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CONFLICT IN THE VINEYARD Matthew 20:1-16 This morning I want to preach on the matter, Conflict in the Vineyard. Some theologians have suggested that this is about salvation. From the looks of it, it would appear to be so. They use the times that they went into the vineyard – some early, some midday, and some late, when they look at the times that they went into the vineyard. It is possible to look at these times as symbolism for various stages of life. However, it is not about salvation. Because the laborers went into the field to work. We don’t work for our salvation. According to Eph. 2:8-9, it is by grace . . . not of yourself, it is a gift of God. Some other Bible teachers suggest that it is about rewards. Since every laborer regardless of the time that they went into the vineyard, they all received the same pay. According to the Word, we do not all receive the same reward. The question arises what is this parable about? I cast my lot with the Bible scholars who believe that this parable is the danger of serving God with the wrong motives. When you look at the text in context of the text, you will discover that this parable makes plenty of sense when you connect it the parable that the Master told right before He told this parable. THE PARABLE OF THE RICH YOUR RULER. It begins in Chapter 19 - the parable of the rich young ruler. This young man had both money and morals, but he was miserable. The most important commodity of life he did not possess - a relationship with the Master. • He had finance, but no faith. • He had revenue, but no relationship. • He had cash, but no Christ. • He had gold, but no God. • He had silver, but no Savior. • He had stocks, but standing in the kingdom. • He had bonds, no Bread of Heaven. • He had property, but no Prince of Peace. • He had the earthy, but not the Heavenly. • He had riches, but no relationship with the Living God. He asked Jesus what must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus gave him a strange answer. First, no one can keep all of the commandments. Second, if you could, it still would not save you. God gave us the commandments not to save us, but as a mirror, and see ourselves as God sees us. When we look into that mirror, it will bring us to a point of conviction, and ultimately our conversion. He says I have kept all of the commandments - but he had a covetous heart. Jesus with his x-ray eyes looked at his heart and wrote him a personal prescription. Sell all that you have and give it to the poor. He walked away sorrowfully and sad. As he walked away, Peter raised a question. Master, this man was rich, he rejected you, but he kept his riches. When we followed you, we had a fishing business. We forsake all to follow you. When all is said and done, what’s in it for me? Simon says now that I gave up everything what am I going to get? That’s the question what so many of us have been asking - Lord, what are you going to bless me with? Jesus gives this parable based on this. Jesus heard something dangerous in Simon’s question. He heard a mercenary spirit. He heard a self-centered attitude. Jesus stopped and said be careful Simon - your motive is not right. Everyone will agree -- it pays to serve Jesus. What Jesus was saying to him - although it pays to serve Jesus if you serve to be paid, it won’t pay. Each of us must question the motives of our own hearts. ARE WE SERVING THE LORD? .... • For His sakes or our sakes. • For gold and silver, or for God and the Savior. • For human recognition or heavenly rewards. • For the money or for the Master. • To lift up His name or to give us fame That’s the problem of the prosperity movement. If I serve him because of the pay, it won’t pay. The pay is serendipitous, it is just a by product of serving Him with the right motives. For you see as I serve the Master and make Jesus my focus, he decides to bless me. But if I serve him for the blessing, He won’t bless me. DON’T NEGOTIATE, GOD’S WILL IS GENEROUS The Bible says that the” . . . the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.” In that day, there were no labor unions. If you worked one day, you were paid for the one day, and they would decide on what that day’s pay would be. Jesus lifts this to show Peter his wrong motive. The Landowner shows up, and their response is how much is the pay? They agree. Before the workers would go to work, they insist upon having a contract. We’ll work if you give us a contract. They bargained, they negotiated, they bartered, in order to look out for themselves. They said, we really can’t trust you. THERE WERE TWO OTHER KINDS OF LABORERS - ONE INSISTED ON A CONTRACT. The text says . . . ”And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went.” The second crowd didn’t have a contract - they went on a promise. The next crowd didn’t have a contract or a promise - they went because they had an opportunity. You need to understand there are people who serve God who fall in all of these categories. God, I need a contract . . . I need it in black and white, so when you don’t come through. You don’t need a contract with God, with some of us, you may need a contract. God is not a man that he should lie. Don’t insist on a contract. You’re going to lose. I want you to trust my goodness, my mercy - if you insist on a contract, you’ll get less than if you trust my word. If you need a contract - you are saying (1) God is stingy. He is not a giving God. He gave His son to die. How dare you say God is cheap? (2) God cannot be trusted. In all thy ways . . . He can be trusted. God’s been faithful to me. He can be trusted, because of his faithfulness. DON’T INVESTIGATE, GOD’S WILL IS PERSONALLet’s look further at the text . . . When evening came, the owner of the vineyard *said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. Jesus said that the Landowner says it’s time to pay up. Normally, the first are paid first. Today, I want to change it up. Those who worked one hour were in front. The owner had the foreman to reverse the order, because, he knows that human nature likes to investigate. He gave them who were hired last a denarius. Those in the back were celebrating - look what we’re going to get. Those who had started at 3 p.m. -- a denarius. Those who started at 12 - a denarius. They started to get concerned. Those at 9 -- a denarius. The foreman gave them a denarius. The Bible said they got mad. What’s wrong with you? We bore our burden in the heat of the day. The Landowner says when I asked you what you wanted. You wanted a contract. You don’t need a contract - AND LO, I’M WITH YOU . . . • I’ll never leave you nor forsake you . . . • I’ve seen the lightening flashing . . . • I’ve heard the voice of Jesus say . . . and then HE PROMISED never to leave me, never to leave me alone Don’t investigate what God is doing someone else’s life and in someone else’s ministry at another church. Can I share something with you? Believers are some of the most jealous folk in the world. We can’t get together because we are investigating and competing. We are too busy investigating what other folk have . . . INVESTIGATING . . . • What kind of house they live in . . . • What neighborhood they are able to afford. • How many bedrooms they have. • What kind of job they ave . . . • How much money do they make. • Where they shop . . . If you’re not careful, you’ll start looking over the fence, checking out someone else’s blessings and assets – and become frustrated and you’ll start saying: How could God do that for someone else? The reason why we can’t come together, we are so busy investigating. God has marvelously, and miraculously, blessed, more than what we deserve. You don’t deserve God’s blessings and His goodness. You’ve let God down, you’ve broken His heart, you’ve done some things you shouldn’t have. The Devil will talk to you and make you envious and jealous of your co-laborers. Spurgeon said that a preacher needs a blind eye and a deaf ear. When God is blessing another church, pastor, music ministry - you can’t stand and stare at it - if you listen to it, it will make your heart bitter. If you look at it too long, it will make your heart tough. God does not intend for you to be a Dr. LEWIS. He does not intend for you to be upset about someone else’s blessings. GOD’S WILL IS PERSONAL: • One is sick of cancer, and the other is healed of cancer. His will is personal. • One is working hard, but the other is laid off. His will is personal • One drives a new car, the other catches busses and taxis. His will is personal.• One is married happily, and the other can’t buy a man. His will is personal. • One is getting A’s and the other is struggling with C’s and D’s. His will is personal. I Cor. 4 - you have to wait until Jesus comes, he will reveal the hidden things of the heart. Some people who are successful are not successful of God’s power. You might be jealous of someone who may not be blessed of God. STOP BEING A PEOPLE WATCHER! Peter looked at Jesus, "What you gonna tell John?" Jesus said, what’s that to you? You’re overly concerned about my will for John - what about you? What’s it to you? You don’t know what God has down the road for you. Some folk can’t enjoy the blessings of life that they already have because they are so busy watching and spying, checking out and looking and seeing what other folk have. These ungrateful workers in the text speculated that since these who came in late got $20.OO we ought to get at least twice that much. They were end for shock! Don’t speculate on what God will do. You think He is coming from the north and ends up coming from the south. You think He is coming from the east and He ends up coming from the southeast. Don’t Speculate, God’s Will is Right. The Bible says that When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. Speculation is a hypothetical nonissue. So many times the work of the church is hindered because people of non-faith is always speculating about what the church can’t do . . . instead what the church can do. Do not speculate on God’s will. Why? His will is right! God’s will is not fair. God is not always fair. But He is always right. And I thank the Lord that He’s not fair. Some of you are complaining that the Lord has not been fair. But I praise Him, that He has not been fair with me. If God is fair . . . to be fair means to get what you deserve. If you got what you deserve, you wouldn’t be here This morning . . . you would be dead and in your grave. He’s not fair. He’s always right! When you leave here today, leave trusting the Lord, and not in yourself. I’ve been preaching for nearly 30 years, pastoring the same church for nearly 8 years, I still don’t have a handle on this thing. Every morning, I have to wake up and go into my study, tell the Lord, I’m your child, and I’m walking on your word . . . I don’t know what I’m doing - show me what you want me to do. I don’t want the Lord to deal with me by contract, OR, by my goodness, I want him to deal with me, based on His grace. Grace woke me up . . . • Don’t deal with me not by merits, but by your mercy. • Don’t deal with me not by my goodness, but by your grace . . • Don’t deal with me by good works, but by your grace. • Don’t deal with me by the company that I keep, but by Your grace. • Don’t deal with me by downtown and political affiliations but by Your grace. • Don’t deal with me by the convention offices I hold but, by Your grace. • Don’t deal with me by earned and honorary degrees I hold, but by Your grace. LORD IT WAS YOUR GRACE • It was your grace . . . that woke me up this morning.• It was your grace… that put shoes on my feet. • It was your grace…. that gave me the activities of my limbs. • It was your grace…. that gave birth to the Christchild in a manger. • It was your grace…. that sent Jesus to die on the cross. • It was your grace…. that raised Jesus from the dead. And one Sunday morning…it was your grace. That turned my life around. That gave me joy. That gave me grace. That put a smile on my face.