Kingdom Instructions Pt 5

to be in the truth and I will daily lift my hands for I will always sing when your love came down good morning to you all would y'all stand with us want to welcome those of you who are joining us online lord bless you this morning god loves you y'all right here with us this morning uh live with us welcome to calvary chapel would you join me in prayer father we thank you for this opportunity lord for another lord's day really every day is lord's day but that that sunday that first day of the week at resurrection day lord we recognize that and we we're thank you we want to thank you for that resurrection lord and we would ask that you would bless our service now lord that you would give us ears to hear

eyes to see hearts to perceive that what you have for us in this message give us that willingness lord to just let go with all that's going on in our hearts whatever it may be to worship you by faith lord you are worthy of all of our praise and worship as we worship you through the week as we work as we play as we do the various things that go on because you you loved us you first loved us we love you lord so as we worship you now in song this is a way corporately we can gather together and sing us unto you pour our hearts we want to thank you for your faithfulness lord i want to ask that you had to just fill us afresh by your holy spirit this morning lord we thank you thank you lord jesus to you this morning just as we are sinners say

by grace lord and we thank you for that just bless our time thank you lord you may be seated everlasting god wow it's so it's so important to remember that in this world in which we're living that you're everlasting you don't change nothing takes you by surprise we may be surprised oh boy we know you're not lord and you're working in us both to will and do of your good pleasure may we remember that lord when we get distracted and we're not able to do what we're supposed to do we may be stressed and discouraged about what's going on we can trust you we thank you and we give you thanks this morning out of the universe lord we give you we thank you thank you amen nothing but the blood of jesus that shed blood he shed on the cross for us

paying that price for sin a just god had to deal with sin amen and he's standing you're not alone this is the moment that you believe in he who is the one who loves you not the one who is his only son to do that, to die on the cross, and Jesus was obedient to what his father had called him to do, and he rose from the dead, and when we come and ask him into our heart to forgive us our sins, to be our savior, we're then declared justified, righteous, we're just, we've been justified by faith, that justification that speaks of being declared righteous, not because of our our works or anything, but it's the righteousness that we have that's been imputed to us through

Jesus Christ, and we thank you for that, Lord Jesus. Would you all stand in the Holy Spirit? You said you wouldn't leave us as orphans, but you would send the Holy Spirit to lead in God, is to comfort us, and to convince us of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and we know you're doing that work, Lord, and we know that even though things look a little rough, actually a lot rough at times, you are in control. And you are doing a work that we, we don't even know, and we know that through it all, as we yield and trust you, you'll make us stronger in you, you'll build character in our life, which will actually draw us closer into your image, and we thank you for that, Lord, and now as we have a

little time of fellowship, and then we begin to, as Ryan comes up and teaches your word, anointing by the power of your Holy Spirit, to teach your word, that it will do its work in our hearts, that cleansing, clear water of the word of God, that is so transparent, it shows us you, and through that, Lord, you show us us, and we learn about us, and the things you want to do in our hearts, and how you want to use us, bless us, and strengthen us through whatever we go through, and we give you thanks for that, in Jesus' name, amen. Let's have some fellowship.

Good morning. If you could start to locate your seat.

Grab your bulletin. We'll get ready to go over some announcements.

Glad you could be here this morning. Thanks for putting up with plastic walls and all that kind of stuff for a little while longer. Things are coming along pretty good. Over on the left-hand side of your bulletin are all of our weekly activities, so find some spots to get plugged into. Over here in the middle section of your bulletin, a handful of things to take note of.

First of all, on July 31st, wait, that's tonight. Tonight, we're going to have a prayer meeting, here at six o'clock, down at the other end of the hall in the agape room. Special prayer meeting about the value them both vote that's coming up, and so we'll be praying about other things, too, but that's going to be really the emphasis of what we're going to be praying for, because that vote is coming up on Tuesday. With that being said, the sweet t-shirts that you've ordered are in, so if you ordered one of these Your Life Has Value t-shirts, those are on a table out there in the lobby, and so make sure you take note of that. I think the list is out there, and there

may be somebody out there helping you out, saying, hey, here's your shirt, but I don't know that for sure. So prayer meeting tonight from six o'clock to seven o'clock. It's kind of cool. Overnight, I got an invite from the folks over at Calvary of Elk Falls. They were like, hey, we're having a special prayer meeting and worship time tonight from seven to eight. I know it's a long drive, but if any of your folks want to come over, we'd love to have

them, and I said, man, that's awesome. We're doing from six to seven, so I think it's kind of cool that from six to seven, we're praying here. They're going to pick up where we leave off at seven o'clock, and it's just really good the way that he gets his family together to pray about the important things. So August 4th through the 6th is the Pastors and Leaders Conference. That's this

coming weekend, if you're interested. Calvary Johnson County. Ought to be a lot of fun. And then August 14th, Sunday, August 14th, is our Baptism and Family Swim Night out at Camp Horizon. Bring a dish to share, a chair to sit on. It's going to be a great time. Also, if you've never been baptized, please come talk to me afterwards. We've got about five or six of you that are going

to be getting baptized, so I'm really excited. Always one of my favorite things. And then before we do our responsive reading, there she is. Teresa is going to come up and share with us a little bit about Ladies' Study. I know Pastor Ryan said it was Ladies' Study. I'm Teresa Moore, and I do lead the Women's Study on Monday night and Thursday afternoon. We're going to do Colossians. I was

reading Colossians. The Lord gave me this. Encouragement. I want to encourage you with it. Chapter 3 says, Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things on earth. So you have, like I said, if you want to study the book of Colossians, and I know it's a Women's

Study. We meet on Thursday afternoon at one o'clock, Monday evening. It's seven, and usually lasts about a good two hours, because we like to talk. But this is not only just for women. It's called Joyful Life Bible Studies, and it is a really good way to have you in the Word every day. So if guys want to sign up and have it on the table, because we have, like I said, I have three different sign-up sheets. One's for Thursday, one's for Monday night,

so if you just want to pick up the tape, get the study on your own, and do it on your own, guys or girls, sign up on the media table, and on every Sunday morning, it'll be ready for you. So pray about it, and we start the new study on August the 11th. Thank you.

Okay, those are the things that are going on. If you make sure that your mobile device is silenced, and for our responsive reading this morning, we are going to be in Psalm 139. Psalm 139. We'll be looking at the New American Standard, just so we say the same thing at the same time. If you need a copy of it, it should be one in a row. And as you are turning

to Psalm 139, if you're able to, please stand in the honor of the reading of God's Word.

I will read the odd verses, if you will follow along with Pastor Allen, and the even verses. Psalm 139, for the choir director, a Psalm of David. You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up. You understand my thoughts from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue,

behold, O Lord, you know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is too high. I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from your spirit, or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there. If I take the wings of the dawn,

if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night. And the darkness is not dark to you, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to you. For you formed my inward parts. You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to you,

for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secret and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Your eyes have seen my unformed substance, and in your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.

How precious also are your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with you. Oh, that you would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against you wickedly. And your enemies take your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

I hate them with the utmost hatred. They have become my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxious thoughts. And see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. And Father, we do thank you that you are the God who knows us, Lord, the God who made us, and the God who loves us. And so, Lord, thank you for who you are.

And Lord, may we see you for who you are more clearly today. Lord, I pray that you would speak to us through your word, words that we need to hear. Lord, words of encouragement, words of conviction, and words of direction. We just thank you, Father, in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated. And if you would, open up in your Bibles to the book of Matthew, chapter 19.

Matthew, chapter 19.

Today, we come to part five of the kingdom instructions. And the specific thing that we're looking at today is we are looking at rewards in the kingdom. So, there's two parts of the chapter, and then kind of a concluding point that we'll make. We're going to look at the promise of rewards, the system of rewards, and then we'll close with a handful of concluding points.

So, we pick up in chapter 27, or excuse me, verse 27 of chapter 19. Had to go all over the place. Didn't I? Verse 27 of chapter 19, as we look at the promise of rewards. It says, Then Peter said to him, Behold, we have left everything and followed you. What then will there be for us? And Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, that you who have followed me in the regeneration,

when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left, Houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or farms, for my name's sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first. Now, as we move into this first section, and as we kind of give a little bit of an introduction to the message today, it starts off with a question from Peter.

But for us to understand the question that Peter has for Jesus, it's important to think about what precedes. And why did he precipitate that question? Well, Jesus had had a conversation with a guy, we call him the rich young ruler, because from the three gospel accounts that contain this story, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we learn that he's rich, we learn that he's young, and we learn that he's a ruler, therefore we also creatively have called him the rich young ruler, who comes to Jesus and asks the question, he wants to know, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Or what must I do to gain eternal life?

And Jesus, of course, answers first of all, by giving him the, the table of the law that involves man's relationship with man. And as he gives this rich young ruler that table of the law that deals with that, the rich young ruler says, well, I've pretty well done this my whole life. I think I'm doing pretty good as far as man's relationship with man. And so Jesus then hits him with the other table of the law, the one that deals with idolatry.

And he tells him, now go and sell everything that you have, give all of the proceeds to the poor, and then come and follow me, and then you will have eternal life. And we're told that the young man walked away very sad, because he had great possessions. And so as Jesus had that conversation with him, he then went on to talk to the disciples about how hard it is for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven, because oftentimes they are too independent of God and too intolerant of other people. And so as Jesus had that conversation with him, you can imagine the wheels turning in Peter's mind, right?

Like Jesus just laid down a really hard truth for this guy. And so Peter's kind of thinking, and just like you and I, he began to apply this to his own life. Well, what does this mean for me? And so Peter formulates this question, perhaps on one hand to make Jesus feel a little bit better, perhaps on the other hand, because he was just genuinely curious. And the question that he asks is this.

Peter said to him, behold, we have left everything and followed you. What then will there be for us? Now, a lot of people, again, in this point in time, give Peter a hard time. And listen, I think he's probably worthy of being given a little bit of a hard time, but I think that this is probably a pretty genuine question on the part of Peter. The reason why I feel that way

is because Jesus doesn't rebuke him at all. Jesus isn't like, what a terrible question. You shouldn't even be thinking about those kinds of things. Jesus instead just answers him. I actually think that this is a pretty profound question that Peter asks because he just heard a really difficult thing laid out to the rich young ruler. And what does that mean for me?

We've already left everything to follow you. Well, before we get into the second part of the question, I think his first statement's really important because his first statement's really true. He says, we have already left everything and followed you. And as far as the disciples were concerned, that's exactly what they had done. I think sometimes we discount the sacrifice

that it cost the disciples to actually follow Jesus in the way that they did. A couple of them owned their own fishing business and they left that fishing business behind and followed after Jesus. Jesus said, hey, lay down your nets and follow me. Some left good jobs, good solid jobs with retirement plans. You know where I'm going here. So that they could follow Jesus.

One even left behind a very lucrative career as the Wolf of Wall Street right before he left to follow Jesus, right? Like they really did leave things behind to follow Jesus. And so there really genuinely could be that feeling. So what is there for us now? So he says, we've left all to follow you. So what does that mean for us? So Jesus began to answer them.

And he answers them really in a twofold sort of a way. He answers them by first of all, speaking specifically to the 12. And then he'll speak to all disciples throughout the generations in general. What he says to the 12 is this. Jesus said to them, truly I say to you that you who have followed me in the regeneration when the son of man will sit on his glorious throne,

you also shall sit upon 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes. And so he's talking about the 12 tribes of Israel. He first of all speaks of a time that is to come. He said, those of you that have followed me because can we make sure that we point out the understanding that you can leave everything behind, you can sell all that you have, but if you don't couple that with following Jesus, all you've done is make yourself poor on this side of eternity.

You've not really gained anything. He said, those of you who have followed me when it comes to the time of the regeneration, in other words, the kingdom to come when Jesus will rule and reign the way that we know he's going to come and rule and reign on this earth in a very just and holy way. He said, at that point in time, you will rule and reign with me sitting on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of the children of Israel. If you will, he's saying, those of you 12 who have faithfully followed me and been faithful in the small things that I give you on this earth, I will give you great authority in the age that is to come.

In other words, in the kingdom, there is great rewards that are specifically for you 12. Now we can't apply this one to us because that's not us. We're not the 12. But these guys specifically, this was the reward that waited for them and they had to have all been like, whoa. Now this is going to precipitate another question later as to who's greatest in the kingdom.

We'll deal with that when that sad time comes. But it was specifically meant for those disciples. But then he gets to all the rest of us and notice what he says. And everyone who has left things behind for my name's sake will receive many times as much and will inherit eternal life. Jesus says, and then in general, everyone who has ever followed me and left things behind.

Jesus begins to describe the things that people have left behind and he puts it in two different categories. He first of all puts it in the category of close relationships. And then he also puts it in the category of material things. And I think that this is an important thing for us to pay attention to because for all of us that will follow Jesus with all of our hearts, I think that the two areas where we at points in time will have to decide what we're going to leave behind will fall into the category of close relationships and material goods.

Throughout the centuries, Christians ever since the days that Jesus walked the earth, when Christians made their decision that they were going to follow Jesus with all of their heart, it also meant leaving behind certain family members. It meant leaving behind some of the people that they were closest to, not because you don't care about those people anymore, but because oftentimes those people don't want to do the things that you do any longer. When I was in high school and started walking with Jesus, all the people that I considered close friends at that point in time started kind of fading away. Not because we didn't all get along with each other anymore because we still did, but we did two completely different things.

And I wasn't a person and I wasn't a part of that world anymore and they were no longer a part of my world because we went two completely opposite directions. And it's one thing when it's friends, but oftentimes that also means our families. Because what did Jesus say in the Sermon on the Mount? He said, I didn't come to bring peace, I came to bring a sword that will separate people because when you follow Jesus, it will also sometimes naturally mean that you have to leave behind certain relationships.

Sometimes your mom and your dad don't want to follow Jesus. And as you pursue Jesus, your relationship with them gets farther and farther apart. I remember two or three of my very good friends in Bible college, their parents were not believers in Jesus Christ. And I remember one of my best friends, at that point in time, we still use these things called pay phones.

If you're under the age of 30, you used to be able to put money into a phone that was just hanging out that anybody in the world could talk on. If anything should be canceled in the world that we live in today, can we just say pay phones? Because that's like the most communal, how did we not all get sick all the time sort of a thing anyway. Anyway, so you put your money in this thing and then you pick up and then you can make a phone call for a certain amount of time until your money ran out.

Then it would say either insert more money or hang up the phone, right? And so I got off the phone with my parents and my friend said, hey, who are you talking to? I said, oh, I was talking to my mom and dad. And he goes, how'd that go? And I'm like, I mean, as well as it ever goes, why? He goes, oh, your parents are saved. That's right, I forgot. Every time I talk to my parents,

it's an argument because they don't agree with me coming to Bible college. You see, he had to leave behind mom and dad. He had to leave behind those close relationships. Some of you have siblings that maybe they've even ostracized you because of your walk with Jesus Christ. Maybe you have kids that don't want anything to do with the lifestyle that you're living,

even though you've raised them in the things of God. Your kids have made choices of their own and they're no longer pursuing the things of God. And because of you following after Jesus, you follow Jesus. You've had to leave behind some of the things that are most important. But not only that, throughout the centuries, Christians who have decided that they will follow Jesus

with all of their hearts, sometimes it costs them their business. When they have decided to make the moral, ethical decision instead of the worldly decision that seems to make the most financial sense, it has cost them their business or it's cost them their home or it's cost them the farm. And in some instances, it will even cost their lives. When you look at some of the countries that are dominantly Muslim, they are well aware of the fact that the moment that they put their faith in Jesus Christ, they may as well kiss their home goodbye because it's either going to be taken from them or it's going to be burned.

He said, there are those throughout the centuries that will lose those things in their pursuit of me because they've decided to follow me. And notice what he says, he makes a promise. He says, everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for my name, or farms for my name's sake will receive many times as much. Now the question is, what does he mean by this?

Does he mean that on this side of eternity we'll have 10 times more than we ever thought we would have before because of what we gave up to follow Jesus? I don't think generally that's what he's talking about. There are those moments. I'm reminded of the story of Job. Remember what happened with Job? There Job was. He was just like, hey, I'm a pretty good dude.

I'm going to make sacrifices for my kids because they're losers and I love God with all of my heart. One day Satan shows up to God and he's like, hey. And God's like, hey, what about my servant Job? And Satan's like, of course Job loves you. You've given him everything in the world. If something bad happens, that's when things will go downhill. And God says, fine, just don't touch his life.

You can take anything else that he has. And so he lost his family and he lost his livestock and he lost his crops and he lost his health and then he lost his friends. Sounds a little bit like what Jesus just said here, isn't it? And why did he lose all of that? Because he followed the Lord. And yet what happened at the end of Job's life? After God took Job through all of that

with his miserable comforters and after Job confronted the truth of who God is and those questions that God asked him, what happened with Job? In the end of his life, God restored to him his family and he restored to him his farm and he restored to him his livestock and his life at the end was better even than it was at the beginning. So does it mean on this side of eternity, God will bless us with as much? Well, I think sometimes that's the case, although I think that's more the exception than the rule.

I think what he really means here is that in eternity, we will receive rewards that will far surpass anything that we've given up on this side of eternity. Why? Because eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it come into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love him. And it may be true, and it may be in the reward of a crown, which by the way, we'll throw at the feet of Jesus, we're told, or it may be in our spiritual capacity to enjoy the things of eternity, but whatever it is, God will be a debtor to no man and he will always restore to us that which we seem to have given up on this side of eternity as we seek after him.

But not only that, notice what else it says, and he will also inherit eternal life. So not only does he restore in some way, everything that we've given up to follow him, we'll receive back many times more, but we'll also inherit eternal life. Now there's an interesting word I want to point out to you that he says about eternal life there, because in this conversation of rewards, we must understand something. Eternal life is nothing that we can earn.

It's not a reward that we earn. It's an award that we've been given. It's been freely given to us just like an inheritance. It's been freely given to us because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. This aspect of rewards has to do with how we use this gift of eternal life here on this earth. And so as Peter asks the question, so for those of us that have given up to follow Jesus,

those of us that have given things up to follow you, what about us? And he says, you 12, I have something very special in mind for you, but everyone who follows me and has to give things up, it'll be restored many times more on top of the fact that they've inherited eternal life. But as he gives us this promise of rewards, he next begins to tell us about the rewards system. Did you take note of what it said in verse 30?

But many who are first will be last and the last first. Now this is an interesting phrase that Jesus uses here. And for those of us that have grown up in a church, we usually use this phrase in the wrong context, right? For those of us that grew up in church, especially going to things like potlucks and you, don't get out of church as early as you should, so somebody else makes it to the front of the potluck line, right?

We all know what's said by the person in the back. That's okay, the first will be last and the last will be first. That's actually contextually incorrect, okay? It has nothing to do with the potluck line. It has everything to do with how God rewards us, but that's oftentimes how we use that. And those of you that are looking at me like, no, I don't. Yes, you do.

Okay, don't you deny that. Anyway, so Jesus tells us something here. What he tells us is that the first will be last, the last first. What does he mean? He means his system is different than ours. God's reward system is completely different than the reward system of the world. In the reward system of the world, all of the best are the first and they get everything, right?

One year, my senior year of high school, I made it to high school state in wrestling. I was like, yes, made it to state. Let's see how I do. You know how I did? I lost my first two matches and got beat out of the tournament. Well, the guy that won the tournament, you know what he got? He got to be on top of the podium and he got the gold medal and he got to hold the bracket

and all of the accolades that went along with that. Do you know what the guy who gets beat out the first two matches gets? Nothing. Why? Because in our world, the first will be first and the last will get nothing. We see it in the world of sports. We see it in the world of economics. Sometimes we even see it in the world of society. Those who have have more.

Those who don't have seem to get less. And sometimes we go, but life is unfair. So God says, don't worry. My reward system looks very much different in my reward system. It has nothing to do with who's first and who's last. It has to do with how I handle things. He then seeks to illustrate this point by telling a parable. And so let's look at the illustration

that's given to us in the parable, starting in chapter 20, verse one. He says, for the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace.

And to those he said, you also go into the vineyard and whatever is right, I will give you. And so they went. And again, he went about the sixth and the ninth hour and did the same things. And about the eleventh hour, he went out and found others standing around and said to them, why have you been standing here idle all day long? They said, because no one hired us.

He said to them, you go into the vineyard too. When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first. When those hired about the seventh hour came, each one received a denarius. When those hired first came, though they thought that they would receive more, but each one also received a denarius.

And when they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, saying, these last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the scorching heat of the day. But he answered and said to one of them, friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go. But I wish to give this last man

the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous? So the last shall be first and the first last. So he tells this story and much like many of the stories that Jesus tells, it starts off with this. It starts off with a landowner. He said the kingdom of heaven is kind of like this.

It's kind of like a landowner. And this landowner owns something. This landowner owns a vineyard. And in order to work the vineyard, he needs to hire laborers because the harvest of the vineyard is coming. Now, I've never actually harvested grapes or owned a vineyard before, but I can read about it. And here's what I read. I read that when they harvest grapes

in the nation of Israel in that Mediterranean area, it happens shortly before the rainy season. Now, since those grape vines hang very low and sort of drag on the ground, if the rainy season hits before the harvest happens, you lose the entire crop of grapes. So, if you will, the landowner is in a situation. The situation he is in is this. The harvest is plentiful,

but the window for the harvest is limited. Therefore, he needs laborers for the harvest. Does this sound familiar to anybody? Do you feel like you've read this before? Because it's almost like Jesus has talked about this before, right? And so that's what's going on. So what does he do? He goes out to hire some workers. So he starts off, first of all, early in the morning.

It says he went out early in the morning to hire laborers. Now, early in the morning for them is 6 a.m. That was when the workday started. Now, for me, that's still a little early to start the workday, but it's the nation of Israel. It's hot. It's desert. Seems like a good time to start. So at 6 a.m., he shows up in the town square. Not an uncommon thing at that point in time.

If you didn't own land, you would be what's called a day laborer. So you'd show up, agree on a price for the day, and at the end of the day, you would get paid. So he shows up in the town square. You 10 guys, come with me. I need workers for the harvest. How much will you pay us? I'll pay you a denarius. Again, that unit of measurement means nothing to us, but that was the average pay

for a working man for one day at that point in time. If you will, he very generously said, I'll give you the going rate for you to come and work in my harvest. And so that's what they do. They go out to work. This is at 6 a.m. Well, then he comes back. After he had sent the laborers into the harvest, he comes back at the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace.

Comes back about 9 a.m. And he sees some other people standing there. Do you notice the word that's used for those that were standing there? They were standing there idle, meaning they were doing what? Nothing, right? Scrolling on their phones. You know, that's what they were doing. Scrolling the Instagram or the TikTok, right? So they're just sitting there doing nothing.

And he says, you also go into the vineyard and whatever is right, I will give you. Notice the difference here. He didn't tell them how much he would pay them because they're scrolling on their phones. No, he didn't tell him how much he was going to pay him. He said, I'll pay you a denarius. He didn't tell him how much he was going to pay him. He said, I'll pay you what's fair.

And so, good enough. We may as well make a little cash today. So they'll get, so they go out at nine o'clock and work in the field. And then again, he went about the sixth hour, noon, and did the same thing. And about the 11th hour, he went out and found others standing around. Now, the 11th hour would be five o'clock p.m. That's an hour past what a lot of us work now,

right? Five o'clock p.m. They're working. They're working. They're working. They're working. They're working. They're working. They're working. They're working. They're working. They're working. They're working. They're working. And so, their workday ended at six o'clock p.m. So quick math tells you how many hours are left in the day at this point in time? Just the one.

So, he goes out at this 11th hour, five o'clock p.m., and he sees some fellows standing there. He says, found others standing around, middle of verse six, and he said to them, why have you been standing here? There's that word again, idle all day long. You go into the vineyard two... Or excuse me, beginning... Yeah, Now, before we get further, I think there's an important point that's to be made, and I didn't

make it myself. Spurgeon made it, but I thought it was one that should be brought up. Why were there certain men still standing in the town square in the middle of a workday instead of out working in the harvest? Because they were standing there idle. I oftentimes wonder if our landowner, Jesus, was to take a look at our town square as the church if he would find so many of

us standing there idle, not about the work of the harvest that is so great in the midst of a window that is so small. Just a little food for thought for us to think about as Jesus lays out this story. And so, several different segments of time throughout the day, he brings out these men, but now it's time to pay them. Verse 8, So the foreman calls them in, and everybody's tired from the day, except those guys that showed up at five. They were just getting started. So when those hired about the 11th hour came,

each one received a denarius. Outstanding! We worked one hour and got 12 hours worth of pay. That's my kind of job. So all the other guys are kind of going, oh, this might work. This might work out really well for us. Verse 10, When those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. You can imagine being the first guys, right? There's several different waves of

individuals getting paid. The first guys got paid a denarius for being, they got paid a day's wage for working for one hour. Dude must be feeling pretty generous today. I bet he's handing out Benjamins like nothing, right? We're going to really get paid. This is our best day ever. And then it comes to them. And he gives them the exact same amount of money. Now, I want you to put yourself in those shoes.

Listen, let's just set the right thing aside right now. The biblical thoughts aside right now. How do you feel at this point in time? If you showed up at 6 a.m., worked till 6 p.m. and the guy that showed up one hour ago got paid the same amount as you, you're kind of like, right? Like, what the heck, yo? This doesn't seem fair at all. And that's exactly what they say. They're like,

when they received it, verse 11, they grumbled. I'd be grumbling too. At the landowner saying, these last men have worked only one hour and you've made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the scorching heat of the day. Listen, a valid complaint. But notice how the landowner answered. He answers and says, I'm doing you no wrong. Didn't we agree on one denarius?

Isn't that what we shook hands on that you bargained for? Therefore, if I want to pay them the same as you, what's that to you? I'm not robbing you. I'm just being generous to them. Don't I have the right to do what I want to with my money? And we're reminded in this that God is sovereign over not only the world, but the rewards that he gives to his workers.

And then Jesus, of course, closes with this point. Therefore, the last shall be first, and the first last. In other words, my reward system looks way different than the way that you view rewards, because I give out rewards in a very different way. It's interesting. I am at the exact same point in time right now that I was in first service. I feel pretty good about that.

My clock's not back there. Usually I have a clock back there and I can time myself a little bit. I don't have that right now. So I have to check my watch to make sure either A, gone way too long, or B, way too short. So look at me go, feeling good. All right. So as we have seen both the promise of rewards and the system of rewards, both explained and illustrated, I think it's important for us now to draw a few concluding

points. Some points that will make us hopefully drive this home a little bit in our own lives. Because as we read this, we can kind of go, huh? Why do I care about this? Well, we care about it because as believers in Jesus Christ, we should be looking for rewards as we serve God in the way that he has called for us to serve him. I agree with J. Vernon McGee on this. He says,

I hear some people say Christians should not work for rewards just for the joy of being able to serve the Lord. And he said, while it is a joy to serve the Lord, if he promises rewards, I'm working for rewards because I want to start laying up my treasure in heavenly things. You ever notice how much scripture talks about that? Don't lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, but lay up for yourself treasures in heaven. I want to start laying up my treasure in heavenly things. I want to start

laying up my treasure in heaven. Strive to achieve a crown. Set your mind on things that are above. Why? Because there are rewards waiting for us. We should be working towards those eternal things. And so what does this mean for us? Five concluding points. Number one, we will be surprised by the rewards in heaven. We will find ourselves totally surprised as to how

the rewards are given out in heaven. Just like these guys were, right? When the landowner started out in heaven, he was surprised by the rewards in heaven. He was surprised by the rewards in heaven. Handing out the cash at the end of the day, they were all super surprised at who got what. Well, it's going to be the same way when we get to heaven. I want you to think about something, okay?

I want you to think about who do you consider to be maybe the most important or influential Christian leader? Now, I'm talking legit Christian leaders. I'm not talking like some shyster who's out there on TV saying, give me all your money or something like that. I'm not talking about the guy that was robbed of a million dollars worth of jewelry. I'm talking about the

guy that was robbed of a million dollars worth of jewelry while in the pulpit, that article that went around last week. That's not who I'm talking about. I'm talking about legit Christian leaders. Who do you think of? I think of like a Billy Graham. I think of like a Chuck Smith. And if I'm starting to think a little bit younger than that, maybe a Greg Laurie or a Levi Lusko or somebody

like that. Somebody that is very famous, pastors mega churches, influences worldwide. Maybe they've had television programs. Now they've got apps and podcasts and all those kinds of things. In our minds, whether we want to be a Christian leader or a Christian leader, we want to be a Christian leader. Whether we want to or not, we will always think that person is going to get the biggest reward

when we get to heaven. All of us will step back while Billy slowly strides to the front to receive his reward from the Lord because of all the work that he's done. But what we learn from this is that that may not actually be the case. What actually may be the case is that there's a little old lady from Tucson, Arizona, who's every day praying for the work of the ministry of her church. Every day, faithfully, she spends time interceding before the Father

for the community that she lives in, for the church that she attends, for the missionaries that her church sends out, for all of the people that she knows, all of her family members. She intercedes for them every day. We just very well may find ourselves surprised to hear God say, Billy, could you step to the right, please? Mark just coming through, right? Because God's going to reward in a different way than we can

imagine because God doesn't reward like we do. We see big results must mean big rewards, but that's not the case with God. God has big faithfulness. We'll talk about this in just a minute. Big rewards. They were faithful in all of the small things. Therefore, I will reward them in a very large way. I'm going to tell you, I've been thinking about my pastor from Johnson County quite

a bit because I'm going to be speaking up for him. I'm going to be speaking up for him. I'm going to be speaking up at that conference. It'll be the first time I've stood in that pulpit in a really, really long time. I've been thinking a lot about him. I was thinking about his funeral that I attended back in October. At his funeral, something interesting happened.

Pastor Rick was one of the most faithful human beings I've ever met in my life, one of the greatest servant leaders I've ever met, if not the greatest servant leader I've ever met in my entire life. He pastored a very small church. From church standards, you might look and go, small church, small influence, small reward. But an amazing thing took place when you showed up to his funeral. You see, I think the greatest ministry that Pastor Rick had is that he was

the chaplain for the Olathe Fire Department. And so when you showed up to his funeral, their church sits in a neighborhood kind of like ours. And so you turn down the street and you go towards their neighborhood church, and you find that the city of Olathe had set up two fire trucks, with the ladders up as high as they could. And they had the largest American flag I've ever seen in my entire life, draped down, hanging to where you could see it from three blocks away.

And as we showed up, every single one of those firefighters, barring probably whoever had to be at the fire station to run things, they all stood there in uniform. And so many of them got up and gave stories about what Pastor Rick meant to them. And I thought, I bet he had no idea the influence that he had. And I thought, I bet he had no idea the influence that he had. And I thought, I bet he

had no idea the influence that he had on the people that he had. And all I could think was, I bet a lot of people would be surprised. I bet celebrity pastors who think that they're probably really worth something are going to be surprised for God to say, hey, why don't you step aside? Pastor Rick's coming through, and I've got something for him up here. And that picture of

coming around the corner and seeing that American flag draped on there with all of these firefighters lined up in uniform just made me think, this must be what it's going to be like. This must be what it's going to be like. The power of God is going to be there. And I thought, I bet a lot of people circumstance of what God wants to do because he wants to bless us with rewards, all because we served him in some small way. And we'll always be surprised as to who those people are. You may sit

here this morning and you say, I play a very small role in the body of Christ. All I do is clean the toilets. You know what? That's one of the greatest jobs that anybody can have, because if you do it faithfully and you do it for the Lord, it's viewed by God as an amazing reward for you. One of the beautiful things about a church like this is that we don't hire very much done. A lot of places they

hire a janitor and a lawn crew and all that kind of stuff, and we don't. Matter of fact, I hope we never do, because I love to see that each of you has the opportunity to serve God in those ways. And I bet most of you don't know who cleans the church every Sunday or who cuts the grass every Sunday or who does some of these behind the scenes things or who the intercessory prayer team is. But you know who does see it? God sees it.

And he'll reward you very openly. We're going to be surprised at these rewards in heaven. Number two, God will reward based on his grace. God will reward based on his grace. Our world rewards based on works, but God rewards based on grace. And I want you to think about this. I want you to think about when you came to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. God's grace dawned upon your heart. You know what really happened? The Holy Spirit began to reveal

your need for Jesus. And then once you put your faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit came into your heart and he made you alive. And as the Holy Spirit made you alive, he began to open up your eyes to the need of the world around you for the gospel of Jesus Christ. And as he begins to open up your eyes to the need all around you of the gospel for Jesus Christ, he then begins to give you everything that you need to minister in the ways that he calls you to. And as he gives you

what you need to minister in the ways that he calls you to, he then produces fruit in those ministries that he has called you to. Did you notice one central theme throughout that entire thing? It was all the work of the Lord in your life. And yet when all is said and done, and you go stand before the Father and he says, well done, good and faithful servant, and he blesses you with a reward. Listen, it wasn't because you earned it.

It's because you surrendered to it. And now by his grace, he rewards you in a very open way. Even though it was him that made you alive, him that made you aware, him that made you able, and him that brought forth the fruit, he still looks at you and says, but by my grace, I give you the gift. Reminds me of a story, and I've told this story two or three times before.

It comes out of C.S. Lewis's book, Mere Christianity. There's a chapter in it where he talks about a father whose son wants to buy him a gift. And the father's so blessed that his son wants to buy him a gift, but the son says, but dad, I have a problem. I don't have any money. So his dad, this is written in England, of course, his dad gives him six pence. So he takes that six pence and he goes and buys his dad a gift, and he brings the gift back to

his dad. And he says, hey, dad, look what I bought you. And the line goes like this, though the man is six pence none the richer, he rewards his son with a great big hug. Same kind of thing, same idea with us. God gives us everything that we need to serve. And then when he gives us everything to serve, and then we do it, he goes, thank you so much. And he rewards us for it. Why?

Because he's a man of God. He's a man of God. He's a man of God. He's a man of God. He's a man of God. God rewards based on his grace. Number three, God will reward based on faithfulness. Ryan, you just said it was by grace. It is, but we still have to use grace in a responsible way because what God calls us to be is faithful. Now, I want you to take note of something.

God does not call us to be successful. God calls us to be faithful. That means I continue doing what I do, even if I don't see the success. I feel like I should see. Now, there are times when God says, pull the plug on that one because it's time to be done. But when God calls you to do something, we are faithful to do it every single day. I'm reminded of one of the greatest prophets that's ever lived, the prophet Jeremiah.

I'll never forget having this pointed out to me one time. They said, do you realize Jeremiah had no converts? That guy preached and preached and preached and preached, and nobody was converted through his ministry. What was he instead? Thrown in jail, left behind, right? He went through so much. No converts, and yet God viewed him as successful. Why? Because he was faithful. We're told in the

book of 2 Timothy that we are stewards. And what is required of a steward? That they be found faithful. Parents, continue raising your kids in the things of God. They don't ever listen to me. I don't care. Be faithful. Do the best you can to continue to give them the truth of the word of God, because God will reward your faithfulness. You say, I've been preaching to my family since

I don't even remember how long, and nobody's coming to know Jesus. Well, don't stop. Just continue to be faithful. I've been praying for this person to get saved, and they've not gotten saved, and I kind of want to give up. I don't care. Keep being faithful, because God rewards faithfulness. What if they never get saved? That's between them and Jesus. I do what God calls me to

do. And I remember who it was a few months ago. Somebody said, how do I know when I'm done praying for something? And I said, well, when God releases you from it. In other words, He either answers by making it happen, or He answers by saying, that's no longer your burden. Until then, you continually, faithfully continue to pray. And it's the same with any other aspect

of our lives. God desires faithfulness in us. And listen, God rewards faithfulness, because in His book, faithfulness is success. Four, beware of jealousy. Beware of jealousy. This is so hard as believers living in a world that always looks at the most outward people, that always looks at the people who are the most outward in the things that they do. It's easy for us to become jealous of those who do the things

that this world is rewarding. It's easy for us to be jealous of people who are doing the things that everybody in this world on this side of eternity rewards, and we must be aware of that jealousy. We must be aware of not being like, oh, Lord, but I want you to put me in the most vocal position possible. I want you to put me in the most out there position possible, in the most everybody-sees-it position possible. Why do I have to serve in the background?

Why do I have to be the one that nobody sees? We have to be aware of that jealousy. Why? Because who are we doing it for? We serve for an audience of one. And we must beware of jealousy. Amen. Let me close with this one. It's never too late to start. I stole that one from John Corson. It's never too late to start. You may be thinking I'm one of those ones. I've been sitting idle in the marketplace. I've been sitting idle and not being a part of

the harvest. Is it too late for me to start? Nope. Get in the game. Well, but Ryan, what if the rapture comes tomorrow? Who cares? From now till then, get in the game. Because it's never too late to start. It's never too late to start. It's never too late to start. It's never too late to start. Because I'm well aware of something. I'm well aware of the fact that judgment is coming

to this earth. And it's coming soon. I believe that it's happening. I believe it because scripture says it. I believe it because all of the things that scripture says are coming, are seeming to be happening right now. And I know that judgment is coming to the world. A lot of people say, oh, God's not going to judge the earth. Oh, good call. Because you just said what it says in 1 Peter,

that many will forget that God judged the world once through a flood. And then he's going to judge it another time. They will willfully forget that in the last days. And the world has willfully forgotten it a long time ago. The problem is the church is willfully forgetting it now. And because the church is forgetting the fact that judgment is coming, that God is going to judge this earth, sometimes we're

just not as excited to get in the game as we should be. We've turned the gospel into a better life. We've turned the word of God into simple life hacks to make your life easier. And we've forgotten that the gospel is not for a better life. The gospel is for life so that we can be set free from the judgment that is to come. And the word of God is not life hacks. The word of God is life importance.

It is where I find the truth of what it is to live real life in Christ. And brothers and sisters, as the church of Jesus Christ, it's time for us to get in the game. If it's been taking you this long, it's okay. That's what God's grace is for. But may today be the day that you say, I'm not sitting on the sidelines any longer. I'm not sitting on the sidelines any longer. I'm not sitting on the

sidelines any longer. I'm not going to keep sitting idly by in the marketplace. I'm going to get myself involved in the harvest. Because listen, the harvest is plentiful and the window is limited. Amen? Let's all stand. And I pray that this week God gives you as many open doors as possible to start getting into that game. Would you bow with me? Father, we come before you and Lord,

I want to thank you for the time that we've had in your word this morning. Lord, I thank you for the blessing of what you always have to say to me. I thank you for the blessing of what you always have to say to me. I thank you for the blessing of what you always have to say to us. And Lord, I pray that you would minister to our hearts as you see fit. And Lord, I pray that our eyes would be open to the harvest

and that we would be willing to be those workers. We would be content with whatever it is that you call us to. We thank you, Father, for who you are. In Jesus' name. Amen. Jesus, give me Jesus. God bless you. Father, we just ask you to give us a blessed, safe week. Encourage us. As we serve you. In Jesus' name. Amen.