7 February 2010
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 21
28. "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, `Son, go and work today in the vineyard.'
29. "`I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30. "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, `I will, sir,' but he did not go.
31. "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.
32. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
-- a few years ago, I was asked by the Department of Defense to help write a management plan for gopher tortoises in the southeastern U.S. -- this plan was being developed by a group of federal and state agencies, environmental organizations, and a few prominent private landowners -- and I was asked to help because I worked with gopher tortoises at the local level
-- you see, someone had proposed to the Fish and Wildlife Service that the gopher tortoise be added to the federal Endangered Species Act, and if that happened, it would change the rules and the regulations regarding what people could do on their property -- the Fish and Wildlife Service would have the right to tell you that you couldn't do certain things on your own land if it might harm gopher tortoises or their habitat -- so, this team was developed to come up with a management plan for the whole southeastern U.S. that we could use to show the Fish and Wildlife Service that we would protect the tortoise without them forcing us to do it by law
-- when I showed up at the meeting, they divided us into groups based on our area of expertise -- some people were put into a group to write the section on gopher tortoise biology -- others were put into a group to write the section about gopher tortoise diseases -- others were asked to write sections about habitat management or burrow protection or the relocation of tortoises
-- because I had spent the majority of my career managing tortoises -- actually working on the ground changing the habitat and improving conditions for tortoises -- I was put with the group that was tasked with writing the section on habitat management
-- there were about 25 of us in the room, and once we got in there, we started talking about how to write this section on managing the habitat for gopher tortoises -- and, just like any meeting, there were a couple of people there who were the most vocal and the most dynamic and they quickly took over -- very quickly, they quit listening to us and they told us what needed to be done -- how things should be written -- what steps we needed to take to protect gopher tortoises and improve their habitat
-- and as I sat there and listened to all the different things they were proposing, I found myself thinking, "that doesn't make any sense" -- but they insisted they knew what they were talking about and they pressed on and made plans to write the section and present it back to the group some time later
-- after the meeting, I went up and introduced myself to the main guy who was going to write the section on gopher tortoises, just to find out some more about him and what he had been doing -- it turns out this guy, who was selected by the group to write this section on managing gopher tortoises, had never seen a gopher tortoise in the wild -- he had never worked with gopher tortoises -- he had never held a drip torch and started a prescribed burn to improve their habitat -- he had never seen a gopher tortoise burrow or done field surveys or even spent much time in the southeast
-- as I got to talking to him, I found out he was actually from Maryland where they don't even have gopher tortoises -- and that everything he knew about gophers he had learned by reading books and scientific articles -- very quickly I discovered that he knew a lot about gopher tortoises, but he didn't know the animal himself
-- I think all of us can relate to my experience on this team -- we've all seen these so-called experts who don't have any real experience themselves but who only have a whole lot of book-learning on a subject -- I know that was a real complaint of mine when I was going through school -- that many of the professors had never actually been in the field and worked with wildlife, but here they were trying to teach us what to do
-- we see that very often in the church, too, don't we? -- John Maxwell once told the story about coming to a new church and trying to get their Sunday School program revitalized -- the people there listened to all his plans to get it going, but at the end of his presentation, they said, "It sounds good, but it just won't work" -- when he asked why, they told him that years ago they had hired a Sunday School expert to come in and tell them what to do to build up their Sunday School -- this expert had told them that they would never have a successful program because they didn't have trained teachers, they didn't have the right facilities, and they didn't have enough people in the church to get it done
-- well, John Maxwell looked up this so-called Sunday School expert and found out that he had never been in charge of a Sunday School program in his life -- all he had done was go from place to place and advise other people on what was wrong with their program -- Maxwell started working with his church and got them excited about Sunday School and just two years later, his church won an award for the fastest growing Sunday School program in the nation
-- there's a difference between knowing about something and doing something -- there's a difference in hearing the word and doing the word -- there's a difference between knowledge and obedience -- James, the brother of Jesus, reminds us of this in James 1:22 -- he wrote, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."
II. Scripture Lesson (Matthew 21:28-32]
-- that is what this passage here in Matthew 21 is all about -- it's not about knowing the things of God -- it's not about how well you know the word -- it's about actually getting out and getting your hands dirty and doing what God calls you to do
-- just to give you the background of this teaching by Jesus, this occurs right after Palm Sunday -- right after Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and right after He goes into the temple and overturns the tables of the money changers and runs them out of the temple
-- the next day, He sees a fig tree and goes up to it to get some fruit, but there wasn't any fruit there, so He curses the tree and causes it to wither
-- immediately after that, the chief priests and the elders came up to Jesus and wanted to know what authority He had to do these things -- and so Jesus questions them about the baptism that John the Baptist had done and then gives them this parable of the two sons
-- so, let's see what we can learn through Jesus' words to the Pharisees and the chief priests and elders here in Matthew 21
-- look back at verse 28
28. "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, `Son, go and work today in the vineyard.'
29. "`I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30. "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, `I will, sir,' but he did not go.
31. "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.
32. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
-- just at first glance, we can see that this parable, like many of Jesus' parables, is an allegory -- an allegory is a story with fictional characters who represent real people or real events -- not all of Jesus' parables were allegories, but many of His more well-known parables were, such as the story of the Prodigal Son and the Man Sowing Seed
-- sometimes, allegories can be difficult to interpret and apply, but in this case, the allegory is pretty straight-forward and easy to understand
-- the man -- the father -- in this story stands for God the Father -- one son represents the religious people in Jesus' day -- the Pharisees, and the chief priests, and the elders -- the other son represents those who are distant from God -- the Gentiles and the tax collectors and prostitutes and sinners -- the vineyard, of course, represents the world and the people of the world who needed to hear the message of God
-- the focus of this parable is on hearing and obeying the call of God in our lives -- the Father in the story goes to both sons and asks them to go into the vineyard and work
-- now, the first thing we see here is that both groups of people -- Jews and Gentiles -- belong to God -- they are both part of His family -- there is no distinction
-- 1 Timothy 2:4 tells us that God wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth -- by going to each son and asking them to go into the vineyard and work, God is letting us know that He wants all people -- Jews and Gentiles -- men and women -- black and white and every race inbetween -- to hear His call and to be part of His family -- this tells us that there is no one beyond the reach of God -- there is no one that God does not want in His kingdom
-- with that in mind, look back at verse 28 at what the Father asks the sons to do -- He tells them, "go and work today in the vineyard" -- the word I want you to pay attention to there is "today" -- God's focus is always on today -- we fret about the past -- we worry about the future -- but God tells us repeatedly in His word that our focus should be on "today"
-- Jesus told His disciples in Matthew Chapter 6 to stop worrying about tomorrow and to start focusing on today -- Jesus said, "don't worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' -- but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well"
-- along those lines, we read in 2 Corinthians 6:2, "Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." -- in other words, the message of God is to focus on today -- on the here and now -- and on hearing the call of God
-- the other thing that word "today" points out in this passage is that when we hear the call of God to do something, He expects us to do it today -- God doesn't like excuses -- He doesn't like it when we say, "Sure, I'll be a Sunday School teacher when I know more about the Bible," -- "Sure, I'll go in the mission field when I learn survival skills and how to evangelize others" -- "Sure, I'll go help the homeless when I get done with this project I'm working on"
-- when God calls us to do something, He wants us to do it now -- remember, God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called, and if He has called you to do something, then He has given you everything you need to be obedient to His call right now, today
-- now, let's look at the difference in responses to the two sons in this story -- the Father goes to the first son and asks him to go and work in the vineyard today, and the son replies, "I will not" -- when God calls us, we always have a choice -- we can either do what He says or we can refuse -- in this case, the son heard the call of God and made a decision -- "I will not go"
-- and notice what the Father does here in response to the first son's answer -- He does nothing -- God has given us free will -- He doesn't force us to love Him -- He doesn't force us to obey Him -- He offers the call and then waits for our decision -- He'll do everything He can to encourage us to make the right choice -- but, the response is totally up to us
-- I've had people tell me that they don't believe in God because a loving God would never send His children to Hell -- and I tell them that they're right -- God doesn't send anyone to Hell -- we make that choice ourselves by refusing to respond to God's call of salvation
-- Jesus tells us that after the first son refused to go into the vineyard and work, that he changed his mind and went -- another word for "changed his mind" would be "repented"
-- originally, he didn't want to follow God -- originally, he didn't want to be obedient to the call of God -- but then he had a change of heart -- he made a decision and he chose to respond to God's call and go out into the vineyard to work
-- but, what about the second son? -- Jesus tells us that the Father went to him and made the same request that He made to the first son, "Go and work in the vineyard today" -- and look at the second son's response in verse 30, "I will, Sir"
-- there's a couple things I want you to see here
-- first, notice how quickly the second son responded -- as soon as the Father told him to go into the vineyard, he said, "I will"
-- next, notice that the second son called his father, "Sir" -- that's a sign of respect -- that's a sign that the second son knew the Father and respected and Him and His authority
-- just at first glance, you would think the second son was the more obedient of the two -- but, when you look closer, you quickly see that that was not the case -- while the second son acted like he respected the Father -- while he knew the right words to say -- and while he promised go out and work in the vineyard, Jesus tells us that he didn't go
-- keep in mind who the second son in this parable represents -- he represents the people of God -- the church people of Jesus' day -- the Pharisees and the chief priests and the elders -- these were the people who knew the Scriptures -- who knew the law -- who knew what they were supposed to do -- these were the people who claimed to know God in a real and personal way
-- however, in this case, they may have sounded obedient and looked obedient but they were not really doing what God had called them to do
-- most of you know that I was really involved in Promise Keepers in the past -- I had a spiritual awakening at a Promise Keepers event in Knoxville, TN, in 1997 that really changed my life
-- the focus of Promise Keepers was calling men to live lives sold-out for Jesus by keeping seven promises:
1. Being committed to honoring Jesus Christ through worship, prayer and obedience to God's Word in the power of the Holy Spirit
2. Being in an accountability group with other men
3. Practicing spiritual, moral, ethical, and sexual purity
4. Being committed to building strong marriages and families through love, protection and biblical values
5. Supporting the church through prayer, time, and resources
6. Being committed to biblical unity beyond racial and denominational lines
7. Being committed to being obedient to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment
-- these are sound, biblical promises -- these are things that all of us need to be doing to grow in our Christian faith -- but what good is making these promises if we turn right around and don't keep them?
-- that is the point that Jesus is making in this passage -- look back at verse 31
31. "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.
32. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
-- it doesn't matter what you say -- it doesn't matter what you know -- it doesn't matter how much of an expert you are about the Bible or religion or any other spiritual matter -- what matters is what you do with what you know
-- the difference between the two sons in this parable is that one was a talker and one was a doer -- and in God's kingdom, He doesn't care so much for your words as He does your obedience
III. Closing
-- a research group out of England just conducted a survey about the effectiveness of preaching and teaching in our churches today -- they looked at all denominations -- from the mainline denominations such as United Methodism to the more evangelical denominations, such as the Southern Baptists
-- and what they found was discouraging -- only 17% of the people who took the survey said that sermons "frequently changed their attitudes towards others or helped them look afresh at controversial or topical issues" [Christian Post, http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100122/survey-sermons-fail-to-inspire-change-in-believers/index.html]
-- what that means is that 83% of the people in any given congregation attend a worship service, listen to the Word of God being read and to a sermon being preached, and then go home and do nothing with what they hear
-- what that means is that 83% of all church-goes are just like the second son -- they look right and they sound right, but they don't do the right things -- they fail to act on what they have heard and don't obey the call of God
-- A wise man once said that Christianity is what you do when the sermon is over -- along those lines, Francis Bacon said that it is not what we preach and pray, but what we practice and believe that makes us Christians.
-- This is what Jesus is saying in this parable: it is what we DO, and not just what we say that ultimately makes the difference in our lives -- this parable asks the question, "What are we like when the sermon is over?" -- We may present an outward show of holiness, but are we really spiritual in the eyes of God?
-- as we close today, I want to encourage you to take a real, honest look at your life -- I see you every Sunday -- I see some of you in Bible study during the week -- and I know that many of you come to Sunday School on a regular basis -- I know that some of you meet with others one-on-one or in small groups to learn more about Jesus
-- but, let me ask you this, are you practicing what you preach? -- are your actions living up to what you profess? -- are you being obedient to the call of God to go into the vineyard today and work, or are you just giving Christianity lip-service by knowing a lot about God but without really showing you know God through you actions?
-- this parable shows that simply coming to church and reading the Bible is not enough -- you have to act in response to what God is calling you to do
-- as I close, spend some time thinking about what you are doing and about what God wants you to do
-- let us pray
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