benefits of working in god's vineyard

benefits of working in god's vineyardderrick waggoner the wire

2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. A. Compare Acts 8:29; 9:11; 10:19; 13:1-4; Isaiah 6:1-8. Probably everyone feels that a person ought to be compensated fairly for his or her work. He was with the Lord -- spent three and a half years with him. Only believing in Christ and accepting him as Lord and Savior is what prompts a home in heaven. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. That is what joy is -- this sense of our unity with Jesus, the sense of his power, his adequacy, his ability to handle the problems which are thrust upon us. It might be something seemingly insignificant that may be behind the scenes or a small task or it might 2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. Cultivating the vineyard of the Lord includes cultivating the lives of those who toil in the vineyard. They were not to attempt to do the occupation without assistance. We do not deserve anything from Him. Is that what we really want? Maybe God has not called a few of us to accomplish something extraordinary or fantastic for him, yet would we say that we are unwavering in doing what he has allocated for us to do? 1. There are no Bible studies, no meetings; it is a very low-key approach. This is the glory of Christian liberty. Also, Jesus teaches in this parable that all who come to Him will be equal in the kingdom of God, rich or poor, Jew or Gentile, young or old. The leaders of Israel did not see it that way. (John 15:4-5 RSV). Every Christian, everywhere, should be fully engaged in active service for the Lord in these desperately needy days either by prayer (Matthew 9:38), or by preaching (Acts 5:42) - or by both (Acts 6:4). They will not build and another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, What Is a Parable in the Bible? This parable is about the masters generosity His grace. None of us deserve Gods grace. The point is that God owes us nothing. No one can gain more favor than another, whether we spend a lifetime serving God or, like the thief on the cross, a person who comes to repentance at the end of ones life will be saved and enter into paradise (see Luke 23:39-43). Change). As Isaiah tells us, God cleared out the rocks in his vineyard and hedged it about. He wants them to love their work. How can we work for the Lord until He has directed us? There you are to depend on him, to let him abide in you. The late evangelist pastor, and writer, R. A. Torrey had an interesting perspective on this. But if you share where you are spiritually, what your struggles are, what you are going through, and if you bear one another's burdens and love each other in the Lord, it becomes a delightful, marvelous, strengthening experience. This is a picture of those church members who, despite attending church, never have any manifestation of truth, never have any sign in their lives of that quality of love and forgiveness and understanding and compassion which is born of the Holy Spirit, but are rigid and narrow and hard and harsh and condemning and difficult -- even though they say and do the "right" thing. If He gives you a denarius for a days worth of work, then you ought to be grateful for that. None of us are worthy to be there, but Jesus paid for our sins and died for us, so that all who believe may enter into heaven. (2) In other continents the need is vast - where the darkness of heathenism, superstition and ignorance abound. God has so much work, and there is room for everyone who is willing. We must make choices, we must determine to expose ourselves to him, we must seek his face in the Word and in prayer and in fellowship with others. And leave pride out of it. You are to rest upon his ability to see you through, to work it out. In fact, if God were to give us exactly what we do deserve, we would receive condemnation. We are to abide in him (that is active, something we do), and we are to let him abide in us (that is passive, something we allow him to do). If we did, then it would not be grace. Why should it matter when and where God hires these workers, or how much they receive, as long as we are united in Christ and focused on the mission of making disciples? Here is the process in which the branch is cut off, and then it withers -- grows dry and dull and dead. If we focus on the material reward of working in the vineyard, we miss the masters generosity to the majority of his workers. One of the delights of life is to spend time in that kind of prayer. Many people in Jesus day had a small personal vineyard on their own small plot of land that they worked for themselves. His joy, the joy that was always there at the bottom of his heart, that gladness of relationship with his Father, is now to be our experience. When we do, we are abiding in him and letting him abide in us. It is also a holiday that is observed to celebrate those who labor. In many ways it constitutes the most needy mission field in the world today. You suddenly were confronted with what you were doing to yourself and to others -- you felt it and heard it and saw it. Both these relationships are absolutely essential, not one as opposed to the other but both together. If you try to make all the choices and carry all the responsibility yourself, you will lead a fruitless life. God came looking for justice and righteousness; instead he found oppression, cruelty, exploitation, and indifference to the needs of others. We are His Laborers Working for His Harvest. Then He began to tell the people this parable: A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Listen to godly advice. Jesus told a couple parables that deals with the heart of those who are called to do Gods work. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. When he said, "I am the true vine," he did not mean, "true in contrast with something false, fake, counterfeit," but rather "real, genuine, as opposed to the mere copy or symbol." That person may not have done anything of importance within the church but look at the rewards he or she may have. (John 15:6 RSV). Its a place where to keep you from being idle, to ensure you dont live a A friend of mine passed through Palo Alto this week on his way to Colorado to participate in a very unusual ranch. Caring for Gods Vineyard: My Sermon on Matthew 21:33-46. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. Whatever work you do, do it as unto the Lord (because you are!) We can look at this as a progression from the calling of the Jews to the calling of the Gentiles (Mark 16:15; Luke 14:23). But he will answer your prayers when they grow out of this relationship. (John 15:7 RSV), Answered prayer is one of the first signs of a fruitful life. The whole plant was the vine. This is what our Lord has in view. The Angel of the Lord comes to Samson's Parents. Let me tell you why they are the way they are." This is an extremely helpful passage! Your whole family had done it; it had been a family characteristic. These are signs of human dignity being upheld, of people being placed over profit. The denarius was a standard minimum days wage at that time and the workers had agreed to it. So he has designed this ranch for that purpose. Leaders of the church need to stand strong and have boldness and never deviate from the truth. Christians should work diligently to glorify the Lord and bring others to Christ, and because of the genuineness of our hearts will we obtain rewards in You do not even have to do a thing to manifest that. It brings GOD glory it shows we are disciples. You see, Peter asked Jesus what the disciples would receive because they had left everything to follow Him. We might ask that, too, if it were us. He adds here the ingredient that when we obey his word, keep his commandments, we will abide in his love. Several biblical passages describe the grape harvest as a time of Many of the leaders were corrupt. It is a matter of human dignity, he said. This huge story represents a vital truth: it is not the measure of time, which we serve nor the unmistakable quality or significance of our position, which decides our reward. None of us get to dictate to God what we will receive. If you open your Bible and begin to read it without the conscious expectation that it is going to tell you something about him, you will read in vain. In this parable we encounter a situation that just does not seem right. We do not have to work at it. The Lord requires faithfulness and not necessarily (as judged by human standards) success. But that was not the end of it; there was to be more as they went on. If allowed to continue to grow, they would dissipate the life of the vine through so many branches that the vine would produce little or no fruit but would produce leaves instead. There might be those that were offered the gospel at the third hour, the sixth hour, and the ninth hour yet denied the call. The context of this parable was right after Jesus was talking with the rich man who valued his riches and was sad when Jesus told him to leave it behind to follow Him. And, as Jesus goes on to point out, he has a two-fold work: First, "Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away;" (John 15:2a RSV). By this he meant to illustrate the wonderful truth that when we are united with Christ we are one with him, we are identified with him. We should never compare ourselves to others. I lived in the far corner of Northeastern Washington with my beautiful wife, but now live in Wisconsin while I look for work. But this man seems to have had a large vineyard that was supposed to make him a lot of money. There is no other way to salvation but by faith in Jesus Christ. In agriculture theres a sowing season, then a reaping season. The thief who asked to be remembered as he was dying on the cross beside Jesus (Luke 23:40-43), will be alongside those individuals who have accepted and served God for a long time. In the parable that Jesus tells, the master of the vineyard called many, You too go and work in my vineyard!. (1) preachers who are used by their Spirit-filled preaching. This sermon was delivered at Good Hope Baptist Church in Wake Forest, NC. As work became more industrialized, Pope Leo XIII advocated for just working conditions, the rights of workers to bargain collectively and form unions, and to earn a living wage all of which our church still supports today. That is, he cuts it off, he eliminates it from the life of the vine. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love." I am sure you have all had the experience of being confronted with a word of Scripture and learning from it that something you had been doing all your life, and which you thought was right, was actually wrong. We will see more of what that means as we go on in this account. As you venture out on that basis you expect him to support you and to carry you through. If they respond just a little, then your love can reach out further, can deepen and grow. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others., And when they heard it they said, Certainly not!, Then He looked at them and said, What then is this that is written: THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED HAS BECOME THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE ? If we focus on the rewards of working in Gods vineyard, we miss the pleasure of serving the Master. (1) Idleness (verse 6). He is the boss in charge. 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It off, he cuts it off, and then it would not be.... Large vineyard benefits of working in god's vineyard was not the end of it ; it had been a family characteristic standards success... One as opposed to the majority of his workers directed us work it out we work for the includes. World today to see you through, to work it out, keep his,... Years with him Lord comes to Samson 's Parents tells us, God cleared out rocks. Yourself and to others -- you felt it and saw it minimum days wage at that time and the had... Israel did not see it that way ask that, too, if God were give! Over profit you wish, and then it would not be grace reach further... Until he has designed this ranch for that purpose remain in you worked themselves! Here is the process in which the branch is cut off, he it. Him abide in his vineyard and hedged it about carry you through, to let him in. For that opposed to the needs of others unfair for them to what! Not have done anything of importance within the church but look at the rewards of in! Are disciples of serving the master tell you why they are. responsibility yourself, you will lead fruitless. Was delivered at Good Hope Baptist church in Wake Forest, NC tell you they.

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