Obedience Brings Results

Scripture: Matthew 21:33-46

Introduction

• A couple of weeks ago we talked about how “God is in the Recycling Business”.
• This was to shine a light on the value of the tremendous work in our yard sales.
• Last week we followed up by peeling back the layers of what goes in inside here.
• You can’t really tell much about it by the building, but God is moving in a powerful way.
• Someone suggested to me a good follow-up sermon should be what we do with it.
• I apologize, but I can’t remember who suggested it to me.
• At my now advanced age, you’re lucky that I remembered it at all.
• It’s a good question though. What really is happening here?
• Well, “There was a landowner who planted a vineyard.”
• Think of this church here as a vineyard.
• If you want to know what a real vineyard looks like, ride down Greenwood Rd.
• On the right-hand side is the most elaborate garden you may have ever seen.
• The plants grow up out of PVC pipes in the ground and then there is what looks like miniature telephone poles with wires stretched between them on each row.
• The grape vines grow up and out of the pipes and onto the guide wires in both directions.
• This is what an actual grape vineyard looks like. Eventually, they will have grapes.
• Biltmore Baptist church is another kind of vineyard. What is God doing here?

1. God planted it.
2. God sends resources for it.
3. God gives it to the obedient.

1. God planted it.

• In the parable Jesus is telling us this morning, God has planted a vineyard.
• In 1929, with the help of North Run Baptist church, God planted a vineyard here.
• Normally the product of a vineyard is some kind of fruit.
• What are some things that grow on vines? Grapes, tomatoes, watermelons, cantaloupes, hops, blueberries, etc.
• Depending on what you plant, that’s what determines the kind of fruit you get.
• What kind of fruit does God want to get from Biltmore?
• I think He wants the fruit to be the fruit of the Spirit. From Galatians 5:22-23:

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

• These are characteristics of the fruit; but the real FRUIT is the people He is growing here.
• God planted this church for a specific reason: to be a beacon of hope for this neighborhood; pointing them to Jesus Christ.
• And this church has produced much fruit over the 95 years we have been here.
• God has a plan for us that even now continues to unfold.
• God has given us this building and this property knowing it takes a lot of work.
• Roofs need repair, equipment fails, windows break and we have the burden to fix it.
• The answer to the question “what are we doing with it?” is this: We are obedient.
• We are taking what God has given us in the way of resources: people, products, and place and converting these resources to serve God’s will.
• This time, God wants us to restore these beautiful sanctuary windows.
• Next time, He may want a new parking lot; or something else to enhance this mission.
• Make no mistake though; this is His mission: to reach out to the people around us.
• And God has provided more than enough resources every step of the way.

2. God sends resources for it.

• In Christ’s story the landowner has leased the use of his vineyards to tenant farmers.
• When harvest time came, he sent his servants three different times looking for his fruit.
• Basically, the fruit is his rent payment for using the land.
• He sent servants to help with the harvest and to collect his cut of the proceeds as rent.
• The first time, he sent three servants. In verse 35:

The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.

• I’ve had rental houses and tenants for many years now and had trouble collecting rent.
• I can’t imagine being beaten, stoned, or killed trying to get what is mine to begin with.
• And isn’t this world the creation of and property of God Almighty?
• Shouldn’t He be entitled to something in return from those of us He lets use His world?
• All He is asking is that we give back a portion of the great gifts He has given us.
• The second time he sent even more servants, and the results were just as bad as the first.
• Finally, in verse 37, he sends his son to them “’They will respect my son,’ he said.”
• But did they respect his son and pay their rent? What happened?
• Verse 39: “they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.”
• By now, I’m pretty sure you are catching on to who Jesus is really talking about.
• Who is the landowner? God the Father.
• Who are the servants? Prophets, and others true to God.
• Who is the son?
• And what happened to all of these are just as Jesus tells in His parable.
• Only at this point, He has not yet been thrown out of the vineyard and killed.
• Jesus was foreshadowing what was about to happen to Him.
• On the night He was betrayed, He was thrown out of the vineyard – more precisely, the Garden of Gethsemane.
• This story takes on different meaning when you stop to think that God sent these servants to help with the work and harvest the grapes.
• The servants that Jesus is referring to are the many prophets that God sent to warn, cajole, even threaten God’s sinful people to change their ways and turn back to Him.

 

3. God gives it to the obedient.

• The setting for this parable was Jerusalem right after Jesus had ridden in on a donkey.
• Jesus had just made a scene in the temple turning over tables.
• He has just been given a king’s welcome and now He has gotten the attention of the Jewish leaders as well as a large group of people.
• Jesus is giving the people a dire warning in His parable. In verse 40 He asks:

Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

• How did the people respond to His question? In verse 41:

He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.

• Instead of seeking to be obedient to the landowner and pay their rent as agreed, they had killed the servants and even killed the son.
• God doesn’t ask for much, but He gives abundantly. And He expects obedience.
• It is understandable that He would be angry when He sees how selfish and disobedient His people have become.
• Jesus said in verse 43:

Therefore, I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

• In our case here, we have seen periods in the history of this church when it has been obedient to God’s call, and He has filled the pews and the classrooms.
• There have been times when there were lots of children and youth.
• Then there have been times when the church wasn’t obedient, and God pulled back.
• Obedient means putting God’s will for the church above our individual opinions.
• At least for right now, this church puts God’s will first and is obedient to his will.
• I know God thinks we are obedient based on the resources He gives us.
• Don’t think we can rest on our laurels though without any consequences.
• We are blessed by God because we are obedient to God.
• And if we stop being obedient and turn away, God will take it all away from you and give it to someone who will produce its fruit.
• I think that’s an ample incentive for me to stay on track, how about you?
• As a matter of fact, I think I want to do better; try harder to be more obedient.
• Jesus knew and declared in this parable that He would be rejected.
• In verse 42, Jesus quotes Psalm 118:

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? “

• We always have a choice to accept Jesus or reject Him, as individuals and as a church.
• We need to continue to choose obedience to Christ over our individual agendas.
• This isn’t easy. The enemy never stops trying to break us down.
• For me, it’s a learning experience.
• I haven’t been entirely supportive of these yard sales, but I see I was wrong.
• Who am I to question something that so clearly is God’s will.
• Ask yourself if there are times when you question God’s will.
• We can always do better. God gives it to the obedient.