Is God fair Sometimes we think each of us there's there are
times I believe all of us gone. You know how come God why is
this happening? How come and I you know why and
the Lord and we question him. Isn't God gracious that he
allows us to question him and doesn't just go here we go get
rid of that sometimes Do you feel though God is unfair that
where you are and what you're going through causes you to
think that God is not doing the right thing by you, the writer
of Psalm 73 you should all know Psalm 73.
You should all read Psalm 73 besides Psalm 22, Psalm 23I
reckon and Psalm 119, Psalm 1. I reckon Psalm 73 is one of the
most well read, the ones that I read over and over and over.
And the writer of Psalm 73 went through that same thought
pattern. It's God fair.
When the rich young ruler walked away from Jesus, Peter asked
Jesus a question. And you know why he walked away?
Because Jesus said just sell well that you have give it away
and then you can follow me and he walked away.
Peter said at that time, what then will be for us?
We've left everything. Jesus, however, in chapter 20,
because that occurred in chapter 19, goes on to instruct Peter
that God will indeed be in debt to no man.
But most importantly, God actually owes us nothing at all.
Whatever he gives us, we receive only because he is gracious.
So that Peter and the rest of the disciples would understand
this truth that he's trying to teach out the events that had
happened with the rich young ruler.
And Peter asking that question, Jesus then tells a parable.
So that's the context of that's why I've said what we've said.
Parable is what an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.
Let's read verse 1 to 16 for the Kingdom of heaven is like.
So it's a story. A landowner, a farmer went out
early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard.
So we had a vineyard brew grapes.
And when he had agreed with the labourers for a denarius a day,
he sent them into his vineyard and he went out about the third
hour. So others standing idle in the
marketplace said to them, you also go into the vineyard and
whatever is right, I'll give you.
So that's 22 groups. So they went and again he went
out about the 6th and the 9th. So he went out and hired another
two groups. So four groups of labourers
through the day and did likewise.
At about the 11th hour I went out and found others still
standing idle and said to them, why have you been standing here
idle all day? They said to me, well, no one's
hired us, no one's given us a job.
He said to them, you also go into the vineyard and whatever
is right, you'll receive. So when the evening had come
time to knock off, the owner of the vineyard said to his
steward, OK, call the labourers, give them their their wages.
And beginning with the last of those who he hired last in the
final hour, he paid. And when those who came who were
hired about 11,000, they each received a denari.
That's a full day's wage. But when the first came, they
suppose that they would receive more, and they likewise received
each a denari. When they had received it, they
complained against the landowner, saying, Hey, these
last men have only worked one hour, and you made them equal to
us who have borne the burden, the heat of the day.
And notice what he says. But he answered one of them and
said, Friend, I'm doing you no wrong.
Did you not agree with me for a denarius?
I did. So he goes on to say, take what
is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man
the same as to you. Notice the question, is it not
lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things, or is your
eye evil because I am good? Then he finishes off with this
statement. So the last shall be 1st and the
1st last, for many are called, but few chosen.
You ever read that for? Well actually they got a fair
deal. I mean, they did work all day
because that's how our minds think.
It's a simple parable. A landowner needed labourers to
work in his vineyard, so he hired some early in the morning
from the marketplace where men would gather who required work.
If you go down to California at any time, and as you head
further South towards Mexico and all the garages further on,
there's groups of Mexicans waiting.
And people want to paint their house, want to ship the house.
They just go, hey, who wants to come and help paint the house?
And you get a Ute load of blokes and you want to do some
landscaping and they all just jump in and you pay them for the
day. It's cheap labour.
So the owner agreed to pay them a denarius, a normal day's wage
for the labour. So that was the right salary.
At 9:00 he goes out again, hire some more workers.
No mention of the amount of wage.
He says, I'll just, I'll pay you what's right.
I'll do the right thing. Verse 4 At noon more workers are
hired. At 3:00 in the afternoon, still
more hired. Finally at 5:00 in the
afternoon, the last workers are hired just one hour before work
ceased at 6:00 PM. Time to come salary to be paid
cash at the end of the day. Verse 8.
The owner, however, pays the last employed first and hands
them each a denarius. Well, those who started early in
the morning as we read are very excited.
They get the denari. We started early.
You know what that means, More money.
So they start counting their fingers in their toes how much
they're going to get paid as they see all the other guys
coming up. But when the first came, they
supposed that they would receive more.
They likewise received each at denarius.
When they had received it, they complained against the
landowner. Hey, boss, what's the go saying?
These last men have worked just one hour.
You made them equal. We've borne the burden.
Heat of the day. It was a problem at the pay
office, the owner said. I like what he says.
Friend, am I not being unfair to you?
Did you not agree to work for me for denarius?
Friend, I'm doing you no wrong. It says you agreed for the
denarius. Take what's yours.
Go your way. I wish to give some the same pay
to these other men. Is it not lawful for me to do
with with my own money? Is what I'm doing because I'm
giving that to them? Is what I'm doing in your eye
evil because I am generous, I'm good.
Notice that's a very interesting point.
Someone's doing something and you go, well, that's not right.
Who are we to say? So the last will be 1st and the
1st last for many a call, but few chosen.
Jesus finishes the parable with the statement that he ended the
previous chapter with. So the last will be 1st and the
1st shall be last. Verse 16 So we have a
businessman who pays people who work only one hour the same wage
he pays those who work all day. You and I be fair because we
always talk about fairness, don't we?
It seems irrational, it produces labour problems, it's bad
business. But above all this, it's just,
it is unfair, don't you think? Why should those hired later be
paid the same as those who were hired at the start of the day?
Why shouldn't those who work longer be paid more?
Now here's the context because we need to learn the lesson.
This is a parable, parables, those who want to know and go,
what is the point of this? You lean in, What?
What do you want to know? Because those who don't care,
well, that's just stupid and they would walk off.
That's why Jesus spoke in parables.
Jesus is answering Peter's question on what he and the
other disciples would get for their discipleship for in
Peter's mind they considered there's a major contribution to
the part A we're we're the initial disciples.
We've left everything Peter answered in chapter 19 verse 27.
You look there with me, see, we've left all and followed you.
Therefore, what we have, we got to get some more, aren't we?
Jesus was teaching Peter and the other disciples.
Yeah, you will be rewarded indeed, greatly.
But whether rewards for service or eternal life itself, it was a
gift flowing from the grace of God.
Only Peter, it's grace. I'm giving you what you don't
deserve, solar gratia. The point is, and here's where
you and I need to understand this, God owes us nothing, not
even a chance to hear and respond to the to the gospel.
Really. Most people wrongly believe God
owes them, which is why Amazing Grace by John Newton used to be
a very popular hymn. But today, as J Alpaca says, in
knowing God, Amazing Grace has become boring grace for so many
people. Because you remember Jesus when
he went, and I've said it, said it before, to the House of a
Pharisee who invited him for dinner.
No washing of his feet, no oil of anointing.
The woman came, washed his feet, shed tears over, used her hair
to dry up. Jesus said he who has been
forgiven much, loves much. You see, the problem I think,
and I think this is a great parallel, is that today the
church doesn't realise what they've been given.
We come thinking God owes us. It's boring to many people.
What about church? Church is boring because many
people do not think of ourselves as sinners.
Here's the here's the news flash.
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
There is none righteous. No, not one.
We all deserve the judgement of God.
We all deserve the wrath of God, but God by His grace sent his
Son to be the substitute. The wrath went upon him and He
has given us grace that which we do not deserve unmerited favour.
Now the other thing is many people come to church and they
think church is boring because they don't think, well, I'm not
a very bad Sinner. I've never killed anyone, you
know, been raised in a good home, went to a good school, and
I have a good job. Well, actually, the book of
Romans tears at the threads, doesn't it?
And the Sermon on the Mount just destroys that sort of thinking
because the moment you have a wrong attitude towards someone,
the moment you say something just in your mind or have a
thought in your mind, you've done the deed.
We think God owes us something. After all, I'm a kind person,
I'm a generous person, I'm forgiven, forgiving way.
Shouldn't God be? And isn't that what the
Australian religion is? I worship God in my own way.
Jesus is teaching us that God is not like human beings and does
not operate within the same sphere of thinking.
Each time you and I open the Bible at home or here, each time
you read it, what happens is your thinking is reprocessed
again, it's made correct for the word of God is given by the
divine inspiration and it's profitable.
And I say to anyone, if you're not reading the word of God,
your mind, your disc drive, your thoughts are going to be plagued
and filthy and dirty no matter what you do.
You can just sit down, not go anywhere, and yet your mind will
become dirty and filthy and plagued by just who we are.
The Bible says of the Lord, My thoughts are completely
different from yours, says the Lord.
My ways are far beyond anything you can imagine.
Isaiah 55 eight, we had this attitude of self elevation.
Well, I'm a good person. And that was the problem that
Paul addressed in the book of Romans because he went from
chapter 1 all the way through to Chapter 7 to say, no, we're not.
I never forget reading chapter 3 one day.
And chapter 3 is kind of like, you know, you go to the doctor
sometime you've broken something like, and they get that plastic
sheet and I show you the scans and they go see this.
Well, chapter 3 is the true you and I, what we're capable of the
police call them crimes of passion.
We're capable of the danger. And Jesus ran into this, Paul
dealt with in the book of Romans, especially the nation
Israel. And Jesus ran into the Jews who
continued to say, well, I'm Jewish father, our father is
Abraham. Isn't that what they said to
Jesus? Jesus said, now your father
ain't Abraham. You're of the father, your
father the devil. Jesus ran into the same mindset
when he began teaching. For instead of remembering that
is the nation of Israel, that they've been chosen by God
purely by his grace. Because the Old Testament says
you weren't anything good, you weren't anything great.
You're just a small bunch of people.
I chose you. They had begun to suppose the
benefits of their position were really due to themselves.
We're children of Abraham. We're special.
The danger exists today in our own minds and churches.
The same sort of thinking can so easily creep into our own minds
whereby we think that because we've served God faithfully for
however many years, such a person deserves something from
God. That's how our our mind
continues to think. It's the dangerous mindset of
the Pharisee that Jesus is addressing.
And Jesus spoke of the Pharisees.
Remember the Pharisee was standing next to a tax collector
and said, and he was thankful. He said, man, I'm glad I'm not
like other men. The Pharisee said robbers, evil
doers, adulterers or even this tax collector.
I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.
God owes me. Jesus is teaching us here of the
error and thinking that we deserve God's favour.
If we have and you fill in the blank, well God, you know I've
been faithful to you over so many years.
You better. I've been to church three times
this week. Lord, come on, this next week
better be good. I've paid my tithes and what's
going? I'm running out of money.
What's going on here? That's not right.
I, I, I, I, I'm paying my tithes.
If we think we do, we're in danger of losing them entirely.
Jesus says we have to stop thinking of our service in the
term of debt or obligation. Well, why are you here tonight?
Because we have to go to church. We have to go to pray.
We have to read our Bibles. You see, that's the attitude
that people do. We have to do.
No, you don't. You can just do what you like.
It's the desire that you want to, that you love to.
That's why we always say please don't ever teach junior church
or volunteer to help the youth unless you love the children and
you love God, because kids will pick you out straight away.
Instead we are to serve in the spirit of a son who serves
because he loves his father. Remember the prodigal dad, they
call me a son. I'll serve you.
This is one of the labourers. He's hardly changed.
Rather than the spirit of a hiling who serves only for his
wages. The older brother, well, I've
been doing this, I mean, you know, and he's been off.
You owe me. You didn't even give me a goat,
gave him a calf. What's in it for me, thinking
older brother Pharisee. So point number one, God owes us
nothing and everything we have is totally by his grace and his
grace alone. Point #2 Jesus is teaching us
about what is most important. It's people, not things.
Jesus teaches us in this parable that God cares for people more
than things. How does he do that?
Ask yourself, why did the owner of the vineyard give those who'd
laboured only one hour the same pay as those who had laboured
all day? Was it not because he knew they
needed the denari, they needed the money?
He could have just said, well, you guys.
Cent two cents. He could have acted, you know,
Well, that's what's fair. I had a boss, I never forget
him, and I couldn't earn over $17.00 at the time, no matter
how hard I work. That was the top pay I got.
And when I'd go into his office, Mr Powell, and he would count
out the money in front of me. You come in and stand in front
of him. You go 10/5.
Then you had to sign for it and then step back, take the money.
And it was like it was it was like, oh, thanks, you know, but
it taught me a lesson and to work for a hard boss.
But you know, we have this thinking that we need the extra,
we deserve more. God saying now I'm more
interested in people. Notice there is not one word of
criticism spoken against those not hired in the morning again,
he said to him when he went out, why?
Why are you standing? There were guys not working.
Why are you standing here? Well, no one's hired us.
He didn't get into them. They've been willing to work.
They were keen to work. They needed to work, but no one
had hired them. The owner hired them not for
what he could get out of them, but he said, hey, these guys,
they need a hand. In just a few hours.
They needed the work and he paid them in full the full day's pay.
For the same reason you see the owner of the vineyard who is
representing the Lord, the man was not thinking of profit.
He was thinking of people, and he was using his ample means to
help them. God doesn't need anything of us.
We do not work just to gather for ourselves.
Did you know that? You know, the Bible's very clear
and everyone's in the money now. Well, if I just win Lotto, if I
just get more money, the love of money is what the root of all
evil. We do not work just to gather
for ourselves. Well, I need to to do this and
then I get to build that all that.
Hear what Paul said to Timothy. Timothy, One Timothy 617 Tell
those who are rich in this world not to be proud, not to trust in
their money, which soon will be gone, but their trust should be
in the living God who richly gives us all we need for our
enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to
do good. They should be rich in good
works and should give generously.
That's why you add the money to those in need, always being
ready to share with others whatever God has given them.
That's how it works. By doing this, they'll be
storing up their treasures as a good foundation for the future
so that they may take hold of real life.
I read today interesting about Charles Wesley.
Wesley said this earn as much as you can.
Then he said so you can give as much as you can.
Interesting how different the attitude Jesus tells us of the
owner of the vineyard is from the older brother in the parable
of the prodigal son, remember? And the older brother, He got
angry when his father rejoiced in the return of his younger
brother. He too should have been
rejoicing, but instead he was thinking of only how his younger
brother had wasted his inheritance.
He says there in Luke 15, the older brother would have been
happier if the money had come home and his brother would
remain lost. God is the exact opposite to the
older brother. He does not love us for what we
do for Him. I want to ask you a question
tonight as we close. Who will you like in the story?
Do you serve the Lord because you love Him or because of what
you can get Him to do for you? Are we like God in our estimate
of others, evaluating them in terms of their worth as being
made in the image of God and those for whom Christ suffered
and died? Or are we like the unhappy
workers or the disconsolate older brother?
God owes us nothing. People, not things, are the most
important to God. And .3 But even deeper than that
is God's love for the lost soul and the value of that soul to
Him. This is what should drive us as
a church, a love for the lost. In loose gospel we looked at 3
parables of something that was lost.
A lost sheep, a lost coin and a lost son.
In each case, the object remained valuable in the mind of
the owner in spite of its condition.
We can imagine an owner of a sheep who might write off the
loss of 1 sheep lightly. Wow.
Yeah, it's just one. I got 99.
So what? The loss is just 1%.
After all, a businessman has to expect a certain percentage, you
know, to run a loss in business. The woman might have said who
lost the coin. Oh, well, I'm not going to just
bother about one lost coin. It's just one of 10.
I still have 9. I'll be happy with them.
So to the father of the prodigal, he could have decided,
well, yeah, my youngest son is gone.
It's sad, but you know, such things happen.
Kids are kids. I'll focus my attention on the
son I still have. Forget about the other one.
But that is not what the shepherd did, nor the woman, and
neither the heartbroken father. The father longed after his
prodigal son. I pray that you and I long for
our brothers and sisters, family members that don't know the
Lord. That's why we're here.
That your heart should burn for them each day.
That you would pray and pray and search and and sweep and wait.
Why? Because the object has value to
its owner, even though it was lost and the owner was
determined to recover it again. And all those parables and
including our texts tonight of the workers in the vineyard.
God values what is lost and seeks it.
This is the heart of God, for in the story of the workers before
us, it is God Himself who goes out to hire him early in the
morning, throughout the day, and until the very end.
This one like unto a man to hire labourers, and to his vineyard
Kingdom of heaven. And he went out about the third
air again. He went out the 6th and the 9th
there, and he went out the 11th there.
He went out. This is this is the Lord going
up to the lost. Should not we who have been
found by God have the same love for others who are lost?
And should not we tell them that if they are lost and here's
sometimes we just, we give the wrong message.
We need to tell them how valuable they are to God.
You know Christ died for you. He loves you even in your lost
condition. He died for you in your lost
condition. God owes us nothing.
People, not things, are more important to God.
The lost soul He loves deeply and seeks.
But what is this last term? Why does he add this last
sentence? But many who are first shall be
last, and many who are last will be first.
Verse 30. Many, not every person who
begins early with God and works for Him throughout a lifetime
will inevitably be last. Or that everyone who begins late
will inevitably be first. Many, yes, but not all.
For many who begin early will lose the reward or not even come
to faith in Christ because they approach God purely.
While I've been to church, I've paid my tithes, I've done what's
good, what's God doing for me? That's not a relationship,
that's a mercenary spirit. It's based on the basis of my
good works I'm doing, not on God's grace.
And so if I live that way, you see, grace is unimportant to me
because I think I deserve salvation.
Many who enter last will be first because although they
began late, they nevertheless recognise that their salvation
is due to God's grace alone and praise God for it.
The thief on the cross, wow, hide the last, the last hour
before his death, the last minutes before his death.
Lord, Remember Me this day. And he's dying.
We think of a young man, Daniel, who's carried off the Babylon
where he's 15 to 16 years of age.
He decided at an early age not to defile himself with royal
enticements, but he determined to serve God and did so for
about another 70 odd years. Is God unfair now?
The psalmist who wrote Psalm 73, he thought God was unfair for a
a time when he took his eyes off the Lord and he began to look
around at others. How come he's getting?
How come you know, I've been all day and you know, and God,
you're looking after him and he's just come for the hour.
Psalm 73, verse 3. For I envied the proud when I
saw them prosper despite their wickedness.
It's unfair, God as a result of thinking God was unfair.
What happened? Pride filled his heart.
Verse 13 Was it for nothing that I kept my heart pure and kept
myself from doing wrong? Oh, my duty, I've been good.
Then I realised how bitter I had become, how pained I'd been by
all that I'd seen. I was so foolish and ignorant.
I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
It's I still belong to you. You were holding my right hand.
But As for me, how good it is to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter.
I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.
God owes us nothing. People, not things, are more
important to God. The lost soul He loves deeply
and seeks. So let us pray tonight.
Let us serve the Lord. Why?
Because we love him. 2 Corinthians 514 For the love of
Christ. If you know Jesus Christ tonight
and you serve him because you love him, remember love.
Remember this love expects what? Nothing in return.
Whatever my life, whatever, that's how you learn to be
content. Whatever comes, have money, no
money, you know my health goes. Whatever, I've learned to be
content because I expect nothing.
Lord in return you love me. He owes us nothing, but he
blesses us anyway. If you do not know Christ as
your Lord and Saviour, you are tonight lost.
But you are so valuable to God that He came to this earth to
die on a cruel cross just for you.
He values you so much. Let's serve him.
Serve Him because you love Him. You know, it's really not fair
that we get God's abundant grace.
That's what's not fair.