Today on the Verdict with Pastor John Monroe.
Some of you have got this so wrong that because you're a good person, you'll get to heaven. That God will reward you for what you have done. This parable shatters that view. Grace, by definition, is the very opposite of a reward. It's the very opposite of compensation.
Grace, by definition, can't be earned. Can't be bought. Welcome to the Verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. As we study the Gospel of Matthew, we're learning that the values of the Kingdom of God are the exact opposite of those of the world. Today on the Verdict, we're considering an unusual parable told by Jesus.
He says that the last shall be first, and the first last. What does that mean? Here's Pastor John Monroe to introduce today's message, titled "No Free Lunches." Today we're looking at a story told by Jesus. I've called it "No Free Lunches." We're very suspicious, and rightly so, of someone offering us something free, something we don't deserve, something we haven't worked for. Often there's a catch.
For example, I've had many people offering me free accommodation in a hotel for a couple of nights, but I know that while the hotel room may be free, I'm going to have to spend a lot of time listening to their sales pitch about some timeshare I have no intention of buying. Jesus is the master teacher, and in this story, we'll learn about the values of the kingdom of God. You'll love this story. It even has a twist at the end, so keep listening. It's often said in life that there are no free lunches.
You've received these telephone calls as I have of someone saying that there is a free cruise, a free vacation in Hawaii or somewhere, and we're always very sceptical because when we pry, we know that there are strings attached. And so we have this expression: "There are no free lunches." And in life, that's generally true. You get what you pay for. You work, you get paid. You don't work, you don't get paid.
You study, you pass the exam. You are lazy and you flunk the exam. You train hard, you win the game. You are lazy, you don't practice, and you lose the game. And so, in life, generally speaking, we get what we deserve.
There are no free lunches. It's very interesting that in the Gospels, and as we study the teaching of Jesus, he explains that the values of the kingdom of God are the exact opposite of the world. For example, Jesus says, "If you want to gain your life, you must lose it." It turns our values upside down. If you want to gain your life, you're going to lose it. If you want to be great, you must serve.
If you want to exalt yourself, you've got to humble yourself, because whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. And at the beginning and the end of the scripture we're going to read, we have another of these enigmatic sayings, where Jesus says, "Many who are first will be last, and the last first." And again, so the last will be first, and the first last. In the kingdom of heaven, we're going to learn that the last shall be first. And the first shall be last. You see, what's that all about?
Well, let's read this wonderful parable told by our Lord in Matthew chapter nineteen. If you're visiting, we are excited that you are here, and we're going through consecutively the Gospel according to Matthew, and we find ourselves in the opening verses of Matthew chapter twenty.
Now look back at the last verse of chapter nineteen. Jesus is speaking. Notice what he says: Many who are first will be last, and the last first. Chapter twenty: For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
And going out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, "You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right, I will give you." So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour, he went out and found others standing, and he said to them, "Why do you stand here idle all day?" They said to him, "Because no one has hired us." He said to them, "You go into the vineyard, too." And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, "Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last up." To the first, and when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.
Now, when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it, they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat. But he replied to one of them, "Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go.
I choose to give this last worker as I give to you." Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me, or do you begrudge my generosity?
So the last will be first, and the first last. Jesus is a brilliant teacher, isn't he? He tells a parable, and some of these parables are easier to understand, and this one kind of sets us a back. It's only told by Matthew.
So the other gospel writers don't mention it at all, and on reading it, we feel a little uneasy, don't we? We feel that, well, did the man deal with them in a just way?
So let's think of the parable. There's the hiring of the workmen. Various workmen are hired at different times during the day to work in the vineyard. A workday then was from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
That's 12 hours.
So workmen in that culture weren't paid by the hour but by the day. Men willing to work gathered in the village square, and along comes the man who wants to hire some labourers.
So some labourers are hired at the beginning of the day at 6 a.m. They're going to work 12 hours.
Now notice in verses one and two, a contract of employment, a verbal contract, is concluded. Verse two, after agreeing with the labourers for a denarius, perhaps there's some negotiation, and the owner, the boss, says, "Well, if you work in my vineyard, I'll pay you denarii."s And these men agree. That's very important. One denarius is paid for the day's employment. They're going to work twelve hours.
Other workers are hired at the third hour, verses three and four. About the third hour, he sees others standing idle, and he hires them. And he says to them, verse four, "Whatever is right, I will give you." He doesn't mention a specific wage. He says, "I'm going to pay you whatever is right, whatever is fair. I will pay you." And the workmen apparently trust the landowner.
Other workers, verse five, are hired on the same basis on the sixth and the ninth hours, and the owner does the same thing. I'm going to pay you a fair wage. The day comes. It's now five p.m., the eleventh hour. Notice verses six and seven.
He says to them, "Why are you standing idle all day?" And they say, "Well, it's not that we're idle. It's just that we haven't got work." And he says, "Well, I'll hire you. You go into the vineyard too. Perhaps the grapes are very ripe." And the owner of the vineyard wants to get all of the grapes in that day, and there is no discussion on the wage to be paid.
So, what do we have? We have some men who start at six a.m. That's the first group. The agreement is they will be paid one denarii. Then there are people hired at nine a.m.
and at noon. And the owner says, "I'm going to pay you what's right. I'm going to pay you a fair wage." And they trust him. Men are also hired at three p.m., and then the last group are hired at five p.m., which means that they only work one hour. Do you get the picture?
And the workday for all of them ends at six p.m.
Now, how are they going to be paid?
Well, at the end of the day. The man gets his foreman and says, "I want you to pay the laborers. Those who are those who have worked the least are paid first." Verse eight. When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, "Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last up to the first." So those who worked one hour, who began at five p.m., are paid first, and they receive, I'm sure to their surprise, a denarius. And each workman comes to the foreman, and all of them receive the same wage, one denarius, starting with those who had worked the least.
Graduating up to those who had worked a full twelve hours, each of them receives the same wage. Verse sixteen.
So the last will be first. Those at five p.m. are first, and the first, those who began at six a.m., are last.
Now, understandably, think of. What you would feel if you had begun at six a.m. Understandably, those who had worked all day think they will receive more. You can imagine them saying, "Oh, he's given the guys that work just one hour and three hours. They got denarii.
Us, we're going to get much more. That would be their expectation, isn't it? They had worked through the whole day. Surely, they're going to receive more." But to their surprise, they only receive a denarius. But the owner reminds them that is what the agreement was.
Verse two, after agreement with the labourers for a denarius. Verse thirteen, friend, I'm doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? We have a contract of employment. What are you complaining about?
You agreed to work for a denarius, and you're getting a denarius. You have no grounds for complaint. What's the point? The first. And last, receive the same wage.
That is very important to understand this parable. Whether you work twelve hours, or nine hours, or six hours, or only one hour, you receive the same wage.
Now, what happens to the workmen who work longest? What do they do? They do exactly what you probably would do. They complain. They grumble.
We've worked hard the whole day. We've been there in the scorching heat. We worked and we worked, and now these fellows come along, only work an hour or three hours, and they're receiving the same as we received. That doesn't seem fair, does it? What do you think?
What do you think of the owner? Is he a fair man, or is he not?
Now I've never picked grapes, but when I was a boy, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, there were farmers raising raspberries and strawberries, and so we were dispatched. myself, my older brother, my younger brother, three of us dispatched, and we worked all day picking raspberries and strawberries, eating a few as we went along, but. We were paid on the quantity we picked. I liked it. The more you picked, the more you got paid.
You could be there all day and receive nothing, and that seems fair, doesn't it? There is something in this parable which probably troubles us a little bit. Would the workers who had begun at six a.m. would they have grumbled? If the other men had received only part of a denarius, I don't think they would have.
If the ones who'd only worked half a day received half a denarius, they would think, "Well, that's fair." They complain. Did you notice verse twelve? Very interestingly, their complaint: these last worked only one hour, and you have made them. Notice it equal to. Us, that's not fair.
They didn't do equal work, but they are receiving equal compensation. We who have worked all day, we who have been in the sun all day and have worked so hard for twelve hours, we deserve more than a denarius. We are entitled to more. It's a fascinating parable, isn't it?
Now, I notice the context. Remember last week? Remember the rich young ruler? Jesus gives that challenge: go, sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and come follow me. And we saw this rich young ruler turn his back on Jesus and walk away because he had great possessions.
And what does Peter say? Chapter nineteen, verse twenty-seven. Peter said, "See, we've left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" I mean, remember, Lord, we abandoned our nets and our boats. We we left everything and followed you.
What? What are we going to get? Jesus tells them. And then he says, verse twenty-nine: "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for my name'sake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life." The disciples, the twelve disciples, are not the only ones whom God will bless.
So as we come to the parable, that's the context. The master reminds them. That they receive the wage that was agreed. Has the master acted justly? Of course he has.
He has acted with perfect justice. As the master says, the money is all mine. I can do what with my money what I like. If I want to pay someone a denarius for an hour, that's up to me. Notice, he says, "Am I verse fifteen?
Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me, or do you begrudge my generosity?" See, the men who had not worked all day weren't lazy men; they had waited all day for employment. They would not, we would have realized. They had families in need. They needed money. There's no welfare checks.
These men wanted to work. The problem is not the generosity of the landowner. After all, he says, "I can do what I like with my money." What's the problem? Problem that many of us have. The problem is the envy and the resentment.
And the meanness and the small-mindedness of the workmen who didn't want others to receive the same wage—they would have been perfectly happy with the denarius if the others had only received the proportion of the denarius. What really ticked them off was, "We've worked hard longer than everyone else, and you have made them equal to us." We should be up here. We should be getting more. All laborers receive the same wage.
So the last will be first, and the first will be last. Masterful teaching. You say, "Well, what do we take from that?" I want to remind you that Jesus says at the beginning, verse one: "For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house." So I want us to learn three principles from this parable, three principles of the kingdom of heaven.
Now I've said three because I like three. I believe in the Trinity. I believe in past, present, and future.
So I often have three points. I'm going to give you three principles, but in a sense, there's only one. Three, one principle, as it were, said in three ways, three facets to help us to understand. Churchill said, "If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Good advice for preachers.
Use a pile driver. Hit the point once, then come back and hit it again. Then hit it the third time—a tremendous whack." He's right. The great orator, Churchill.
So in a sense, I've got one point, but I'm going to hit it three times. I'm going to state it one way, I'm going to state it another way, and I'm going to state it another way. But it is one basic point that I want you to get. But I'm going to say it three times. This is what the kingdom of heaven is like.
First. Everyone saved by God's grace receives the same gift of eternal life. That's wonderful, isn't it? Everyone, every single person saved by the grace of God receives the same gift of eternal life. God's grace always reigns.
Here's the nation of Israel, God's chosen people. With many privileges, yet Gentiles who are saved, we receive the same gift of eternal life. No second-class citizens with God. The thief on the cross, who trusted Jesus Christ moments before he died, receives the same gift of eternal life as the Apostle Peter does. The last shall be first, and the first shall be last.
Here is an old person who trusts Christ for salvation on her deathbed. Over the years, I've had the privilege of visiting people who are dying. Remember, in the last church, there was a man we prayed and prayed for him. His wife was a godly woman, and he was dying. I'd gone to his home, and his wife.
Said, Pastor, will you go to hospital? I went to hospital one late one night, and it was so wonderful. There was no one there other than the man and myself, and I had the joy of reminding him again of the old old story of the gospel. And there, literally on his deathbed, he trusted Christ. That individual receives the same gift of eternal life as a little boy who comes to Christ when he's eight years old and lives to be ninety-eight, and who through his life has faithfully loved God and served God and trusted God.
Both receive the same gift. Many who are first. Will be last, and the last first.
So the last will be first, and the first last. Those who receive eternal life at the end of their life are just as saved as those who trust Christ at the beginning of their life. This is the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment.
So stay with us. From matters of truth and identity to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever. But to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God. To help you do that, John wrote a booklet titled "Eternal Security: Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World." Through this special resource, John shares his personal testimony along with a careful examination of Scripture to offer us clarity on matters of eternity. Get your copy today by visiting our website at theverdict.org.
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Now, here is Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Isn't this a brilliant story told by Jesus? We can't really miss the message. There is only one way of salvation, and it is all based on God's free and sovereign grace. In heaven, we will not be shouting, "I deserve to be here," or "Let me tell you what I did to get here." No, we'll all be acclaiming, "Grace, grace, grace." Make sure you receive the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And next time, we'll continue thinking of this fantastic story. Thanks for joining us today on the Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
