New Perceptions

Vintage Tales: The Way Too Generous Landowner

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

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Series Code: NP

Program Code: NP181020A


00:11 Good morning, church family.
00:13 Good morning.
00:14 How are you today?
00:16 Good?
00:18 Turn to someone beside you and tell them
00:19 how you're doing today.
00:24 It's so good to be
00:26 able to gather as a family this morning,
00:27 and we're doing a little bit of
00:29 a different style of music together.
00:31 And I just want you to think about
00:32 sitting in the living room together,
00:34 singing some old favorite songs,
00:37 and worshiping God as a family.
00:53 There's a land that is fairer than day
00:57 And by faith we can see it afar
01:01 For the Father waits over the way
01:06 To prepare us a dwelling place there
01:10 In the sweet by and by
01:15 We shall meet on that beautiful shore
01:19 In the sweet by and by
01:23 We shall meet on that beautiful shore
01:28 We shall sing on that beautiful shore
01:32 The melodious songs of the blest
01:36 And our spirits shall sorrow no more
01:41 Not a sigh for the blessing of rest
01:45 In the sweet by and by
01:50 We shall meet on that beautiful shore
01:54 In the sweet by and by
01:59 We shall meet on that beautiful shore
02:20 To our Father.
02:21 To our bountiful Father above
02:25 We will offer our tribute of praise
02:30 For the glorious gift of His love
02:34 And the blessings that hallow our days
02:39 In the sweet by and by
02:43 We shall meet on that beautiful shore
02:48 In the sweet by and by
02:52 We shall meet on that beautiful shore
02:56 In the sweet.
02:57 In the sweet by and by
03:02 We shall meet on that beautiful shore
03:06 In the sweet by and by
03:11 We shall meet on that beautiful shore
03:36 Shackled by a heavy burden
03:44 'Neath a load of guilt and shame
03:52 Then the hand of Jesus touched me
03:59 And now I am no longer the same
04:05 He touched me.
04:07 He touched me, oh He touched me
04:15 And oh the joy
04:18 That floods my soul!
04:23 Something happened and now I know
04:31 He touched me
04:33 And made me whole
04:39 Since I met this blessed Savior
04:47 Since He cleansed and made me whole
04:55 I will never cease to praise Him
05:02 I'll shout it while eternity rolls
05:09 He touched me, oh He touched me
05:17 And oh the joy
05:21 That floods my soul!
05:26 Something happened and now I know
05:33 He touched me and made me whole
05:41 He touched me, oh He touched me
05:49 And oh the joy
05:53 That floods my soul!
05:57 Something happened and now I know
06:05 He touched me and made me whole
06:15 Aren't you glad that Jesus can reach down
06:18 and make that change in your life?
06:20 He can make us whole
06:22 and, you know, it's not just a one time thing,
06:24 Jesus wants to continue to mold us and shape us
06:27 and make us more like Him.
06:28 And I love this next song
06:30 because it talks about the power
06:31 that Jesus can give us day by day through the blood.
06:34 I want to invite you to stand with me
06:36 as we continue singing together.
07:02 Would you be free from your burden of sin
07:06 There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood
07:11 Would you o'er evil a victory win
07:15 There's wonderful pow'r in the blood
07:19 There is pow'r, pow'r, wonder-working pow'r
07:23 In the blood of the Lamb
07:27 There is pow'r, pow'r, wonder-working pow'r
07:32 In the precious blood of the Lamb
07:36 Would you be free from your passion and pride
07:40 There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood
07:45 Come for a cleansing to Calvary's tide
07:49 There's wonderful pow'r in the blood
07:53 There is pow'r, pow'r, wonder-working pow'r
07:57 In the blood of the Lamb
08:02 There is pow'r, pow'r, wonder-working pow'r
08:06 In the precious blood of the Lamb
08:11 Would you do service for Jesus your King
08:15 There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood
08:19 Would you live daily His praises to sing
08:23 There's wonderful pow'r in the blood
08:27 There is pow'r, pow'r, wonder-working pow'r
08:32 In the blood of the Lamb
08:36 There is pow'r, pow'r, wonder-working pow'r
08:40 In the precious blood of the Lamb
08:45 Amen. Wonderful.
08:50 You know, God gives us power and he gives us strength,
08:52 but that doesn't mean that
08:54 we don't go through difficult times,
08:55 it doesn't mean that we don't wonder about the future.
08:58 But the good news is that
08:59 He wants us to lay that at His feet
09:00 and He wants to walk with us through the difficult times.
09:04 And so if you have something on your heart,
09:06 something in your life that you're struggling with
09:08 or that you really feel like
09:09 you need God's help to go through,
09:13 I want to invite you to come forward
09:14 as we sing this last song.
09:23 I don't know about tomorrow
09:29 I just live from day to day
09:36 I don't borrow from the sunshine
09:43 For its skies might turn to gray
09:50 I don't worry o'er the future
09:57 For I know what Jesus said
10:03 And today He'll walk beside me
10:10 For He knows what lies ahead
10:17 Many things about tomorrow
10:24 I don't seem to understand
10:31 But I know who holds tomorrow
10:38 And I know who holds my hand
10:49 Ev'ry step is getting brighter
10:55 As the golden stairs I climb
11:02 Ev'ry burden's getting lighter
11:09 Ev'ry cloud is silver lined
11:16 There the sun is always shining
11:23 There no tear will dim the eye
11:30 At the ending of the rainbow
11:37 Where the mountains touch the sky
11:43 Many things about tomorrow
11:51 I don't seem to understand
11:58 But I know who holds tomorrow
12:05 And I know who holds my hand
12:12 Many things about tomorrow
12:20 I don't seem
12:23 To understand
12:28 But I know
12:32 Who holds tomorrow
12:37 And I know
12:41 Who holds my hand
12:55 my hand Good morning, boys and girls.
12:57 It is good to see you guys.
12:58 In fact, I'm not going to lie,
13:01 it is nice that we have this story each week
13:04 where we bring all the best-looking members
13:05 of the church upfront
13:07 just to talk to them.
13:09 I like that.
13:10 So I had a story all picked out
13:13 and I took it to my children's story committee
13:17 just last night and Emit said, "No, no.
13:21 This is the story you need to tell."
13:23 And you know what?
13:24 He was right.
13:26 And so without further ado,
13:31 a long, long, long, long time ago,
13:33 before even some of you were born,
13:36 there was a dog.
13:39 He was my dog.
13:41 His name was Eddie.
13:43 And Eddie was the most playful, most fun dog
13:46 you would ever meet.
13:47 He loved to play. He played all the time.
13:50 When I would wake up in the morning,
13:51 as soon as my eyes would open,
13:53 he's say, "Oh, good, you're awake."
13:54 And he would drop a tennis ball right on my chest.
13:56 And if I was trying to sit at the desk,
13:58 working on something, he would take the tennis ball
14:00 and shove it under my leg to let me know,
14:02 "Hey, let's play."
14:05 And one night, I stayed up a little bit later
14:08 than I probably should have and I was about to go to bed
14:10 and I realized, "Oh, no.
14:13 I haven't let Eddie go out
14:15 to go to the bathroom yet tonight."
14:16 And so I opened the door and he ran back out
14:18 behind the back of the house
14:21 and I heard two sounds.
14:24 I heard two sounds that were not good sounds at all.
14:28 The first sound I heard was a...
14:30 Sound
14:33 and the second sound was Eddie howling
14:36 as he came running around the front of the house
14:38 with his tail between his legs.
14:40 And there's something you should know about me,
14:44 I do not have the best sense of smell.
14:49 That's a whole another story.
14:51 I cannot smell well.
14:53 This is part of why Pastor Jose and I are such good friends.
14:57 But I don't have the best sense of smell...
15:04 But I smelled enough to know exactly what had happened.
15:08 Eddie had been sprayed by a skunk.
15:11 Now I've got a picture of Eddie
15:12 that we can put up here on the screens
15:14 so that you can see exactly what Eddie looks like.
15:19 Yes, but you will realize a tomato juice bath
15:23 was not a good idea for this white dog.
15:26 I did not want a pink puppy.
15:29 And so I got online
15:30 and I researched what you needed
15:32 and you needed hydrogen peroxide, baking soda,
15:35 and a little bit of dish soap,
15:37 and I realized I don't have enough hydrogen peroxide
15:39 and so I needed to go out and buy it, and the only place
15:42 that was still open at that time of night
15:44 with hydrogen peroxide was Walmart.
15:48 And I'm hoping none of you have been to Walmart
15:50 at this time of night.
15:54 But the people who go to Walmart,
15:56 they don't really care about getting dressed
15:59 in the right clothes for going out.
16:01 A lot of them are in their pajamas.
16:03 This is true.
16:06 And you know what?
16:07 These people in their pajamas, when they would see me,
16:10 they would make the most disgusted faces
16:13 and they would cross over to the far side of aisle
16:15 and they didn't want to get too close to me
16:17 and I thought, "My, goodness, what is going on?"
16:21 And then I realized it.
16:23 I realized the valuable truth and that is,
16:25 if you hang out with skunks, you too smell like a skunk.
16:31 But here's the good news, kids.
16:33 If you hang out with Jesus,
16:36 you too smell like Jesus.
16:39 When you hang out with Jesus, you too sound like Jesus.
16:43 When you hang out with Jesus, you too look like Jesus.
16:46 And so when you hang out with Jesus,
16:48 it prepares you to tell other people about Jesus.
16:52 How many of you this week
16:54 want to tell somebody else about Jesus?
16:59 Awesome. Awesome.
17:01 I think that if we could get all of you guys
17:06 telling your friends, telling your neighbors about Jesus,
17:09 oh, man, we could turn
17:11 Berrien Springs upside down this week.
17:14 Let's do that.
17:15 Now I need a volunteer.
17:19 Oh, be careful raising your hands yet.
17:20 You don't know what I'm going to ask for.
17:22 I need a volunteer to pray.
17:24 And the first hand I saw was this guy.
17:27 And I'm not just choosing you
17:28 'cause you have a fantastic name,
17:29 but come up, Martin.
17:33 Okay, and can you pray and ask Jesus
17:36 to help us to spend time with Him
17:38 so that we can tell others about Him this week?
17:41 Yes.
17:42 Dear Jesus, thank You for this day.
17:44 Thank You for our family and our friends.
17:47 Please make us know about You
17:49 and make us to tell all about You.
17:53 And thank You for loving us.
17:55 In Jesus' name, amen. Amen.
17:57 And as you go back to your seats, remember,
18:00 when you spend time with Jesus,
18:03 you smell like Jesus.
19:52 We are His hands
19:57 We are His feet
20:00 We are His people
20:04 Children of the Lord
20:09 We share the hope
20:14 We share the dream
20:17 Believers in Jesus
20:20 Children of the King
20:27 His Spirit lives within us
20:36 Flowing like a river
20:45 Filling us with strength
20:49 So that we can
20:53 Reach out for our brothers
20:58 Help one another
21:02 We are His hands
21:06 We are His feet
21:09 We are His people
21:12 Children of the Lord
21:17 We share the hope
21:21 We share the dream
21:24 Believers in Jesus
21:27 Children of the King
21:33 Some of us build
21:36 Some are teachers
21:42 Some can sing like angels
21:49 But all of us can love
21:54 Like He loved, pure and simple
22:02 So warm and gentle
22:06 We are His hands
22:10 We are His feet
22:13 We are His people
22:16 Children of the Lord
22:21 We share the hope
22:24 We share the dream
22:28 Believers in Jesus
22:30 Children of the King
22:48 We are His hands
22:51 We are His feet
22:54 We are His people
22:57 Children of the Lord
23:02 We share the hope
23:06 We share the dream
23:09 Believers in Jesus
23:12 Children of the King
23:17 We are His hands
23:20 We are His feet
23:23 We are His people
23:26 Children of the Lord
23:31 We share the hope
23:35 We share the dream
23:38 Believers in Jesus
23:41 Children of the King
23:47 Amen!
24:01 We are His hands, we are His feet,
24:04 the children of the God, and His people.
24:09 Oh, that's what we needed today.
24:11 Coming right out of the congregation,
24:14 coming right out of the audience
24:16 because that's where it's got to come from
24:19 as business of the kingdom is not about
24:21 whole bunch of upfront people
24:23 that are going to somehow figure out a way
24:25 to pull it to a conclusion.
24:27 Impossible.
24:29 It'll have to come out of the pews.
24:32 I guess the first flash mob
24:34 we've ever had in the Pioneer Memorial Church.
24:37 They did well, very well.
24:39 Now let's pray.
24:41 Oh, God, we are the hands, Your hands.
24:45 We are Your feet.
24:47 It's not about up front and in the back,
24:50 it's all of us.
24:53 Oh, let that be clear.
24:56 Let that be clear in these
24:59 twin vintage tales right now.
25:03 We pray in Jesus' name.
25:05 Amen.
25:07 You know what a rhetorical question is?
25:09 Question or a rhetorical question,
25:10 it has the answer embedded in it
25:12 and it assumes you do not expect an answer.
25:16 Is the pope Catholic?
25:18 No, we know.
25:20 Or in the words of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley,
25:24 "If winter comes, can spring be far behind?"
25:29 Yup.
25:32 Writers and speakers use rhetorical questions,
25:34 they somehow highlight the point
25:36 they're trying to drive through.
25:38 Paul was no exception.
25:39 He has a rhetorical question
25:41 he once asked and nobody even remembers it.
25:42 I bet you never even read it.
25:44 Let's put it on the screen. 1 Corinthians 9:7.
25:47 Paul, rhetorical question,
25:49 "Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes?"
25:52 Nobody. Why?
25:54 Because vineyards are hard work.
25:57 They're not easy-peasy flower gardens.
25:58 Are you kidding?
26:00 If you plant a vineyard, you have one solitary mission
26:02 and that is to harvest G-R-A-P-E-S.
26:08 I'm going to repeat that.
26:09 If you plant a vineyard, you have one solitary mission
26:11 and that is to harvest G-R-A-P-E-S.
26:14 Jesus said, "I'm the vine, you're the branches.
26:16 He has one solitary mission
26:18 and that is to harvest in you G-R-A-P-E-S
26:22 or through you.
26:24 So when we end with these twin vintage tales...
26:29 One of them is strange I got to admit it,
26:30 I like the other one better.
26:32 But when we end with these vintage tales,
26:34 that's precisely the point they're making.
26:37 They're both in the Book of Matthew.
26:38 In fact, they're only in the Book of Matthew.
26:42 Must be a big deal
26:44 because they happened in the week of His execution.
26:46 He saves the best till last.
26:48 Let's go to vintage tale number one.
26:50 Open your Bible to Matthew Chapter 21.
26:52 Vintage tale number one.
26:53 And by the way, put the title's slide on the screen please
26:57 because vintage...
26:58 You know what vintage means, of course.
27:00 Vintage is the harvest of the vineyard, its grapes.
27:02 That's what it means, it's harvest.
27:04 Vintage tales, two last stories,
27:07 one final truth
27:09 because Jesus is all about harvest.
27:11 Remember Jesus once... Where was this?
27:13 Matthew 9:38.
27:18 "The harvest is plentiful..." How does that go?
27:20 "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
27:23 Pray that the Lord of the harvest
27:24 will send out laborers."
27:26 Isn't that what He said?
27:27 He's big on the vintage. Let's go.
27:30 This is vintage tale number one.
27:32 Matthew Chapter 21.
27:35 This thing we're talking of that,
27:36 I don't even have it myself.
27:38 Matthew Chapter 21.
27:40 I'm in the NIV.
27:43 He's just been accosted by the Pharisees, the elders,
27:46 the hierarchy of the church always after anybody
27:49 that's not in line with their particular persuasion.
27:52 They're nailing the young man,
27:53 who cleaned the clock of the temple yesterday,
27:56 that would be Monday, today is Tuesday morning.
27:58 They jump him, he's ready, and Jesus speaks.
28:00 Okay, He asks them a question, verse 28.
28:03 Matthew 21:28.
28:04 "What do you think?
28:06 There was a man who had two sons.
28:08 He went to the first and said,
28:10 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.'
28:12 'I will not,' he answered,
28:15 but later he changed his mind and he went.
28:17 Then the father went to the other son
28:18 and he said the same thing.
28:19 And he answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go."
28:23 Then Christ asks the question,
28:25 "Now which of the two did what his father wanted?"
28:29 Once upon a time, there was a father,
28:30 he had two boys.
28:32 Both children have the same father,
28:34 both children live in the same household,
28:36 both children live near the same vineyard,
28:38 and both end up lying to their dads.
28:41 In fact, David Redding calls them
28:43 identical twins in deceitfulness.
28:45 Both are lying.
28:47 "I will not go."
28:48 One lied, but later changed his mind and went.
28:50 "I will go."
28:52 One lied and never went.
28:54 Now which one of the children did what their father wanted?
28:59 Let's see how it gets answered here.
29:01 Go back to verse 31 again.
29:02 "Which of the two did what his father wanted?"
29:04 And, of course, the Pharisee is drawn
29:06 into that sharp little tale.
29:08 Can't help themselves and respond
29:09 and nail themselves.
29:11 The Pharisees cry out, "The first,' they answered.
29:15 Jesus said to them, 'Truly I tell you,
29:17 the tax collectors and the prostitutes
29:20 are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.'"
29:23 You were talking about the scum,
29:24 I mean, in the eyes of the Pharisee,
29:26 these are the moral...
29:29 They are the moral scum of society
29:32 for which Pharisee, scribes, and elders have zero time.
29:36 I'm telling you what?
29:37 "They're in the kingdom ahead of you."
29:40 "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors
29:41 and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God
29:43 ahead of you.
29:44 For John..." That would be John the Baptist.
29:46 "Came to you to show you the way of righteousness,
29:47 and you didn't believe him,
29:52 but the tax collectors and prostitutes,
29:54 they believed him.
29:55 And even after you saw that they were believing him,
29:58 you did not repent, you did not believe."
30:02 Oh, you're right.
30:03 Tax collectors and prostitutes, God comes to them and says,
30:06 "Hey, I want you to be in My kingdom."
30:08 "No! I'm not going to Your kingdom.
30:10 I love what I'm doing."
30:13 But through the mighty preaching
30:15 of that thundering wilderness prophet,
30:17 the Holy Spirit convicts them and by the droves,
30:19 they respond to the appeal and they enter the kingdom.
30:23 Whereas those who walk around and say, "Yeah, I'll go, yeah.
30:25 Of course, I'm already in God."
30:28 They refuse entry.
30:31 So which one of the two?
30:33 Which one of the two did the will of the Father?
30:35 Did what the father wanted?
30:37 Are we the second son or are we the first son?
30:39 Come on, you tell me. Are we the second...
30:41 You, are you the first son or the second son?
30:45 Let's change this around a little.
30:46 Will that be all right?
30:47 Let's tweak a few words in the parable.
30:49 It's in your study guide, there's a study guide
30:51 that you've got tucked away in that worship bulletin,
30:52 nothing to fill in.
30:54 But we'll put it on the screen.
30:55 Let's read the parables with a slight adjustment.
30:58 "There was a Father who had two congregations.
31:01 He went to the first congregation
31:03 and he said, 'My people, go and work today in My vineyard.'
31:05 'We will not!'
31:06 The congregation retorted,
31:08 but later they changed their mind
31:09 and went to work in their Father's vineyard."
31:10 Why?
31:12 Because they wanted to harvest G-R-A-P-E-S,
31:14 the vintage.
31:16 "Then the Father went to the other congregation
31:17 and said the same thing,
31:19 'My people, go and work today in My vineyard.'
31:21 And the congregation responded, 'We will, Lord.'
31:24 But they did not go
31:25 and work in their Father's vineyard.
31:27 So which of the two congregations did
31:30 what their Father wanted?'"
31:32 The end.
31:35 Which one?
31:37 It's a good and fair question I suppose,
31:39 after all, it's quite clear that to western sensibilities,
31:43 congregations in this culture, we just don't do evangelism.
31:49 We can't do it in our culture.
31:51 You can't go out to a vineyard and make this big fuss
31:53 about getting people that are lost out there
31:54 and bringing them into the church, no.
31:56 That's what you do in South America,
31:57 that's what you do in Inner America,
31:59 that's what you do in Africa, that's what you do in Asia,
32:01 but you don't do it in the West.
32:02 No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
32:04 We're not going to do it. No, we're not going to do it.
32:08 But that congregation got to thinking sometime later,
32:12 "You know we've tried everything else
32:14 but it doesn't seem to work.
32:15 The church is not growing.
32:18 What should we do?"
32:19 I wonder they asked each other.
32:24 "Maybe we don't have anything to lose
32:26 to move into public evangelism.
32:28 What if we join with the Father in His mission
32:31 to move out into the vineyard and seek and save the lost?
32:35 We've tried everything else.
32:36 Look at the church, it's still not growing."
32:40 And that congregation reversed themselves.
32:45 "We got to get out of these sterile brick walls.
32:48 We need to get out into the vineyard around us."
32:51 They went.
32:55 But there were two congregations
32:58 Jesus tells us.
32:59 And the second congregation when they heard the idea
33:01 that the plan of God, what it said, "Count on us.
33:03 We believe in that strategy, get out into the vineyard."
33:08 But the problem was, "Amen. Yes, Lord.
33:11 At your service," resulted in nobody going
33:14 into God's vineyard.
33:16 Not the congregation, not the pastor, nobody.
33:20 Oh, sure, they kept having church,
33:21 they kept finding reasons to have the lights on
33:23 once a week inside their building,
33:25 but in the vineyard, nobody.
33:28 Solitary mission of the organization
33:31 that they were a part of is to harvest G-R-A-P-E-S,
33:35 but nobody's harvesting G-R-A-P-E-S,
33:38 they're just huddling together once a week,
33:41 high fiving the glory of their music
33:44 and the inspiration of their preaching,
33:45 and that's it.
33:51 No grapes, no growth,
33:55 no goal.
33:58 So which congregation would we be?
34:02 I told you, this isn't a real comfortable vintage tale.
34:05 I like the other one better.
34:07 Let's do the other one, vintage tale number two.
34:09 Once upon a time there was a landowner
34:11 with a very sprawling vineyard.
34:13 We're talking humungous.
34:15 And on the day before, he went out in the afternoon
34:18 and the smell of concords in the air.
34:22 "Tomorrow it is."
34:24 He informed his foreman
34:25 and long before 6 o'clock in the morning,
34:27 the foreman is up, jumps into that rusty trusty,
34:30 pick-em up truck, races up and down
34:32 the hilly country into town.
34:33 From miles away, you can see the dust of his harry.
34:36 Before 6 o'clock, he arrives at that street corner.
34:39 There they are, the migrant workers,
34:41 some legal, some not legal.
34:43 "Hey, guys, you want to work today?"
34:45 Rhetorical question. "Do you want to work today?
34:48 I'll pay you what's fair, a day's wage.
34:51 Get in. Let's go." Boom. They're gone.
34:54 Racing out to the sprawling vineyards.
34:57 Six a.m., workers...
35:00 They begin. Oh, I love this story.
35:03 Nine o'clock, the same foreman walks out there
35:05 and he says,
35:08 "We're not going to be able to do it with this bunch.
35:11 I better go and get some more."
35:12 Jumped into that same old rusty dusty, pick-em up truck,
35:16 and into town.
35:17 There they are, same street corner,
35:20 just before 9.
35:21 "Yo, you boys want to work? Girls, come on, let's go.
35:25 I'll pay you what's fair."
35:26 They get in and out do they go.
35:28 Fresh arms now joining the picking,
35:30 the vintage is being harvested.
35:33 Around noon, the same foreman walks out,
35:35 up and down those aisles, and amidst all the chatter
35:37 of the workers working together
35:39 and yelling at each other, he does the arithmetic.
35:41 "This isn't going to work."
35:43 Twelve o'clock he goes back, you know the drill now.
35:45 Same corner, there they are, still hired.
35:47 "Yo, you guys want to work?" Rhetorical question.
35:50 "Get in my pick-em up truck. Let's go."
35:53 And they go. Fresh hands now join.
35:55 Three o'clock in the afternoon.
36:00 Measuring the distance from the sun to their eyes
36:03 because nobody works in the dark
36:04 in a land that has no electricity.
36:06 Three o'clock in the afternoon, "We've got to get more."
36:09 Back in the same old beat up truck.
36:11 "Hey, guys. I see you. Come on, let's go."
36:13 They jump in, and now fresh, three o'clock in the afternoon,
36:16 hands are joining and everybody is scrambling.
36:18 "We're going to get the harvest today."
36:20 But at five o'clock, that same foreman walks out.
36:24 "This is not good.
36:25 I'm going to have to have more workers."
36:27 Back in the truck.
36:28 "Hey, why are you guys still sitting here?"
36:30 "'Cause nobody has hired us."
36:31 "I'll hire you and I'll pay you what's fair.
36:33 Let's go." They jump in.
36:35 And in the last hour, the eleventh hour,
36:40 they got it done, they got the harvest in.
36:45 After everybody's high fiving
36:47 and looking at that barn filled with vintage,
36:51 the landowner walks out and he says to the foreman,
36:53 "Hey, listen, nice job today.
36:54 I want you to start with the guys
36:56 who came last, okay?
36:57 You start with them and pay them
36:59 and then pay everybody else, okay?"
37:00 So that's exactly what happens.
37:05 They come up
37:06 and when they see twelve hours worth of pay,
37:09 their eyes pop out of their heads.
37:12 They cannot believe it.
37:14 And the guys in the back, "Did you see that?"
37:20 Wait till we get up to the front!"
37:23 They get up to the front to the cashbox
37:25 and guess what.
37:28 Twelve hours of pay.
37:29 "Wait a... Time out!"
37:31 And the place erupts in anger.
37:34 Let's let Jesus pick it up.
37:35 Just turn one page back from Matthew 21,
37:38 now you're in Matthew 20.
37:39 Jesus picks it up the story right here, verse 11.
37:41 "And when they, the twelve hour workers
37:44 received their wages,
37:46 they began to grumble against the landowner."
37:48 Verse 12.
37:49 "These who were hired last worked only one hour,'
37:52 they said, 'and you have made them equal to us
37:54 who have borne the burden of the work
37:55 and the heat of the day.'
37:57 But he answered one of them,
37:58 'Hey, yo, yo, calm down, calm down.
38:01 I am not being unfair to you, friend.
38:03 Didn't you agree to work for a day's wage?
38:07 Take your pay and go.
38:09 I want to give the one who was hired last
38:11 the same as I gave you.
38:12 Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money?
38:15 Or are you envious because I am generous?'"
38:19 Oh I love that line.
38:21 "Are you envious..." Put it up.
38:24 "Because I am generous?"
38:28 Don't you just love this portrayal of God?
38:31 "I am generous with sinners,
38:33 I take people that others wouldn't take.
38:35 I am generous with laborers,
38:36 I take people that others wouldn't take.
38:38 I am generous with workers, I'll take them
38:40 to the very last minute if they'll join my team.
38:43 Are you jealous because I am generous?
38:49 Come on, we've got room for more.
38:52 Get on, jump in. I need all hands on deck."
38:56 And did you notice by the way that
38:58 when the foreman is hiring, there is not a word about age.
39:01 "Okay, hold it up. How old are you?
39:05 Okay, we'll take him."
39:06 There's not a word about race.
39:08 "Yo, what's your ethnicity? Okay, we'll take you."
39:12 There's not a word about gender.
39:14 "Are you woman or are you man?
39:17 We can only take one."
39:19 Not a word.
39:21 There' not a word about ability.
39:22 "No, no, no, no, no.
39:24 You don't have the ability. I'm awfully sorry."
39:26 The generous landowner is living under the proposition
39:30 that it's all hands on deck in the eleventh hour.
39:34 Everybody gets to work.
39:36 Nobody's excluded, nobody's left out,
39:39 nobody's categorized and saying,
39:41 "You'll stay over here."
39:43 Nobody is withheld the joy of being part of a team
39:49 and even leading a team
39:50 that is bringing in the vintage.
39:53 Nobody is held out.
39:57 "Or are you jealous?
40:01 Are you envious that I am generous?"
40:07 I love the picture of the Father in this story.
40:11 "It's eleventh hour, folks. I'm taking everybody."
40:15 And by the way, do you notice this
40:16 about the Father being as generous as He is?
40:19 He is not looking for an excuse to keep people out,
40:22 He's always looking for an excuse
40:24 to bring people in.
40:26 That's just the way He is.
40:28 He's not finding a way for some to not serve,
40:31 He's always looking for a way to have everyone serve.
40:39 "Are you envious
40:43 that I'm generous?
40:45 I've widened
40:47 what you are apparently not happy with?
40:54 Are you envious that I am generous?"
40:58 Wow.
41:00 The reality is,
41:03 the issue in both of these vintage tales
41:04 is not about the Father's help,
41:06 it's not about the Father's hire,
41:08 it's about the Father's heart.
41:10 That's the truth of the two vintage tales,
41:13 what kind of Father do we have.
41:16 It's all about His heart because you know why?
41:20 I'll put this on the screen for you,
41:21 I need you to get this
41:22 because if we have the Father's heart,
41:26 we will work the Father's harvest.
41:30 That's just the way it works.
41:32 If we have the Father's heart,
41:34 we will work the Father's harvest.
41:37 And what kind of heart does the Father have?
41:39 Are you kidding?
41:41 You don't know?
41:43 I mean, in another gospel like...
41:45 Which one was it? Who can remember?
41:47 Didn't Jesus once tell a story about a lost sheep,
41:51 and a lost coin, and a lost boy?
41:56 And is it coincidental that in every one of those stories,
42:00 they all end with this jubilant noisy celebration.
42:05 Why? Because the lost has been found.
42:08 Apparently, when Jesus says there is more joy in heaven
42:12 over the one lost found sinner than the 99 un-lost,
42:17 un-working in the vineyard, unwilling to evangelize,
42:20 save people, He's saying something pretty big.
42:24 "We get more joy out of harvesting lost
42:31 than rototilling the saved.
42:35 We're getting kind of tired of rototilling the saved."
42:38 "Always having to turn the ground over
42:40 just to keep Him happy.
42:42 Give me some more of that.
42:43 Just keep us happy
42:45 and you'll be okay in this church,
42:47 this congregation."
42:51 Wow!
42:53 If we have the Father's heart
42:54 apparently, we will work in the Father's harvest.
42:57 "Or are you envious that I'm generous?"
43:00 I wish I could go to Google right now.
43:06 I should have thought about this last week.
43:07 I wish I could've gone to Google this last week
43:09 and I could say to Google,
43:10 "Look, look, Google, find me that picture.
43:12 I got to have that picture.
43:13 I want everybody here to see it on this big screen
43:15 and I wish we could make this a panoramic screen
43:18 so that you could see the picture
43:20 because, Google, if we can see this picture,
43:22 we might know why there's so much joy
43:25 in the Father's heart over even one that returns to Him
43:28 or comes to Him for the first time."
43:30 I couldn't find the picture.
43:32 All we have, as far as I know, is a word picture
43:34 and I need to end with you looking
43:36 in the back of your Bible to the Book of Revelation.
43:38 Revelation Chapter 7. Here's a word picture for you.
43:41 We can't put it up on a Google screen,
43:43 we can't find a copy of it anywhere,
43:45 but, boy, oh, boy.
43:47 This is John boy who's become old man John
43:49 on the Isle of Patmos and he's shown the picture.
43:52 He's shown the picture so he's seen it.
43:54 I wish we could see it too.
43:55 This is Revelation 7:9.
43:57 This is a picture of heaven.
44:00 I love this. Revelation 7:9.
44:02 "And after this, I looked and there before me
44:04 was a great multitude that no one could count."
44:07 Now the Greek word there for count
44:09 is aríthmi_si_
44:11 from whence comes our English word arithmetic.
44:14 "So I saw a crowd so big
44:16 that nobody could punch the numbers.
44:17 Nobody could calculate, do the arithmetic
44:20 on how many people are standing
44:21 in front of me right now in this picture.
44:23 It's just they are innumerable."
44:26 Do you know who they are?
44:27 They're all lost people who got saved.
44:30 Wow. Where are they from?
44:33 "From every nation, tribe, people, and language,
44:36 standing before the throne and before the Lamb.
44:38 They were wearing white robes,
44:39 are holding palm branches in their hands,
44:41 and they're crying out in a loud voice,
44:42 in this picture,
44:44 'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne,
44:46 and to the Lamb, our Father and our Savior.'"
44:51 Keep reading.
44:52 "All the angels were standing around the throne
44:54 and around the elders and the four living creatures.
44:56 And they all fall down
44:57 on their faces before the throne
44:58 and they worshiped God, and they cry out, 'Amen!
45:01 Praise, and glory, and wisdom, and thanks,
45:03 and honor, and power, and strength
45:04 to our God forever and ever.
45:08 Amen!'"
45:10 A seven fold doxology of joy.
45:15 Are you kidding?
45:16 The Father of us all, the Savior of us all,
45:19 the Holy Spirit friend of us all,
45:21 they have been waiting millennia for this moment.
45:24 Don't you suppose
45:26 there will be a wild celebration
45:29 on those streets of gold one day?
45:33 "The lost,
45:36 our lost children have come home."
45:41 Here's a question for you.
45:43 How many of those people will be in that picture one day
45:49 because of you?
45:51 I want you to think about that.
45:54 How many of those people will be in the picture one day
45:58 because of you?
46:01 Because of me?
46:03 Or did we spend our energy serving the church
46:06 or attending the church or being part of the church
46:10 with that which brought not a single soul home?
46:18 How many for you, Dwight?
46:23 Did you have to ask?
46:25 Bruce Wilkinson takes this moment, this picture...
46:28 And you have the words in your study guide,
46:29 this is great quotation.
46:31 Put it on the screen for you as well.
46:32 Bruce Wilkinson, "God has shown us..."
46:36 You see it on the screen.
46:37 "God has shown us how our story ends
46:39 with countless people from every nation on earth
46:43 crying out joyfully to God."
46:46 We just saw the picture.
46:47 That's how the story ends, with heaven packed.
46:52 There's so many there, they can't even count them.
46:56 "Or are you envious that I am generous?"
46:58 It turns out He may be a whole lot more generous
47:01 than we are.
47:03 Letting people in that we have said,
47:06 "No, you can't join us there."
47:17 "What part of that throng," Wilkinson asks,
47:21 "is there because of you?"
47:22 Well, we've already thinking of that, haven't we?
47:24 How many people can you and I help God save?
47:30 Wilkinson goes on. Next question.
47:32 What part of God's dream is linked to your destiny?"
47:35 Now we've got some young dreamers here
47:36 working on a career, getting their education.
47:39 I don't know what you're going into,
47:40 it doesn't matter to me,
47:41 matters only to the Father and you,
47:43 but whatever it is, your destiny,
47:45 whatever the dream is that you're pursuing,
47:47 what part of your dream is going to add
47:50 to the number of people in that picture?
47:53 Because you were born for a reason,
47:54 you got saved for a cause.
47:56 It's to harvest the vineyard.
47:59 "Well, Dwight, I'm going into it
48:00 because it's a cushy career.
48:02 I really think I'm going to be able to relax
48:03 rather early in my young life."
48:05 Come on, you can't be serious.
48:10 You got a destiny.
48:12 How does your destiny attach to God's destiny?
48:18 He said, "Dwight, I'm already into my career."
48:20 Man, I tell you what. No, no, no.
48:23 Your career right now, the one you're in.
48:25 What part of your career is enabling you
48:27 to join the Father in the vintage harvest?
48:33 He said, "Oh, Dwight, I've already retired
48:36 so I'm out of that picture."
48:38 Are you out of the picture? You crazy?
48:40 You're the one that has all the time now, right?
48:45 Come on.
48:46 There's not a time in life when you are released
48:49 from the reason you were born.
48:51 You were born for this, you were born to grow
48:54 the number of people in that picture,
48:56 that's why you love Jesus, that's why you serve Him,
48:58 and that's why He says, "I need you."
49:00 He doesn't need you to occupy a pew,
49:01 He needs you to be somewhere
49:04 where you're with lost people
49:05 and you're pointing them to the Savior.
49:12 Wilkinson, "What part of God's dream
49:13 is linked to your destiny?
49:15 Just think what a difference you can make
49:16 in many, many lives
49:18 if you were to pray passionately
49:19 and faithfully
49:20 for enlarged territory from God,
49:22 for God in His vineyard.
49:23 Imagine the miraculous divine partnership
49:25 that will grow out of your plea.
49:27 Oh, God, let me accomplish more for you."
49:30 I want to do more than I'm...
49:32 Please, God, let me accomplish more for you.
49:33 And the final line is a stinger.
49:35 This is the keeper right here.
49:37 "With His infinite ability and your willing availability,
49:42 God can literally do anything."
49:46 Anything on this planet. He can do it through you.
49:50 You don't need a professional evangelist,
49:52 you don't need a professional pastor,
49:53 you don't need nothing, but a heart that's like God's.
49:59 If you have the heart of the Father,
50:01 you will work the harvest of the Father.
50:05 You can't have His heart and not work the harvest.
50:07 The only reason I'm not working the harvest
50:09 is because I don't have His heart.
50:11 That's the only reason.
50:13 If I had His heart, I'd be working the harvest.
50:18 You want the Father's heart?
50:20 Let me end with five steps
50:24 for having the Father's heart.
50:26 We'll end with this. One, two, three, four, five.
50:28 Here they go, they're in your study guide,
50:30 you can take them home and brood over them.
50:31 Number one, kneel at the foot of the cross
50:33 in your mind's eye.
50:35 So wherever you're going to go for this,
50:37 be at the foot of the cross,
50:38 your picture in the cross in front of you.
50:39 Number two, look up into your Savior's face
50:42 and remember the truth.
50:43 "Christ Jesus came into the world
50:44 to save sinners of whom I am the worst."
50:48 Okay?
50:50 Number three, pray for the Holy Spirit.
50:52 Why should I pray for the Holy Spirit?
50:53 I put a quotation on the screen for you.
50:55 You've got it in your study guide.
50:56 This is dynamite.
50:58 "Are you using all your powers..."
50:59 Words written 100 years ago.
51:01 "Are you using all your powers in an effort to bring the lost
51:05 sheep back to the fold?
51:07 There are thousands upon thousands
51:10 in ignorance who might be warned."
51:12 Here it comes.
51:13 "Pray as you have never prayed before
51:15 for the power of Christ."
51:17 And then the clincher is the last sentence.
51:19 Here it is.
51:21 "Pray for the inspiration of His Spirit,
51:23 that you may be filled with a desire
51:26 to save those who are perishing."
51:30 It's called the daily baptism of the Spirit,
51:32 just ask for it every day.
51:34 Pray for the inspiration.
51:35 Number four, ask the spirit to send you to someone today.
51:37 "Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit,
51:39 I'm going out there out of this dormitory room,
51:41 I'm going out of my home in the community,
51:43 I need somebody today, send somebody to me
51:47 and impress me when I'm in that moment
51:49 'cause I'm not gonna make a fool of myself."
51:53 Just ask Him. "Point it out to me."
51:55 And finally, number five, go.
51:58 And when you go, stay in the vineyard.
52:00 Stay there.
52:02 You don't come home at night, you never leave the vineyard.
52:04 Not in your mind, not in your heart.
52:05 You're always in the vineyard.
52:07 Stay in the vineyard
52:09 and work with the Father until the harvest is finished.
52:12 That's it.
52:14 If you have the Father's heart, I'm not worried at all.
52:16 Five simple steps how to have the Father's heart
52:19 so that I live with that heart in the vineyard
52:22 that is all swirling around me right now.
52:26 "Pray for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
52:28 that you may be filled with a desire
52:30 to save those who are perishing."
52:31 That's it.
52:33 Because look, if we have the Father's heart,
52:35 we will work the Father's harvest.
52:38 It's a no-brainer.
52:41 So I say, let's ask God for His heart.
52:44 What do you say?
52:47 Pardon me?
52:49 Another week?
52:51 I don't want to get to the end of this in that.
52:53 Let's try it one more time.
52:55 I say let's ask the Father for His heart.
52:58 What do you say?
52:59 Amen. Amen. Amen.
53:01 We're not playing tiddlywinks here.
53:03 We're not tickling each other so we can go home
53:05 and then get back to life as usual.
53:08 We come to meet Christ and in meeting Him,
53:12 ask Him to change us in His likeness.
53:17 Amen.
53:33 Rescue the perishing, care for the dying
53:39 Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave
53:45 Weep o'er the erring one, lift up the fallen
53:51 Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save
53:57 Rescue the perishing, care for the dying
54:04 Jesus is merciful
54:08 Jesus will save
54:13 Though they are slighting Him, still He is waiting
54:20 Waiting the penitent child to receive
54:26 Plead with them earnestly, plead with them gently
54:32 He will forgive if they only believe
54:39 Rescue the perishing, care for the dying
54:45 Jesus is merciful
54:49 Jesus will save
54:54 Rescue the perishing, duty demands it
55:01 Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide
55:07 Back to the narrow way patiently win them
55:13 Tell the poor wanderer a Savior has died
55:20 Rescue the perishing, care for the dying
55:26 Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save
55:36 Isn't that beautiful? I'm telling you what?
55:38 Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.
55:41 We can't save out a single solitary person on this planet,
55:44 but Jesus is the great Savior, He's merciful,
55:47 He cares for the dying,
55:49 and you and I can be agents of the harvest with Him,
55:54 moving out into that vintage crop,
55:58 bringing the lost to Jesus.
56:01 I want to sing that chorus.
56:03 Let's sing that chorus one more time.
56:04 Let's stand as we sing that chorus
56:05 one more time.
56:12 Rescue the perishing, care for the dying
56:19 Jesus is merciful
56:23 Jesus will save
56:32 And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
56:35 and the love of God and the fellowship
56:38 of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
56:41 Amen. Amen.
56:56 Before you go, let me take an extra moment
56:58 to share with you an opportunity
56:59 to get into the Bible in a fresh new way.
57:02 All across the world, more and more people
57:03 are hearing the call to examine scriptures for themselves.
57:07 If you felt drawn to learn more about God's Word,
57:09 but you don't know where to start
57:11 or you're just looking for a more
57:12 in-depth examination of Bible truths,
57:14 then I have something right here
57:16 that I believe you're going to enjoy.
57:18 I want to send a series of guides
57:19 to get you started.
57:21 This one's entitled "Why does God allow suffering?"
57:23 This guide begins with a story
57:25 and the introduction of the subject,
57:26 then through a series of focus questions,
57:28 you'll be learning portions of the Bible
57:30 you may never have known before and when you're through,
57:32 you'll be able to share with others
57:33 some of these inspiring Bible truths.
57:36 So just call our toll free number,
57:37 it's on the screen 877, the two words, HIS WILL.
57:41 Our friendly operators are standing by
57:42 to send these study guides to you.
57:44 Once again, that's 877-HIS-WILL.
57:47 Call that number and then again,
57:50 join me next week right here
57:52 at the same time, New Perceptions.


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Revised 2018-11-12