According To Luke: A Murder On The Farm

 According To Luke: A Murder On The Farm

Opening Illustration:

Rejection hurts. How many of you have ever felt the sting of rejection? You did not get that job that you really wanted. You did not get accepted to the university of your dreams. You got cut of your favorite sports team. The girl that you loved broke your heart. Yep, we have all be there. Rejection hurts but rejection sticks around doesn’t it? I can remember when I was in 5th grade at Dannelly Elementary School in Montgomery. There was a girl in the class named Elizabeth. I won’t say her last name because she lives in the area. She was the teacher’s pet. Every week, the teacher would give her a stack of graded work to give out to the class. She would always see the grades as she handed them out. She would smile at all of her friends if they made good grades. She would sneer at the less popular kids. Sadly, I was on the less popular kids. Ill never forget, every time she would give me my work, she would touch just the very top of the page, like it was infected and she did not want to get my coodies. It always made me feel bad. It always made me feel rejected. Rejections stings, it hurts, and it is something that we never forget. 

Point:

Well friends, this morning we are talking about the rejection of Jesus Christ by the religious elites of His day. Today we enter Luke 20. Jesus has just had a conversation with the leading priests, teacher and elders. They challenged His authority to teach. So, like a good teacher, Jesus gives them a parable about rejection and murder. We will read that story in just a moment. I do want you to know that the story illustrates the painful truth in rejecting Christ. Today, even though I am going to touch on rejection, I want to spend some time on the reasons we should accept Christ. The benefits if you will. Before we do that, fill in these blanks for me this morning. When it comes to Jesu, we can reject Him or receive Him. Oh friends, how I hope that you will receive Christ. 

When It Comes To Jesus We Can Reject Him or Receive Him!

Luke 20:9-19 NLT

9 Now Jesus turned to the people again and told them this story: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and moved to another country to live for several years. 10 At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers attacked the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed. 11 So the owner sent another servant, but they also insulted him, beat him up, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 A third man was sent, and they wounded him and chased him away.

13 “‘What will I do?’ the owner asked himself. ‘I know! I’ll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him.’

14 “But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they said to each other, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ 15 So they dragged him out of the vineyard and murdered him.

“What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do to them?” Jesus asked. 16 “I’ll tell you—he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others.”

“How terrible that such a thing should ever happen,” his listeners protested.

17 Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what does this Scripture mean?

‘The stone that the builders rejected

    has now become the cornerstone.’

18 Everyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.”

19 The teachers of religious law and the leading priests wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the people’s reaction.

I. Let’s Look At The Characters

Point:

Let’s talk for just a moment about this parable. Jesus loved using parables because parables were simple stories about everyday life that illustrated deep truths. On this day, Jesus tells the story of a man who owns a vineyard. It was common for wealthy people to hire servants, tenants to tend the land while he was away. This was very common in Jesus’ day. This man hires servants but these men are wicked. The became greedy and they rejected giving an offering back to the man who owned the vineyard. So what was the man to do? He sent his own personal servants to inquire about the farmers wickedness. One, two, three servants were sent and all ended up beaten and broken. Finally, the man send his son. He thinks that no way are these farmers going to hurt his son. Sadly they not only hurt him, they murdered him. 

Hebrews 1:1-2 NLT

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 

The parable represents several things that are taking place. First, the man who owns the vineyard in this story is God. God owns everything and everything is His. The farmers in the story are the Hebrews. The Israelites. God’s people. Next, the vineyard is it’s own character. The vineyard is akin to the promise of God to the Israelite people. The vineyard is symbolic of the covenant that God has between Himself and the Hebrews. The promise was not only physical but spiritual as well. These people would be His people. He would protect them and help them grow into a mighty power. 

Psalm 89:34 ESV

I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips.

So, who are the servants? The servants are the prophets of God. These were men who were sent by God to the Israelite nation. These prophets were sent to help turn God’s people back to Him. Sadly, time and time again, the prophets were turned away. Some were beaten and others were killed. Most if not all were rejected. Their rejection broke God’s heart. 

So, God develops from the foundation of time a rescue plan. God sends His Son Jesus to earth. Jesus comes to point His people back to God. Of course we know that Jesus also opens the door for all people to be adopted into God’s family. 

We know the end of the story. They kill Jesus. They betray Him, beat Him, and murder Him. Their rejection seals their fate. 

A. The Man Is God’s Presence vs. 9

B. The Farmers Are God’s People vs. 9

C. The Vineyard Is God’s Promise vs. 9

D. The Servants Are God’s Prophets vs. 10-13

E. The Son Is God’s Plan vs. 13

Illustration: Never To Late

“The following lines were discovered on the dead body of an American soldier killed in action in North Africa, in 1944. They were found by a corporal in the Royal Army Medical Corps and were printed in a Tunis newspaper. They found their way to Britain through the United States. A friend of the writer of these lines, who was with him when they were written (and who survived the battle in which the writer was killed) said the soldier was a thoroughly wild character and an atheist but something happened during the battle that shocked him. Listen to these words.

Look, God, I have never spoken to you,

And now I want to say: “How do you do?”

You see, God, they told me you didn’t exist,

And I, like a fool, believed all this.

Last night, from a shell hole, I saw your sky,

And I figured then they had told me a lie.

I wonder, God, if you’d take my poor hand?

Somehow I feel you would understand.

Strange I had to come to this hellish place

Before I had time to see your face.

Wel1, I guess there isn’t much more to say:

But I’m glad, God, that I met you today

The zero hour will soon be here

But I’m not afraid; because you are near.

The signal has come, I shall soon have to go

I like you lots - this I want you to know.

I am sure this’ll be a horrible fight:

Who knows? I may come to your House tonight.

Though I wasn’t friendly to you before,

I wonder, God, if You’d wait at Your door?

Look, I’m shedding tears, me shedding tears!

Oh! How I wish I’d known you those long, long years

Well, I have to go now, dear God. Goodbye

But now that I’ve met you, I’m not scared to die.

Point:

You see friends, it is never to late to say “yes” to Jesus. You’ve heard the statement that there are no atheists in foxholes. Its true. 

Quote:

As the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, 

so the denial of God is the height of foolishness. 

-R.C. Sproul

II. Let’s Look Into Christ

A. Accepting Christ Assures Salvation 

   

Point:

If I were to ask you this morning the primary benefit to knowing, believing, and following Christ, chances are your answer would be salvation. Salvation is the headline. Salvation is why we are all here. It is the zenith of our faith, the reason why we give and sing. It is what motivates us and inspires us to tell complete strangers about Christ. When we say “yes” to Jesus we are ultimately saying yes to salvation. Even Jesus said that He came to seek and SAVE that which was lost. So, just what is salvation? What does it mean?

The simplest definition of salvation is to be delivered (or rescued) from peril. The word took a bit more of a shape when I figured out it was connected with the preacher telling us we needed to “get saved.” The most common meaning of salvation is to be saved by God from the consequences of our sin.

When thinking about salvation it’s helpful to think about what we are saved from, what we are saved to, who we are saved by.

John MacArthur summarizes well what salvation is and why we desperately need it. Listen to his words this morning. 

"The real problem is sin and guilt. That's the issue. God sent Jesus Christ to rescue us from the consequence of our sin, and everybody falls into the category of sinner. It doesn't matter whether you're among the haves or the have-nots, whether you have great expectations or none at all, whether you're consumed by your passions or exhibit a degree of self-control and discipline-you are still a sinner. You have broken the law of God and He's angry about it. Unless something happens to change your condition, you're on your way to eternal hell. You need to be rescued from the consequences of your sin. Those are the principal issues the gospel solves."

Brothers and sisters, let’s answer the first question this morning. What are we being saved from? The answer is two fold: ourselves and hell. That’s right, we are being saved from our own sinfulness. God has to punish sin and He does so by allowing those who have rejected him to spend eternity set apart from him in a place called hell. Hell is a terrible place. It is a real place. It is a place of tremendous pain, separation, darkness, depression, and torture. God did not create hell for people. No. He created it for Satan and his forces but we can choose to go there by rejecting God’s Son. 

That of of course answers our second question, what are we being saved to? The answer is heaven. Thankfully because of Christ we have another reality that we can go to when we pass on. That place is called heaven. It is equally real. It is a place of peace, rest, and togetherness. It is a place where we will exist in the perfect government of the Father. It is a place of illumination. Complete light. Beauty. Of course Jesus will be there. 

So, the last question is who saved us? Well, I would like someone else to introduce this person to you this morning. Take a listen. 

Jesus, the object of our affection. The King of Kings. The Prince of Peace. Are you thankful for Jesus this morning. If all He did was give us our salvation, it would be enough. But thank God He has given us so much more!

    Acts 4:11-12 ESV

    11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

B. Accepting Christ Assures Regeneration 

   

Point:

Brothers and sisters, we have been saved by the redeeming power of Christ’s death on the cross and the completing work of His resurrection. Scripture tells us that while Jesus was on the cross that Jesus became sin. He became the object of His Father’s wrath. He became the very embodiment of sin and death and God poured out His wrath on Christ. Christ tasted death and then was brought back to life. We call this the resurrection. That was not the only thing that came to life that day. For those who received Christ and were saved, they were also regenerated. Recall that the Bible tells us that before Christ we were dead in our transgressions. We were rotting corpses headed to hell. But Jesus brought us to life. This is regeneration.

Point:

Regeneration is a "supernatural work of the Holy Spirit" by which the divine nature and divine life are given. Regeneration occurs when God sovereignly acknowledges a person's belief in the gospel. Regeneration is the most dramatic change in a new believer; when we are "born again" we enter the family of God.

Point:

God has made provision for us to be born again and regenerated through the new birth - in order to give us His life living within. But why would we - the greatest and highest and most wonderful of all earth's creatures - why would we need regeneration? Because a disaster that has stricken each of us has rendered us uninhabitable by God.

You and I are by nature from birth uninhabitable to God. We were born with a heart that was emitting a deadly radiant far worse than the gamma rays of that exploded reactor; we were producers of the element most hated by God in the Universe, which is called sin.

The presence of sin within each of us made us completely uninhabitable to God. He could never live within us because He is holy, and we are sinful.

Regeneration is when God comes down to the site of the worst disaster in the universe - us sinners - and completely removes the deadly, toxic elements at the core of our being. 

Point:

This word literally means "new birth." The Greek word  (palingenesia) means a spring of water. When we experience regeneration it is like a spring of water flowing through our very souls. The word denotes a passing from death to life, becoming a new creature, born again, a change of heart and mind. It means that you are new. 

Point:

Have you ever wanted a do over? My son Jack has just take up golf and there is term that he taught me. It was a term that I have heard before but never considered it’s spiritual significance. The term is “mulligan”. It means do over, start over, try again, put the past behind you and take another shot. Brothers and sisters, that is regeneration! God says “do over”! Don’t worry about the last shot. Ive forgotten all about it. One of the great benefits of accepting Christ is that we get to forget the past failings of our life and enjoy the successes of Christ’s perfection. 

    Titus 3:4-6 ESV

    4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior…

So, when we accept Christ we are saved, and we are reborn. But there is another important reason we should say “yes” to God’s Son!

C. Accepting Christ Assures Justification 

Point:

Justification is the declaring of a person to be just or righteous. It is a legal term signifying acquittal. When we receive Christ, when we invite Christ to come into our lives and we are obedient to Him, we are justified. Notice that we are not justified by anything that we do, rather we are justified by what He does on our behalf. Another simple definition of justification is “the act of making someone right with God”. Notice that there is nothing that we can do, nothing that we can say that would bring us closer to God. No. The only way that we can be justified is to accept the free gift of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. 

Oh friends, make no mistake about it. There are plenty of religions, plenty of cults, that are hell bent on trying to get you to pay for your own sins. Do this, don’t do that and you will find favor with God. If you just pray this way, give this much money, attend this many church services, God will remove your guilt. That is not Biblical. What is Biblical is that Jesus died on the cross. His death took our punishment. His punishment provided you and me freedom to live. We now, because of Christ stand righteous and redeemed before the Living God. 

Point:

Theologians speak of three distinct types of justification—positional, progressive, and perfective. Positional justification is the "legal standing" we have been granted in Christ. We are justified when we trust in Christ. From that moment on, the moment of salvation, God sees us as righteous. 

Although we have been declared righteous, the fact is that we still sin, even after we've been saved. That's where progressive justification comes in. Progressive justification (or sanctification) is the ongoing process of being made just by the Lord.

Perfective justification is the final step. The progressive process catches up with the positional decree, and the believer is made righteous in practice as well as in name. This sinless perfection will be ours when we enter eternity with the Lord. At that time, our justification will be complete, and we will dwell with Him forever apart from sin.

Today, because of Christ, we have been saved, regenerated, and yes…justified before a righteous God.    

    Galatians 2:16 ESV

    16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

The Time Has Come, Accept Christ Today!