Matthew 21: 33-46
04 October 2020
A Vineyard for Rent
“Lord Jesus, You have
endured the doubts and foolish questions of every generation. Forgive us for
trying to be judge over You, and grant us the confident faith to acknowledge
you as Lord.”
It’s possible to
rent an amazing variety of things; from housing to automobiles, from furniture
to farm land, from carpet cleaning machines to apartments and cottages on a
lake. Today we see that the LORD too has a rental arrangement.
For centuries the sign has been out. It reads,
“VINEYARD FOR RENT.” Our question for today is what sort of tenants are we.
I. The terms of the agreement are specified.
A. As in any
rental situation, we realize that there needs to be terms spelled out in the
form of a rental contract if there is going to be any safeguards to the tenant
and the owner. The Lord Himself as a master gardener (vinedresser) has placed
the vineyard in excellent condition. This generous proprietor planted the
vineyard Himself. He put a wall around it. He dug a winepress, He built a
tower. He brought it all up to code. He’s a stickler for details.
From the beginning the Lord has given us the means and
the resources for us to come to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1. The Lord did so for Israel. Isaiah uses the
same imagery. “Let me sing
for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with
choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine
vat in it.” Vv.1-2 The Lord cared for
His people in the Old Testament and today He continues to nurture us through
the good news of the Gospel.
2. Through
the Gospel the Lord gathers and preserves His people. In the message of
salvation which is found in sweet Gospel of Jesus Christ our Savior. You are
not only brought to faith. You are also marked and preserved as God’s very
special people.
B. There
is a tenant agreement. The Lord rents out His vineyard expecting fruit. Yet He
supplies you with the tools necessary to produce a crop.
The message of Lord’s presence is woven throughout the
Scriptures. “Haggai, the messenger of the
LORD, delivered the message of the LORD to the people, “I am with you,”
declares the LORD.” –Haggai 1:13) So also, David proclaimed, “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of
Jacob is our fortress.” – Psalm 46:11
This promise is repeated by Jesus when gave us His
word, “I am with you always!” –
Matthew 28:20) As He has promised to remain with you He calls you to work in
His vineyard. The Lord “rents out” His vineyard by giving it to you; supplying
you with faith and strengthens you.
And this faith which you have is not yours alone. The LORD Himself is the One who has worked
saving faith in you. This Paul declares,
“For by the grace give me I say to every
one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but thing of
yourself with sober judgment according to the measure of faith God has given you.”
– Romans 12:3
C. In
any rental agreement, there are terms of payment. The rent check is to come in
on time at the same time, every time it is due. The landlord expects to be
paid. The LORD expects to be paid. God expects His rent. What does He demand as
far as payment is concerned?
1. He
demands that the fruit of faith be demonstrated in our life. St. Paul in his
letter to the Galatians lists the fruit of faith which include; love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control”
(Galatians 5:22)
2. Because
of the enabling power of the Holy Spirit bearing fruit is not a chore. Rather
it is a spontaneous outpouring which is the response to the benefits which God
has worked in you.
Transition:
The terms of the rental agreement have been spelled out. However this is not to
say that difficulties may occur.
II. The difficulties encountered.
From time to time there can be problems when there are
renters. The payment might be late or become delinquent. A tenant can say to
himself “this isn’t my property; I am free from any responsibilities. I don’t
have to take care of this dump! Careless
delinquent tenants can wreak havoc on a property. Even in the LORD’s vineyard.
A. Even the LORD
Himself had difficulties with His renters.
1. Renters
of the Old Testament, the previous tenants killed the prophets which came
delivering the message of the LORD’s mercy and grace. And it got considerably
worse. “And the tenants took his servants
and beat one, killed another and stoned another. He sent other servants, more
than the first. And they did the same to them.”
2. “Finally he sent his son to them, saying,
‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to
themselves, ’This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.
And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.”
–Vv.37-38
B. The problem with
delinquent tenants can still exist today.
1. The LORD
can still have difficulties with His renters. How? When we fail to see God’s
mission to the world. When we fail to share with others the message of
salvation which Christ has offered. If we do this be become delinquent and
careless tenants.
2. We can
become guilty of failing to hold up our end of the renter’s contract when we
fail to love. As the LORD has forgiven “70 times 7”; yet we, in turn, refuse to
forgive others when they sin against us.
As Christ has shown His compassion we in turn extend
mercy to others. Refusing to deal with others on the same terms as the LORD has
dealt with us results in our failing our part of the rental contract. When we
fail to love. When we are slow to forgive. If we are quick to forgive yet slow
to forget we can become delinquent and careless tenants.
III. The Action of God.
So what do you do when you run across a problem with a
troublesome renter? In most cases you demonstrate patience – but ultimately and
finally patience has a limit. So also, with the LORD.
A. The LORD shows
patience.
1. When a prophet was killed the LORD kept on
sending other prophets and servants. What a remarkable contrast to what most
would have done under similar circumstances. But again, here is the patience of
the LORD demonstrates.
2. The LORD
went so far as to send His only Son. Through Christ’s death He atoned for the
tenant’s selfishness. Here we see the great lengths the LORD went to show His
love and patience.
3. The LORD
continues to demonstrate His patience for us. He is still giving us time to
bring forth fruit of faith. He continues to love and seek our love. He continues to provide us those means which
we need to receive His mercy and care.
B. “The kingdom of God will be taken away from
you,” Jesus says to them. This is not so much a punishment for failing to
produce kingdom fruits. It is, rather, the recognition of what already is. They
were given the vineyard and failed to produce and share the fruits of the kingdom.
Jesus is just naming the reality, the truth.
They have excluded themselves. In the same way, the
kingdom of God will be given to those who are already producing kingdom fruits.
This is not a reward but a recognition of what already is. Where the fruit is,
there also is the kingdom.
If you want to know what the fruits of the kingdom
look like then look at the life of God revealed in Jesus Christ. Not abstract
ideas but the life lived to its fullest by a Savior who loves you. Look to the
One who exchanges His life for yours.
We’ve all been given vineyards. They are the people,
relationships, circumstances and events of our lives that the LORD has
entrusted to our care. That means our spouse and marriage, children and family,
our work, our church, our daily decisions and choices, our hopes, dreams, and
concerns are the vineyards in which we are to reveal the presence and life of
God, to produce the fruits of the kingdom. The vineyards, our work in those
vineyards, and the fruit produced come together to show us to be sharers in
God’s kingdom.[1]
What a privilege it
is to be a tenant in the LORD’s vineyard. What an honor it is to bring Him the
fruit of faith with joy. My the Lord so move us to be good tenants until that
time in which we move out of that rented ground into a new home, one which has
been purchased by the same Landlord we are renting from now – Jesus Christ the
righteous one.
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Words -1,560
Passive Sentences -10%
Readability -78%
Reading Level -5.4
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