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THE GREATEST STORIES EVER TOLD - "The Two Sons and the Tenants" - February 1, 2015 - Pastor Scott Christenson

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St. Paul's Lutheran Church Orange, CA

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a few weeks ago I was looking on my calendar it looking kind of ahead though what I was going to be preaching on today I got a little confused when I read it was about the two sons and the tenants and I got confused for a moment because I could not for the life of me remember a parable about two sons and some tenants and then after a while I realized oh yeah this isn't one Parable this is two pair of it's not the parable of the two sons and the tenants it's the parable of the two sons and the parable of the tenants  and there reason that we're looking at these two Parables together tonight and it's not just because Jesus told them together we're looking at them too there because we really cannot adequately interpret one without the other  they both kind of inform each other so I want to talk with you tonight about both Parables and specifically I want to dress three things with you first the point then the problem and there's two problems really and then finally we'll talk about the path to recovery so the point the problems and the path to recovery three peas that will help you remember the point the problems the path to recovery first appoint what's the point of these two stories will the point I think is is fairly obvious the point is that God is interested seeing us all live lives of Integrity lives were what we do is integrated with what we say we if you look at these Parables and their context you'll see that they are clearly Parables of judgement spoken the religious leaders of Jesus day who weren't doing this and that's very significant to understand that that's the original audience here in other words these parables are not being spoken against sinners in general  Jesus is addressing atheist here you don't like that either of course but that's not the point of these Parables these parables are addressed to ciders  and Jesus original audience would have certainly understood that not particularly with the comparable Jews of Jesus day would have certainly recognized the vineyard as an Old Testament metaphor for God's people they would have been very familiar for example with the words of Isaiah 5 where the Prophet said this I will sing for the one I love a song about his Vineyard my loved one had a Vineyard on a fertile Hillside the vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel and the men of Judah are the garden of his Delight clear in the second Parable that the owner of the vineyard represents God  and the farmers are the Jewish leaders Jesus's now conversing with and the servants who were mistreated and killed represent God's prophets of old who were also mistreated and ignored  this is the tragedy that Jesus is addressing they should have known better they should have lived better these people weren't Outsiders they were insiders they were leaders for crying out and yet their deeds did not match their words  they were like the second two sons they said all the right things and they were very respectful about it notice of the second son doesn't just say I will to what the father as he says I will sir  the Greek word for sure is the word curious which literally means Lord if you'd have been there when he said that you would have said okay that's the good son but you would have been solutely wrong  that's what these people were like that Jesus is speaking with a they had all the right outward appearances but they didn't do what the father wanted  and that's not what God is looking for in his file where is least of all in those who claim to be leaders of the faith that's the point  Anna's point that we all need to take to hard be can we do a fair amount of that kind of thing ourselves don't we  you have to ask why do we do that well that leads us to the second portion of the message today the problems as I said earlier there's really two problems Illustrated here I thought I want to point out the first problem is Illustrated in another Old Testament Vineyard text Deuteronomy 6 and Deuteronomy 6 gods who are about to enter the land that he promised them through Abraham and God is prepping them now for what's about to happen here's what he says starting in verse 10 when the Lord your God brings you into the land a land with large flourishing cities you did not build houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide Wells you did not dig and Vineyards an olive Groves you did not plant there's that image again then when you eat and are satisfied be careful that you do not forget the Lord who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery what's the problem the problem God is pointing to there and here in The Parables is a fundamental problem of all human beings credible tendency to forget specifically to forget that everything we have and possess in this life is by the grace of God when you get to the promised land God says don't ever forget you didn't make any of this happened you didn't build it you didn't dig it you didn't provide it you didn't plant it everything you have is all yours by grace don't ever forget that know why does God speak so strongly about that me answer is because Grace is offensive to us  if you don't we don't often think like that we think no it's not we we racist and of course it is good but the truth is there's something about Grace that were all very resistant to  and that's that race puts us all on the same level  if everything we have is by Grace then there's really no difference between images leader people and tax collector prostitute people is there  we really all the same and that offends us especially as religious people most of us don't like to think of ourselves that way we prefer to categorize people into good people and the bad people deserving people and undeserving people and of course you always know where we categorize ourselves Jesus completely pens that way of thinking in the first parable which of the two what his father wanted he has sin verse 30 31 but did you notice he never actually answers that question where's the truth is neither son did  neither son was in the right the first song who is Father in a way that was horribly offensive  Sean he said will you go and work today in the vineyard I will not he answered  if that doesn't sound all that offensive to you that's only because you live in America we're so used to hearing that kind of disrespect and back talk today but in the culture of first-century Palestine Sons would never speak to their fathers like that that would have been shameful  clearly that son did not do what his father wanted  but neither did the other one who said all the right things but then didn't go and do the work so Jesus was insane tax collectors and prostitutes are the good people and religious leaders are the bad people that's play what the religious leaders were saying only in reverse  he's sane you're all the same really and that you both desperately need Grace from the father  the problem was that the religious leaders didn't think they needed Grace at all  I'm at Lisa's to the second problem the first problem is our tendency to forget that everything we have is by Grace but the problem is that becoming a religious person does not automatically fix this lack of appreciation if we find that it often makes it worse very often religious people end up being the most smug and self-righteous of all people that's precisely why these Parables aren't addressed to the masses but directly to the religious leaders because more often than not we are the ones who get it mixed up in our heads  we are the tenants who act like we're the owners  where are the ones who are most tempted to think I don't know God any rent  you look at all the how do I pray I go to church I volunteer I try to act morally at work I'm certainly better than those people if anything. me some rent  here's one modern, today that I love describes it I think he captures it goes on in our mind so well take a look he says no matter how much we give lip service to the notion of free Grace and dying love we do not like it it's just too indiscriminate Deluxe rotten sons and Cricket tax Farm and plumbing parts in the kingdom and it thumbs its nose at really good people  who teach God we say what continue to sing Amazing Grace in church but we will Jolly well be judicious when it comes to explaining to the Riff Raff what it actually means we will assure them of course that God loves them and forgive them but we will make it clear that we expect them to clean up their act before we class I'm seriously to our bosom we do not want whores and chiselers and practicing gays even if they are suffering from age thinking that they just barge in here in fret onized we never did such things  those are strong words aren't they but can we all be honest enough before God tonight to admit that sadly that's exactly the kind of thing that off runs through our heads he goes on and says we are under judgment oh yes we say we believe but what we believe is largely an ethical theological construct of Our Own devising some in our heads that will make the world safe for democracy and for thrifty Brave clean and reverent X Sinners Like ourselves like the second son are only real trust is in our own devices  ouch that's a problem all right so how do we get out of that what's the path of every four people like us was hinted at in the first Parable in verse 29 I will not the first son but later what later he changed his mind he changed his mind and now why is that important well it's important because in the Greek text the phrase he changed his mind is a single word and it's the same word that Jesus uses near the end of verse 32 it's the word repent that's what repent literally means it means to change your mind  simply getting involved in more activities is not the path to recovery  not the past away from our pride and self-righteousness in fact that alone may only make it worse repentance is the path to recovery  changing our minds in this is about ourselves and a green with Jesus that we religious types need his grace just as desperately as any prostitute or text collector because in truth we're no different from them  we've just been Christians long enough to know that you send inside and smile on the outside  but our hearts and minds are just as messed up as anyone else's that's a tough change of mind to make and it's tough because it exposes us and it puts us in a position where we really think about it we are certain  but then no one would ever love us but when we finally get the most amazing things begin to happen in that moment we finally start to understand how deeply loved by God we really are and these two parables are just screaming this message Attis tonight first of all did you notice in the first Parable they're both sons it's not the parable of the sun and the parable of the Jesus never said tax collectors and prostitutes are going to heaven but you religious people are going to **** because I've had it with you no you'll never hear Jesus say anything like that because Jesus Christ never gives up on anyone  not prostitute in tax collector types not elitist and self-righteous religious types and not you either  no matter who you are no matter what you've done  please understand Jesus has not give up on you  you are loved more than you know  God doesn't think of you as Hoosier or a failure he thinks of you like a good father thinks of his beloved Son Galatians 3 gives us that promise when it says you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus that message is even more powerful in the parable of the tenants and where you see it is at the point are the parable becomes ridiculous if you thought of this when you heard it earlier but for the first several versus this repairable reads like something that could absolutely happen in real life the people of Jesus they would have been very familiar with kind of situation owners hiring Farmers to care for Vineyards that was not all that unusual  but there's a point in this story something happens that would have made Jesus first listener stand up and say now wait a minute that's ridiculous that would never happen and I'm talking about verse 37 where it says last of all he sent his son to them  they will my son he said ask yourself why would any Earthly Vineyard owner do cat  in would you do that would you send your son to a bunch of guys who had already beaten and killed installed your servants  of course not  you wouldn't send your son you'd send the authorities you call the cops and you'd have them arrest those evil tenants and get your Vineyard back right course you would that's whatever what do Jesus put this far-fetched ending to this otherwise fairly realistic story that's exactly what you're supposed to wrestle with  and if you wrestle with that  sooner or later you're going to come to conclusion  that there's really only one possible explanation for why a Vineyard owner would do that he would only do it  if if having a relationship with the wicked tenants what's more important to him then getting your stuff back  I mean of course that's a r e Achilles idea no earthly Vineyard owner on Earth would ever think like that but the vineyard owner in this parable of course is not Illustrated any of us it's illustrating God and this is exactly how God thinks do you realize that the most important thing in the universe to God is maintaining a relation Skip With You  whether you're a tax collector or prostitute or a self-righteous religious leader or some play far worse than any of those things what God really wants and is willing to give up anything for  issue he'll even risk his son's life for you in fact it's not just that he will pets  Paul said it in Romans 5 you see at just the right time when we were still powerless Christ died for the ungodly very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man though for a good man someone might dare to die but God demonstrates his own love for us in this  while we were still sinners  Christ died for

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THE GREATEST STORIES EVER TOLD - "The Two Sons and the Tenants" - February 1, 2015 - Pastor Scott Christenson

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