Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Preaching
THE WESLEYAN PREACHING ANNUAL 2001--2002
WORSHIP HELPS
CALL TO WORSHIP
Reader 1: Hallelujah! Let our souls praise God!
Reader 2: I will sing spiritual songs to the Holy One of God as long as I have breath.
Reader 1: Humans are not experts in life, but with God we can become experts!
Reader 2: Our hope is in God alone who freely gives salvation.
Reader 1: God is always in charge. Israel's God is God forever.
Readers 1 & 2: Hallelujah!
OFFERING THOUGHT
We must not cling to our wealth, talent, or fame, but give them to God and others with open hands and hearts.
BENEDICTION
Praise be to God who has wonderfully made us in His own image. Go and reflect His image to the world.
SERMON BRIEFS
Receive His Grace
Matthew 20:1--16
In a Peanuts cartoon, Lucy is walking home from school with Charlie Brown, carrying her report card in her hand. She turns to Charlie, and, in self--righteous indignation, complains: "It isn't fair, Charlie Brown. It just isn't fair! I studied for a whole week for my math test and Sally only studied for two hours the night before the test and she got an A, but I only got a C. It just isn't fair!"
Just after telling us that the "first will be last and the last will be first," Jesus says a farmer's vineyards are ready for harvest. So he goes downtown and hires some people, agreeing to pay them the usual daily wage. He takes them to the farm. They go to work.
At 10 a.m. the farmer is back downtown. He sees some guys hanging around the unemployment office. He tells them, "Come work for me, I'll treat you right." They too go to work in the vineyard.
At noon the farmer is back downtown. He finds a couple more people who need work. He hires them too. At 3 p.m. and at 5 p.m. - one hour before quitting time - he's back downtown hiring more. He signs them all up, takes them to the grapes, and they work. It was hard work. It involved laboring on a hillside in the heat of the day.
At the end of the day, all the workers are called in and the farmer tells the foreman to pay everyone the same wage, starting with the man who got there last. There is grumbling and discontent. "Where's the justice?" some thought.
Lessons from this parable, which has been called one of the greatest and most glorious of all:
I. It is in one sense a warning to the saints.
They have come into the church and fellowship early. However, the time will come when others will come in at the last hour.
We must not claim a special honor and place because we have been Christians longer than others. All are equally precious and valuable to God.
Some people think the church practically belongs to them. They've been in it a long time. They can dictate and control its policy. They should run the farm. They resent the intrusion of new blood into a church. In God's church, there is no most favored clause.
II. It teaches us that the Kingdom is equally dear and precious to God.
It means that no matter when a person comes to Christ, late or soon, he or she is equally dear to Him. From God, the same welcome will be given regardless of years and honor in the Kingdom.
III. It teaches us the infinite compassion of God.
There is nothing more tragic than a person who is unemployed, whose talents are wasting away in idleness because there is nothing for him or her to do.
There in the marketplace in Palestine, the farmer gave the unemployed something to do. His heart was touched by their need to work and their need to feed their hungry family at home.
IV. It teaches us that the spirit with which work is done is important to God.
Some of the workers in this parable had a contract with the farmer. They said, "We will work if you give us so much money." They worked for pay. Those engaged later only wanted a chance to work. They never mentioned payment or a contract. They left the reward to the farmer.
A person is not a Christian if his or her first concern is rewards. The Christian works for the joy of serving God and others. That is why the first will be last and the last will be first (v. 16). He who aims at rewards loses rewards, and he who forgets rewards finds rewards.
V. It teaches us of the generosity of God.
These men did not all do the same work, but they did receive the same pay. God's grace pays the promised wages at the appointed time, at the end of the day.
God does not look at the amount of our service. So long as our service is all we have to give, all service ranks the same with God.
Also, all God gives is of grace. Grace is the source of all God's giving. We cannot earn what God gives us; we cannot deserve it; we cannot put God in our debt. What God gives is not pay, but a gift; not a reward, but grace. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus did not ask what they deserve, but what they need. Then He offered himself up to be a Savior sufficient for all the world.
Nobody gets more of God's love and grace than anyone else. Each one of us gets it all.
John Wesley, after being kicked out of a church after he preached on the grace of God, wrote to a friend, "There is no more repugnant Christian doctrine than the affirmation that we are saved by the grace of God through faith."
Let our confidence and joy in this life be based not on what we have or do not have. Rather our confidence is on who we have! For on the last day, when we stand before our Savior there will be no superstars, CEOs of heaven or presidents and secretaries. In heaven there will be only a King! All eyes will be fixed on this King and His beauty which has turned our ashes into glory.
Samuel Rutherford wrote these words: "The bride eyes not her garment, but her dear bridegroom's face; I will not gaze at glory, but on my King of grace; not on the crown He gifteth, but on His pierced hand: The Lamb is all the glory of Emmanuel's land" (Trinity hymnal #599).
God has gathered up all our IOUs, marked them "paid--in--full," and nailed them to the cross of Calvary. Receive His grace and sing the doxology. Amen!
Yes, Charlie Brown and Lucy, life is not fair, but God gives equally of His love and grace. Receive His grace!
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,
Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt!
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within!
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!
(Words by Julia H. Johnston, Nazarene hymnal #84)
Nina G. Gunter
Green Grass And Living By Faith
Exodus 16:2--15
"Green, green, I'm going away up to the far side of the hill. Green, green, I'm going away to where the grass is greener still." The myth of greener grass attacks every human person some time or other. Here it strikes the children of Israel and the really odd thing about it is that their notion of "greener grass" is to go back to Egypt! This is the same Egypt from which they had sought the miraculous deliverance of God. The same Egypt that exploited and mistreated them. But stuck out in the desert, in the middle of nowhere as far as they can tell, Egypt starts to look pretty good.
The question that arises is what could possibly make Israel want to go back to Egypt? Obviously their circumstances in the desert are becoming a bit unnerving. Egypt starts to look pretty good as they find themselves surrounded by the dry, foreboding wasteland of the desert. And there is a certain psychology at work here that cannot be underestimated. In the desert, it's easy to forget how terrible it was to be enslaved. It's easy to forget about the whips and curses of the taskmasters. In the desert it seems easiest to remember leeks and melon and pots filled with spicy meats. The children of Israel are grumbling about their circumstances and one of the side effects is that they experience a kind of corporate amnesia regarding their past.
But in reality, Israel doesn't want Egypt and the produce so much as they want certainty. They want to be free from slavery but they don't want to have to live by faith. There's the rub. Out here in the desert, nothing is for certain, nothing is guaranteed. In Egypt the river Nile regularly irrigated the gardens, and as bad as slavery was, at least you knew there was plenty of food. Here in the desert, there are no guarantees. In the desert you either trust this God who brought you out of Egypt or you die. In the desert you are absolutely dependent upon God. There is no recourse but to trust.
Thus grumbling becomes the recurrent theme of this text. It certainly is not the best side of human beings, but it is very common. This text tells the all--too--common story of people who, when it comes right down to it, prefer the predictable inevitability of dying enslaved in Egypt to the daily adventure of living by faith in the wilderness.
Now God's perspective on the desert is very different from that of Israel. God sees this as a time for the people of Israel to get to know Him. And a major facet of knowing God is coming to trust Him as the One who can provide for His people in the midst of adversity. Moreover, God sees the desert as a opportunity to test Israel, to see if they are really up to obeying Him and living by faith as His people.
It's quite a contrast here. A group of people who see their current lives through the lens of regret - "If only we had died" - versus a God who sees these same difficult circumstances as an opportunity to prove His love, power, and trustworthiness. While the people accuse Moses of bringing them into the wilderness to die, God brings them here to teach them about trust and about His graciousness.
The text clearly shows that this graciousness on the part of God will need to be renewed daily. The life of faith is day by day. You can't hoard the manna, you must gather it daily. Every day you must depend on the faithfulness of the Lord - "Give us this day, our daily bread." Living by faith is hard. The greener grass of the life of certainty always seems to be looming in the memory somewhere. It's easy to grumble against the God who has brought you to the desert. But sometimes it's in the desert where you can learn the most important truths of life. It's out in the desert where you learn who you are, and most importantly, who God is.
J. Michael Walters
CALL TO WORSHIP
Reader 1: Hallelujah! Let our souls praise God!
Reader 2: I will sing spiritual songs to the Holy One of God as long as I have breath.
Reader 1: Humans are not experts in life, but with God we can become experts!
Reader 2: Our hope is in God alone who freely gives salvation.
Reader 1: God is always in charge. Israel's God is God forever.
Readers 1 & 2: Hallelujah!
OFFERING THOUGHT
We must not cling to our wealth, talent, or fame, but give them to God and others with open hands and hearts.
BENEDICTION
Praise be to God who has wonderfully made us in His own image. Go and reflect His image to the world.
SERMON BRIEFS
Receive His Grace
Matthew 20:1--16
In a Peanuts cartoon, Lucy is walking home from school with Charlie Brown, carrying her report card in her hand. She turns to Charlie, and, in self--righteous indignation, complains: "It isn't fair, Charlie Brown. It just isn't fair! I studied for a whole week for my math test and Sally only studied for two hours the night before the test and she got an A, but I only got a C. It just isn't fair!"
Just after telling us that the "first will be last and the last will be first," Jesus says a farmer's vineyards are ready for harvest. So he goes downtown and hires some people, agreeing to pay them the usual daily wage. He takes them to the farm. They go to work.
At 10 a.m. the farmer is back downtown. He sees some guys hanging around the unemployment office. He tells them, "Come work for me, I'll treat you right." They too go to work in the vineyard.
At noon the farmer is back downtown. He finds a couple more people who need work. He hires them too. At 3 p.m. and at 5 p.m. - one hour before quitting time - he's back downtown hiring more. He signs them all up, takes them to the grapes, and they work. It was hard work. It involved laboring on a hillside in the heat of the day.
At the end of the day, all the workers are called in and the farmer tells the foreman to pay everyone the same wage, starting with the man who got there last. There is grumbling and discontent. "Where's the justice?" some thought.
Lessons from this parable, which has been called one of the greatest and most glorious of all:
I. It is in one sense a warning to the saints.
They have come into the church and fellowship early. However, the time will come when others will come in at the last hour.
We must not claim a special honor and place because we have been Christians longer than others. All are equally precious and valuable to God.
Some people think the church practically belongs to them. They've been in it a long time. They can dictate and control its policy. They should run the farm. They resent the intrusion of new blood into a church. In God's church, there is no most favored clause.
II. It teaches us that the Kingdom is equally dear and precious to God.
It means that no matter when a person comes to Christ, late or soon, he or she is equally dear to Him. From God, the same welcome will be given regardless of years and honor in the Kingdom.
III. It teaches us the infinite compassion of God.
There is nothing more tragic than a person who is unemployed, whose talents are wasting away in idleness because there is nothing for him or her to do.
There in the marketplace in Palestine, the farmer gave the unemployed something to do. His heart was touched by their need to work and their need to feed their hungry family at home.
IV. It teaches us that the spirit with which work is done is important to God.
Some of the workers in this parable had a contract with the farmer. They said, "We will work if you give us so much money." They worked for pay. Those engaged later only wanted a chance to work. They never mentioned payment or a contract. They left the reward to the farmer.
A person is not a Christian if his or her first concern is rewards. The Christian works for the joy of serving God and others. That is why the first will be last and the last will be first (v. 16). He who aims at rewards loses rewards, and he who forgets rewards finds rewards.
V. It teaches us of the generosity of God.
These men did not all do the same work, but they did receive the same pay. God's grace pays the promised wages at the appointed time, at the end of the day.
God does not look at the amount of our service. So long as our service is all we have to give, all service ranks the same with God.
Also, all God gives is of grace. Grace is the source of all God's giving. We cannot earn what God gives us; we cannot deserve it; we cannot put God in our debt. What God gives is not pay, but a gift; not a reward, but grace. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus did not ask what they deserve, but what they need. Then He offered himself up to be a Savior sufficient for all the world.
Nobody gets more of God's love and grace than anyone else. Each one of us gets it all.
John Wesley, after being kicked out of a church after he preached on the grace of God, wrote to a friend, "There is no more repugnant Christian doctrine than the affirmation that we are saved by the grace of God through faith."
Let our confidence and joy in this life be based not on what we have or do not have. Rather our confidence is on who we have! For on the last day, when we stand before our Savior there will be no superstars, CEOs of heaven or presidents and secretaries. In heaven there will be only a King! All eyes will be fixed on this King and His beauty which has turned our ashes into glory.
Samuel Rutherford wrote these words: "The bride eyes not her garment, but her dear bridegroom's face; I will not gaze at glory, but on my King of grace; not on the crown He gifteth, but on His pierced hand: The Lamb is all the glory of Emmanuel's land" (Trinity hymnal #599).
God has gathered up all our IOUs, marked them "paid--in--full," and nailed them to the cross of Calvary. Receive His grace and sing the doxology. Amen!
Yes, Charlie Brown and Lucy, life is not fair, but God gives equally of His love and grace. Receive His grace!
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,
Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt!
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within!
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!
(Words by Julia H. Johnston, Nazarene hymnal #84)
Nina G. Gunter
Green Grass And Living By Faith
Exodus 16:2--15
"Green, green, I'm going away up to the far side of the hill. Green, green, I'm going away to where the grass is greener still." The myth of greener grass attacks every human person some time or other. Here it strikes the children of Israel and the really odd thing about it is that their notion of "greener grass" is to go back to Egypt! This is the same Egypt from which they had sought the miraculous deliverance of God. The same Egypt that exploited and mistreated them. But stuck out in the desert, in the middle of nowhere as far as they can tell, Egypt starts to look pretty good.
The question that arises is what could possibly make Israel want to go back to Egypt? Obviously their circumstances in the desert are becoming a bit unnerving. Egypt starts to look pretty good as they find themselves surrounded by the dry, foreboding wasteland of the desert. And there is a certain psychology at work here that cannot be underestimated. In the desert, it's easy to forget how terrible it was to be enslaved. It's easy to forget about the whips and curses of the taskmasters. In the desert it seems easiest to remember leeks and melon and pots filled with spicy meats. The children of Israel are grumbling about their circumstances and one of the side effects is that they experience a kind of corporate amnesia regarding their past.
But in reality, Israel doesn't want Egypt and the produce so much as they want certainty. They want to be free from slavery but they don't want to have to live by faith. There's the rub. Out here in the desert, nothing is for certain, nothing is guaranteed. In Egypt the river Nile regularly irrigated the gardens, and as bad as slavery was, at least you knew there was plenty of food. Here in the desert, there are no guarantees. In the desert you either trust this God who brought you out of Egypt or you die. In the desert you are absolutely dependent upon God. There is no recourse but to trust.
Thus grumbling becomes the recurrent theme of this text. It certainly is not the best side of human beings, but it is very common. This text tells the all--too--common story of people who, when it comes right down to it, prefer the predictable inevitability of dying enslaved in Egypt to the daily adventure of living by faith in the wilderness.
Now God's perspective on the desert is very different from that of Israel. God sees this as a time for the people of Israel to get to know Him. And a major facet of knowing God is coming to trust Him as the One who can provide for His people in the midst of adversity. Moreover, God sees the desert as a opportunity to test Israel, to see if they are really up to obeying Him and living by faith as His people.
It's quite a contrast here. A group of people who see their current lives through the lens of regret - "If only we had died" - versus a God who sees these same difficult circumstances as an opportunity to prove His love, power, and trustworthiness. While the people accuse Moses of bringing them into the wilderness to die, God brings them here to teach them about trust and about His graciousness.
The text clearly shows that this graciousness on the part of God will need to be renewed daily. The life of faith is day by day. You can't hoard the manna, you must gather it daily. Every day you must depend on the faithfulness of the Lord - "Give us this day, our daily bread." Living by faith is hard. The greener grass of the life of certainty always seems to be looming in the memory somewhere. It's easy to grumble against the God who has brought you to the desert. But sometimes it's in the desert where you can learn the most important truths of life. It's out in the desert where you learn who you are, and most importantly, who God is.
J. Michael Walters
