Text – Matthew 20:8, 16 (read verses 1-16)
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3. “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5. So they went. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6. About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ 7. “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ 8. “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ 9. “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12. ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ 13. “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14. Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16. “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” Matthew 20:1-16 (NIV)
INTRODUCTION
Many Believers don’t have a problem doing the work that the Lord has assigned them to do. Every assignment that the Lord hands out is not always an easy one, and sometimes it is very difficult and thankless; but still those who have been assigned their task continue on because they are looking forward to payday (expound).
When payday arrives, no one is complaining about who gets in line to receive their pay because they know that everyone is going to get paid. However, when those who have been working longer that some of the others saw that everyone got paid the same amount, they felt that they deserved more pay (or that those who were hired later deserved less pay) than the ones who were hired later (expound).
I remember when I first started teaching; My salary was $12,500 a year. I told one of my co-workers and he told me that when he started working his salary was $5,000 a year and he was not the least bit upset over how much I was getting paid (expound). I have heard a number of explanations and reasons why the owner had his foreman pay the last hired people first and the first people last. This brings us to our subject for today’s text:
“THANKS FOR THE LESSON LORD . . . I GET IT!”
We are living in a time when we see sports figures not only making millions of dollars, but when they sign a contract to be paid a certain amount for their service, when they feel that there is someone being hired or just being paid more than them that want to re-negotiate their contract (expound).
POINTS – There are a number of points being taught in this text. For example:
- They agreed to work for what the owner agreed to pay them.
- They were satisfied with their pay until they looked at what someone else got paid.
- Their pay had nothing to do with their performance.
- Their pay nothing to do with how long they did their job.
- Their job had nothing to do with their pay!
CONCLUSION
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16 (NIV)
The book of Revelation states that:
“The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Revelation 4: 10-11
There are many important lessons to be learned in this text. When it comes to the church finally getting paid, we will not have to stand in line nor have the newer Believers getting paid first . . . we will all be getting paid at the same time!
Is it not amazing that those things that we do here on earth as part of our ministering, sacrifice, and service will not only allow us to reap a Heavenly reward, but then as a show of our love and adoration for the Lord we will then present these rewards back to the Lord!