.  But then the six hour workers were paid.  Again they
recalculate--only 2 day's pay.  But when their pay was given they
received one day's pay--the same that their contract called for.

v.13--didst not thou agree with me for a penny?--What did they have
to complain about?  The first workmen had a verbal contract that
they would work for the standard day's wage and that wage was paid.

The rest who worked for a partial day had the promise that they
would be treated fairly.  Even though none of them worked all day
they all received a full day's pay.  Each was treated more than
fairly.

v.15--is it not lawful...to do what I will with mine own?--Whether
anyone agreed with the pay policies of the employer the fact
remains that he fulfilled his contract.



                 THE DIVINE ORDER OF THE KINGDOM


v.16--the last shall be first, and the first last--We must place
the word "many" with this first part of the verse.  This is not
teaching that all who receive Christ and follow Him for a lifetime
will be last.  But that will happen with "many."

1.  One group that will be last: those who served the Lord with the
wrong motivation.  They were continually concerned about the reward
that they might receive.  In fact, some will make it to heaven will
loose their reward (I Cor. 3:15).

2.  But there will also be some missing from heaven that thought
they would be there.  Why?  Because they approached Christ from the
basis of their goodness and their personal worth.  They tried to
earn their way into heaven.  In the divine order of things many who
believed that they were first will find out that they are last!


                What is this parable teaching?

1.  God is sovereign.  He alone determines what rewards we will
receive.  He does not calculate as we do.  His ways are not our
ways.  Why does He reward as He does?  All we can say is "because
that is His will.  He is God.  He is sovereign.

2.  We should serve the Lord because of our love for Him not
because we are counting on getting a reward.  Why do we do the
things we do?  In our commercial world, we are given many
inducements.  If we will agree to look at some vacation property we
are promised we will receive "several valuable prizes" (TV's,
stereos, cutlery, etc.).  If we buy certain products we receive
"valuable coupons" for other products or a discount on our purchase
price.

3.  God is infinitely more generous than we deserve.  If He gave
rewards on the basis of what we deserve then none of us would
receive anything.  The only thing that we deserve is hell.  It is
by the grace of God we can accept Christ.

4.  God always gives His best to those who leave the decision up to
Him.  We can trust Him to know what is best for us and to treat us
fairly.  No one is ever disappointed that leaves the decision to
the Lord.  We try to promise that we will do something for Him or
for His kingdom if He will let us do what we want to do or have
what we want to have.  But we should see a warning in this parable.

Don't insist on a contract from God.  He may give it to you and
allow you to find that you should have trusted His generosity.

5.  A person can come to Christ early in life, at mid-life, or when
they are nearing the end of life.  The truth of the Scripture is
that you can receive Christ as your Savior today whether you are a
child, teen, young adult--or even if you have rejected Christ for
many years.  It is not too late.


CONC--Do you recall the story from your childhood about "The Hare
and the Tortoise?"  The rabbit was fast but did not keep his
attention on the race.  The tortoise was slow but steady and
eventually won.  Some will read the Parable of the Vineyard and
conclude that it is much like that childhood fable.  But the Bible
does not teach that it is necessary to start last to finish first
or that the one who follows the Lord from an early age will finish
last.  Neither has to be true.  The best solution by far is to
follow the Lord early and stay true to His word and keep the right
motivation for service throughout life.

     There may be someone here who believe that they are in the
eleventh hour of life.  Perhaps you are even worried that you may
have sinned away your day of salvation.  But the Bible tells us
that salvation is available to all--even in the eleventh hour.  Is
it the eleventh hour for you?  Have you put off your decision for
the Lord time and time again?  If you are young, don't wait for the
eleventh hour to come to Christ.  Don't let precious time slip
away....

            Children's Sermon:  MAKING DEALS WITH GOD
                         MATTHEW 20:1-16

 OBJECT:  Two different toys.

PURPOSE:  Teach that we can trust God to do what is best for us.

     Have you ever made a deal with a friend?  If they had a toy
that you wanted to play with have you offered to let them play with
one of your toys in exchange?      Have you ever made a deal with
your parents?  Maybe they asked you to clean up your room and told
you if you do that, they would let you have a friend spend the
night.  Or perhaps they you asked them, "if I take the trash out
may I have a candy bar?"  Some people try to make deals with God.
They say, "God, I will be good and come to church each week if you
will some how cause me to get the bicycle that I want.  Or maybe
someone says, "God if you will let me get an "A" in my science
class I will study harder next year."

     But did you know that God doesn't want us to make deals with
Him?  He does not want us to do something for Him or for His church
with the thought "I wonder what He is going to do for me?"  God has
promised to give His best to us.  He will always give us more than
we deserve if we are willing to leave the choices up to Him.  He
doesn't want us to say, "God I'll go to Sunday School each week if
you will promise to help me make better grades in school."  Why
should we go to Sunday School and worship each week, and obey our
parents and teachers, and always do what is right?  Because it
pleases God!  And when we give God our best and trust Him to take
care of us, He always does more for us than we deserve.


     MILTON S. MAGNESS, 317 MEADOWGLEN, CEDAR HILL TX  75104
              ■ COPYRIGHT 1991; ALL RIGHTS RESERVED