Our paragraph topic is: (Parable of the laborers in the vineyard) Part 3.
So Christ continues to tell the story of the workers as they are hired for the work in the vineyard. He has compared this parable to the kingdom of heaven that his disciples may have some understanding of the kingdom. For in the kingdom they will rule. In the kingdom they will judge. In the kingdom of heaven they will sit on the twelve thrones that oversee the twelve tribes of Israel. And Christ will be with them in the regeneration.
But, now, he had to give them some understanding that they will know. He had to enlighten them. He had to teach them the ways of the spiritual world. So he continued to tell them this parable about the laborers in the vineyard. He said to them: "And about the third hour, he went out and saw others standing in the market place idle."
He saw idle workers in the market place waiting for someone to hire them to work. He saw men wanting to have something to do. He saw men needing to make money to support themselves. He saw opportunity. And he opened the door for them to enter. Are we idle workers? Are we in need of something to do? Do we have a need to be employed by someone else to provide for our needs? Reading this parable gives us some view into what the story is telling us today.
The kingdom of heaven is like a house-holder, a property owner, who is in need of workers to assist him with the work at hand. The property owners owns property where he has planted seeds that are in need of harvest. He has planted grape vines that are reaching their ripe state and are ready to be picked. The property owner has wealth and he wants to pay workers to help him bring in the harvest. Are we ready to work? Are we ready to assist? Are we ready to receive the rewards for working in the vineyard of God our Father?
He created us. He provided for us. He gave us everything that we needed to grow and prosper. Yet we lost our way. We were deceived. We were blinded. And we are scattered and lost in the darkness, afraid and alone. And then Christ came. He opened the door and pushed back the darkness that all may see. He touched us and gives us new life that our eyes may be opened to the truth of who we are in him. But there are many who are lost. There are many who do not know. There are many who are still in the darkness.
The light of life is opened to the lost if they accept, if they believe. But the darkness and death holds them. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Are you a believer? Are you a worker? Do you carry the light of Christ within you? Do you know the truth of who you are in him? Let us not be idle workers! Let us go and become workers for the kingdom of heaven.
Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.
Our paragraph topic is: (Parable of the laborers in the vineyard) Part 2.
Christ continues to educate his disciples on the kingdom of heaven by using a parable. He tells them that the kingdom of heaven is like a house-holder who needs laborers to work in his vineyard. The owner goes out to the market place and hires laborers to do the work. He makes an agreement with them to do the work and he agrees to pay them for the work that they will do. The agreement is for one denarius to work in the vineyard all day. The laborers agree and go to work in the vineyard.
The disciples understand this concept because they themselves have hired laborers to work with them and have made agreements before the work has begun. The process is simple. The procedure is standard and used by most laborers and those seeking to hire laborers. So Christ told his disciples: "And having agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard."
We are given this example because most can relate to being hired for work. In today's world we make application and have an interview and the personnel representative makes the decision to hire based on the needs of the position and the company. We seek to work and they seek to hire. We agree to work for a price and they agree to pay the price that we agree. In most cases the pay is already set in writing. So Christ is giving his disciples and us, today, a living example that we can use to compare to the kingdom of heaven.
Why does he want us to think of the kingdom of heaven as a work-laborer relationship? Why does he want us to understand the parallel between the two? What are the similarities? What are the differences? Are we being called to work in the kingdom? Are we being offered a work-laborer relationship? What is our pay? What is our compensation? What work are we required to do?
Christ came that we would have life and have it more abundantly. He came that we would know the truth of who we are in him. He came to pay the price for our transgressions. And having paid that price, he came that we would be released from the bondage of our past sins and given a new opportunity to enter into the kingdom of heaven. We are cleansed. We are justified. And we are newly born again. He has offered the invitation to work in his vineyard. He has agreed to pay the wages for the work. The decision is ours to make if we want to work in his vineyard. Or the decision is ours if we want to work in the vineyard of death.
Christ calls us. Christ wants us. Christ has given us the opportunity. But it is ours to accept or to reject. Each one and everyone has the decision to make. What will yours be? Who will you work for? What will be your reward? Come! Let us go and work for the Lord that he may provide for us. The harvest is great but the laborers are few. Are you one?
Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.
Our paragraph topic is: (Parable of the laborers in the vineyard) Part 1.
Christ told his disciples what hinders anyone from entering the kingdom of heaven. He gave them examples and details so that everyone would know what to do and what not to do. In this new chapter he gives another example of the kingdom of heaven. He compares the kingdom of heaven to a house-holder.
He tells his disciples:
FOR the kingdom of heaven is like a house-holder who went out early in themorning to hire laborers for his vineyard
. It is in this comparison that Christ tells his disciples that the kingdom of heaven is like a person who owns property and needs help to maintain it. The house-holder hires laborers to maintain his vineyards and the kingdom of heaven hires laborers to maintain its children. The kingdom of heaven is a living entity. It is God's creation. It has needs that must be met in order for its crop to flourish.
Christ uses this example to further illustrate to his disciples and to us how the kingdom works. He wants us understand. He wants us to know. The kingdom is seeking laborers. The kingdom wants you and me. The kingdom owns the property of God and is looking for those who would work the property for a reward. The doors are open and the laborers are few. The work is plentiful and the harvest is ripe and ready for the picking. Are we willing? Are we ready? Do we have the skills to get the job done? Christ is calling us to come and work with him to get the job done.
Can you go? Can you work? Are you willing to work for the reward that is open to you? We work here on earth for the rewards that are given to us. We are given money that we use to buy the things that we want. Christ calls us to the work in his vineyard. The kingdom of heaven calls us to work in its vineyard. What will be our reward for the work that we do? Will we be given paper money that we can use in the here and now? Will we be given something else that is more precious than paper money? What will that be? What will we receive? What is more precious than the money we get today?
Is life everlasting more precious than paper money? Is life everlasting more valuable than gold, or silver, or diamonds, or any other thing that we hold in high esteem today? The kingdom of heaven calls us, just as the world calls us. Which one will we choose? Some know of the call. Some don't. Some are lost and do not know that they have a choice. Some know that they have the choice and choose not. That decision is ours and ours alone to make. But the call is still there. The kingdom calls, will you answer. The kingdom calls, do you hear. The kingdom calls, will you ignore the call. Christ is waiting. Come! Heed the call and come work in the vineyard for the kingdom of heaven. The reward is greater than anything that you will receive here on earth.
Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.
Our paragraph topic is: (A hundredfold reward promised) Part 6.
Jesus made a promise to his disciples and those that followed him that there would be great rewards. He wanted them to know that the trials and tribulations that they would face for their fellowship with him would be rewarded greatly. They would face battles. They would face enemies that they had not known before. They would face all kinds of trials. They would face pain, and torture, and even death. But Christ reassured them that the trails they would face could not compare to the rewards they would receive.
The twelve disciples would be judges over all the tribes of Israel. Those who followed would receive rewards totaling a hundredfold to what they would sacrifice here on earth. So the rewards are more than one can imagine receiving. And then, they also would receive life everlasting for all eternity. All would be with him in the kingdom when the regeneration comes. And none would be left out. For those who came first would be the last to receive. And as he told them:
"And many who are last now will be first."
Who will be the last to come? Who will be the last to enter the kingdom of heaven in the regeneration? And after the last, comes the judgment that will right all wrongs and balance the scales of justice. And there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. And many will be left behind. And many will be left outside. But the last will become the first and the first will be the last. And Christ is the first to come, but he, will be the last.
What will be our reward? What will we receive in the kingdom of heaven? What is our heart's desire? What will make us happy beyond our wildest expectations? The heart only knows what it knows, and it knows what will make us happy. Surely what we have experienced here on earth has or can, bring happiness and joy. But will that fulfill the desires of the heart? Will that satisfy? Will what we can receive here complete the longings of what is in our hearts?
We see and feel and smell and taste all the wonders of the creation of man. We are given to desire that which is presented before us in the news and the media and socially and online. Everyday we are given examples of what it would mean to have all our financial needs met. And that is something that we all want and desire, to have enough money to not have to worry about working and toiling for tomorrows needs. But is this enough to satisfy? Is this enough to fulfill? Is this the be all and end all to the longings within our hearts?
Christ came that we would have life and have it more abundantly. He came to tell us that there is something more than we perceive in the here and now. He came that we would be able to see the light, that our eyes would be opened and our hearts would know the truth of who we are. He gave us the example to follow. He opened the door for us to come, into the kingdom. And he led the way to the kingdom of fulfillment. Satisfaction is not in the physical. Happiness is not in the present. Only with him and through him and by him can that which fills our longings be complete. Only through and with and by the love of God our Father can we know that which is truly ours to know. The true fulfillment of who we are is only available in the Father and his love. Come! Be the true life that Christ has given you through his passion. He loves you. He awaits you. He will fulfill you!
Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.
