The Certainty Of Christ's Rejection
Book of Luke 20
The meaning of rejection is the act of throwing away.
Rejection is forsaking.
Rejection is casting away something that could prove to be really important.
Again we will see that Jesus will teach with a parable.
This parable was directed at Israel but let us be thankful that God has planted His vineyard among us all!
We should all ask ourselves if we are rendering the fruit to the Lord which He expects from us.
The least He expects is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Eph 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
We must certainly make sure we do not resemble these husbandmen in this parable.
The Lord must not only be our foundation in this life, He must also the our ultimate goal.
Jesus must be not only the author of our faith but He must also be the finisher of our faith.
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Heb 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Jesus who had never sinned, came to save sinners who could not be saved in any other way!
Just as God founded our world, God also founded the nation of Israel.
Just God founded Israel, God founded the Church.
In this parable we should consider those servants as God's messengers who were sent to secure the fruit of God which is the Lord Jesus Christ.
God is the founder of this vineyard.
*****Luk 20:9 Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.
God has leased the land Israel sits on to Israel, not any other nation nor any other people.
God has leased the remainder of the world to all other mankind none of these things happened by chance.
Act 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
We are all sheep in God's pasture.
Psa 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
It should be very clear that God has given man the highest privileges in this world, not plants and not animals, and not what we can see.
It is man that has the privilege of life here and then an opportunity for Heavenly blessings.
It is man that also has the privilege for the care of this world.
God has placed life and this earth into the care of man's hands!
It is a privilege to a part of God's creation but we need to understand that privileges also have obligations.
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
As we go through this parable we need to remember all these things.
*****Luk 20:10 And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.
Luk 20:11 And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.
Luk 20:12 And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.
The season spoken of in this passage would be the season of harvesting.
This is the season when the fruit would be offered to the Lord.
There is a day of accounting for all of us, so God sent His servants to collect.
God expects us all to bear fruit!
We should understand that the great truths from the Old Testament were written by the prophets and not the priests even though some of them were also priests.
The true prophet is always great because the truth makes men great not falsehood and not those who twist the truth into something evil.
We see that God's servants were rejected and sent away. God's servants were mistreated and were refused payment.
It is a fact that this world and most all those in it are very possessive of material things.
We see that these men deliberately rebelled against God.
Man wants to forget about God the Creator and rule the vineyard themselves.
Man wants to forget God's rules and live by his own rules!
We would be foolish if did not see how accurate this parable is when compared to the world we live in today.
Remember a parable is an earthly picture of a Heavenly truth.
In fact man wants his way so much that he is willing to slander, ridicule, persecute and even slaughter the true servants of God.
Notice the patience of God.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
God did not immediately strike out in anger though it was His right to do so.
We should also see that the servants of God will suffer while doing the work God has assigned them to do.
So God continued to send servants giving man chance after chance.
In this picture we know that Israel is a "type" of the world we live in today.
When Israel (world) would not honor God's servant God sent His own Son.
*****Luk 20:13 Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.
Luk 20:14 But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.
Luk 20:15 So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?
As Christians we certainly possess a portion of God's Kingdom.
What God has done for Israel was not because Israel was better than any other nation.
AND, What God has done for each Christian is not because we are better than anyone else.
God was making a special appeal to the tenants of this vineyard (Israel).
God sent His own Son to collect the fruit.
**When Jesus first came He claimed to be the Son of God.
Jesus was different from the servants that had come before Him.
**When the tenants of God's vineyard saw Jesus they already had plenty of evidence that what He said was true.
In fact most of Israel agreed that Jesus was the promised Messiah.
As Christians the key to our "faith" is to believe that Jesus Christ is who he says He is!
The unbelief of these people was deliberate!
They just refused to believe!
Their unbelief was outright rejection.
**They plotted His death.
It takes a foolish people to think they can stop the Almighty God.
BUT, We know that most of those in our world think this same way today.
**Not only did they plot to kill the Son they plotted to take God's vineyard by force.
Notice man is always seeking worldly possessions instead of the God who creates all possessions.
Remember the sin of covetousness is the sin of wanting what some one else possesses.
Notice they intentionally rejected and denied and they will lie and cheat and even steal or kill to get what they want.
There was no limit to their evilness!
**And they murdered the Son.
Though the Lord Jesus Christ came to die on the cross it was still the worst crime in human history to put Him there.
Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
There is little doubt about the "Grace" of God BUT we should understand that we can push God to far.
*****Luk 20:16 He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.
Just as everything God does is justified, then His "judgement" is also justified.
It amazes me that people who say they know God and have felt the love of God, refuse to believe our loving God will when necessary show His wrath.
We can certainly abuse the mercy of God!
It only takes a moment of God's wrath to cause major devastation!
In fact the greatest conflicts on this earth have been between the truth of God and the personal desires of men and it will remain that way until Christ returns a second time, when the wrath of God will be exposed to this world.
What is the truth?
If the power that we have is not used to serve God, then He will take it away from us and it will be given to those who will use it the way God designed it to be used.
The stupidity of wickedness is that those who rob God are robbing themselves!
These men who had planned to steal the things of God, then lost everything including their own lives.
We must also notice that the greatest hindrance to God's Kingdom will come from those who are in the highest administrations in the affairs of men.
We know this is happening in America today, where the Church is hindered more by our own government than from any other source!
Our own Constitution was written to try to keep this from happening but these people are above the law.
BUT, We should also understand the wrath of God is still a sign of God's holiness.
Psa 79:6 Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.
And the element of love and compassion of God is always closely connected with God's anger!
And God's anger can be extremely destructive!
Jer 10:24 O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.
We should also notice that when God takes His vineyard from these evil men, it will still be cultivated and it will still be expected to bear fruit.
God will simply raise up a different people to take care of it!
**We see that when these Jews heard this statement from Jesus that they knew exactly what Jesus meant.
They could not believe any such thing could happen to them because they had justified themselves above all other Jews.
They felt that God would not allow such a thing to happen but God was standing before them in the flesh this very day.
They decided if they destroyed Jesus these things would go away by doing just what the parable of Jesus had just said.
They said "God Forbid" not accepting the truth.
What is the truth of God?
Psa 2:8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Psa 2:9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Psa 2:10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Psa 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling
And how did Jesus respond?
*****Luk 20:17 And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?
Luk 20:18 Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
To those that do not believe in a coming "Judgement" what do they do with such a Scripture as this?
Jesus stared them right in their face when He said these words. To behold is to fix your eyes upon something or someone.
Kind of like that look we have all gotten from our mothers just before she reached for that hickory switch.
The truth is our world does not want to hear the truth, because the leaders of this world think they can defy the Living God and make their own truth.
How foolish have we become!
The prophet Daniel also wrote of this coming destruction.
Dan 2:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
We are foolish to ignore the coming wrath of God when all the governments of this world will be destroyed and King Jesus will then sit on His throne on this earth for 1000 years.
Jesus Christ is the Head and the Chief Cornerstone of His creation.
Jesus Christ is the Foundation Stone of the Church.
And He is certainly the The Foundation Stone on which we are all to build our lives.
Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Eph 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
Eph 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
If we cannot become a habitation for God we cannot be saved.
This same Foundation for building eternal life also has destructive power!
The destructive power of a stone over flesh and blood is well known.
So most all the religious leaders of the Jews turned on Christ Jesus that very day and joined forces.
*****Luk 20:19 And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.
**We should keep in mind that just because two or more groups of people who are really true enemies, then join forces in a common cause does not make them right, it just makes them more wrong!
We see today in our own political arena this same thing is happening.
It is just a ploy used in politics to keep power in the wrong hands.
**We also see that religionists will go to any lengths to maintain control of the church.
We also see this going on today!
Solomon wrote that there is nothing new under the Sun and these are some of the things he was writing about.
**Another thing we see is that the Lord Jesus Christ had a perfect knowledge of these people and the intentions of His enemies.
We see that the Lord has no fear of any of His enemies and will always give them plain answers that they can understand.
The Jewish religious system had become it's own political institution.
Just as political parties of today gang up to destroy politicians, most of the priesthood, that had begun with Moses, was now joining forces to destroy Jesus Christ, the Living Breathing Son of God.
These were the people who were to be God's testimony of righteousness but had instead become selfish, power hungry pawns of Rome.
These were men who realized that people were flocking to Jesus by droves and if He so chose to allow them to make Him their King, Rome would come in and put down any revolt and they would lose their positions they had bartered with Rome to keep.
They would not only lose their position and authority but they would lose their livelihood.
They were becoming rich while their nation was being robbed by Rome.
They began to conspire some way to cause Jesus to trap Himself.
*****Luk 20:20 And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.
Luk 20:21 And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly:
They chose to stop Jesus by posing trick questions to try to get Jesus to take some position against the people.
They thought they could then arrest Him and destroy Him and their problems would be solved.
Notice they first sent spies to watch Jesus' every move but sadly they were not interested in the way of salvation.
They were always seeking ways to accuse Him.
If they could cause Jesus to make an error in His doctrine He would look bad before the people.
If they could get Jesus to say anything against Rome then He could be arrested for treason.
The truth is, religion will always become political in the wrong hands!
As Christians we must always be aware of these things and guard against such things as power and position and selfish loyalty.
Joh 5:44 How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?
Jesus said our faith is useless when we trust more in the things of this world and we do that when we trust some man more than we trust God.
Jesus also had these words:
Mat 20:25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
Mat 20:26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
Mat 20:27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
Again Christians must realize that we have only one Master, King Jesus.
We must remember that these men with different concepts had joined forces. They had been enemies but had linked together to destroy the Lord.
**Some of these religious leaders believed that religion should be supreme. They believed strongly in the spiritual world and that all obedience and loyalty belonged to God and to God alone.
Therefore they were totally against paying the Roman taxes, considering that paying taxes infringe on God's right to all possessions.
They insisted on these things for the people but they themselves had no problem accepting the power and prestige of Rome.
**The other side of this group was locked in on "Humanism". They believed that the state was supreme.
They did not hold to the supernatural or a Supreme Being who was involved in the affairs of mankind.
If there were religion then it too was to be subject to government control.
We are foolish if we do not see these same two battles going on in our own political structure today!
To these people God was to be ignored, unless they could use Him to be some benefit or blame in times of tragedy.
Even insurance companies have a clause which reads "an act of God" when it comes to a tragedy.
What does God say?
Isa 5:14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.
Isa 5:15 And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:
Isa 5:16 But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.
The truth is when we feel like there is someway to fool God then we have become the fools ourselves!
So they asked crafty questions to try to entangle the Lord.
We should realize cowards are like cats who like to take their prey by suddenly pouncing upon it. They will rarely come face to face with their prey trusting in their own stealth to surprise their enemy.
*****Luk 20:22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?
Luk 20:23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me?
Luk 20:24 Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's.
Luk 20:25 And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.
Once we are saved God puts His stamp of approval upon our heart by the Holy Spirit and becomes our owner.
All that is created by God belongs to God!
The images stamped on all coins belong to the governments that forged them.
At least in America the phrase "in God we trust" is also imprinted still on our coins but for how much longer no one knows.
When Jesus pointed to that image He did not deny that the image was Caesar's.
Coins, roads, buildings, sewage, transportation and many other things belong to the state including the military and law enforcement.
AND We already know that we are citizens of this world as long as we are in this world.
We are subject to the powers of this world and we owe some allegiance to the state.
Tit 3:1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,
The Bible says it is God who puts leaders in place and for His own reasons!
Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Rom 13:2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Rom 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
Jesus said render to the government those things that belong to the government.
This is another reason we must keep our governments as small as possible but yet with enough resources to protect us.
We are to honor the laws of the land but only in regard to the laws of God!
Ecc 8:2 I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.
God must also have His due as well as the king his!
When we realize that governments may create coins and some other things but it is God that created man and man is always subject to God.
We owe our allegiance to God and not to any man!
In fact we owe God our lives. Our lives were created so that we can exist with God, for His pleasure.
God also created this world and we should do our best to take care of it.
Man is also a spirit and therefore able to be "Born Again" and live being able to deny our selves and pick up our cross daily and follow the Lord.
1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
Man is also a body and we owe our bodies to the Lord.
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
It is in this fashion that we can make a difference in this world we live in.
So what happened?
*****Luk 20:26 And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.
They were silenced!
They were unable to discredit the Lord.
They were amazed at His answers.
As long as we are upon this earth we hold a dual citizenship as described by the Lord Jesus Himself.
We are to render to the government what is owed them and we are to render to God what is owed Him.
Most people murmur and fuss about what is owed to the government but then relent but they refuse to give God what belongs to God and most of them never relent to God.
These that were amazed at the answers of Jesus this day, would still reject Him though they knew He spoke the truth.
In order for the kingdoms of this world to survive, they must become the kingdoms of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Man can only survive by having only one Master!
Man is trinity in himself and each part has it's own purpose in the methods of God!
To disagree with these things is to reject the Lord Jesus Christ and bring eternal death!
Our secular life and our Christian life are are to be equal partners while we are on this earth so that we can be the most useful servant that God has made and fulfill the purpose for which we are called.
Questions?
Let's Pray!
Book of Luke 20
The meaning of rejection is the act of throwing away.
Rejection is forsaking.
Rejection is casting away something that could prove to be really important.
Again we will see that Jesus will teach with a parable.
This parable was directed at Israel but let us be thankful that God has planted His vineyard among us all!
We should all ask ourselves if we are rendering the fruit to the Lord which He expects from us.
The least He expects is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Eph 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
We must certainly make sure we do not resemble these husbandmen in this parable.
The Lord must not only be our foundation in this life, He must also the our ultimate goal.
Jesus must be not only the author of our faith but He must also be the finisher of our faith.
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Heb 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Jesus who had never sinned, came to save sinners who could not be saved in any other way!
Just as God founded our world, God also founded the nation of Israel.
Just God founded Israel, God founded the Church.
In this parable we should consider those servants as God's messengers who were sent to secure the fruit of God which is the Lord Jesus Christ.
God is the founder of this vineyard.
*****Luk 20:9 Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.
God has leased the land Israel sits on to Israel, not any other nation nor any other people.
God has leased the remainder of the world to all other mankind none of these things happened by chance.
Act 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
We are all sheep in God's pasture.
Psa 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
It should be very clear that God has given man the highest privileges in this world, not plants and not animals, and not what we can see.
It is man that has the privilege of life here and then an opportunity for Heavenly blessings.
It is man that also has the privilege for the care of this world.
God has placed life and this earth into the care of man's hands!
It is a privilege to a part of God's creation but we need to understand that privileges also have obligations.
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
As we go through this parable we need to remember all these things.
*****Luk 20:10 And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.
Luk 20:11 And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.
Luk 20:12 And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.
The season spoken of in this passage would be the season of harvesting.
This is the season when the fruit would be offered to the Lord.
There is a day of accounting for all of us, so God sent His servants to collect.
God expects us all to bear fruit!
We should understand that the great truths from the Old Testament were written by the prophets and not the priests even though some of them were also priests.
The true prophet is always great because the truth makes men great not falsehood and not those who twist the truth into something evil.
We see that God's servants were rejected and sent away. God's servants were mistreated and were refused payment.
It is a fact that this world and most all those in it are very possessive of material things.
We see that these men deliberately rebelled against God.
Man wants to forget about God the Creator and rule the vineyard themselves.
Man wants to forget God's rules and live by his own rules!
We would be foolish if did not see how accurate this parable is when compared to the world we live in today.
Remember a parable is an earthly picture of a Heavenly truth.
In fact man wants his way so much that he is willing to slander, ridicule, persecute and even slaughter the true servants of God.
Notice the patience of God.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
God did not immediately strike out in anger though it was His right to do so.
We should also see that the servants of God will suffer while doing the work God has assigned them to do.
So God continued to send servants giving man chance after chance.
In this picture we know that Israel is a "type" of the world we live in today.
When Israel (world) would not honor God's servant God sent His own Son.
*****Luk 20:13 Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.
Luk 20:14 But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.
Luk 20:15 So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?
As Christians we certainly possess a portion of God's Kingdom.
What God has done for Israel was not because Israel was better than any other nation.
AND, What God has done for each Christian is not because we are better than anyone else.
God was making a special appeal to the tenants of this vineyard (Israel).
God sent His own Son to collect the fruit.
**When Jesus first came He claimed to be the Son of God.
Jesus was different from the servants that had come before Him.
**When the tenants of God's vineyard saw Jesus they already had plenty of evidence that what He said was true.
In fact most of Israel agreed that Jesus was the promised Messiah.
As Christians the key to our "faith" is to believe that Jesus Christ is who he says He is!
The unbelief of these people was deliberate!
They just refused to believe!
Their unbelief was outright rejection.
**They plotted His death.
It takes a foolish people to think they can stop the Almighty God.
BUT, We know that most of those in our world think this same way today.
**Not only did they plot to kill the Son they plotted to take God's vineyard by force.
Notice man is always seeking worldly possessions instead of the God who creates all possessions.
Remember the sin of covetousness is the sin of wanting what some one else possesses.
Notice they intentionally rejected and denied and they will lie and cheat and even steal or kill to get what they want.
There was no limit to their evilness!
**And they murdered the Son.
Though the Lord Jesus Christ came to die on the cross it was still the worst crime in human history to put Him there.
Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
There is little doubt about the "Grace" of God BUT we should understand that we can push God to far.
*****Luk 20:16 He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.
Just as everything God does is justified, then His "judgement" is also justified.
It amazes me that people who say they know God and have felt the love of God, refuse to believe our loving God will when necessary show His wrath.
We can certainly abuse the mercy of God!
It only takes a moment of God's wrath to cause major devastation!
In fact the greatest conflicts on this earth have been between the truth of God and the personal desires of men and it will remain that way until Christ returns a second time, when the wrath of God will be exposed to this world.
What is the truth?
If the power that we have is not used to serve God, then He will take it away from us and it will be given to those who will use it the way God designed it to be used.
The stupidity of wickedness is that those who rob God are robbing themselves!
These men who had planned to steal the things of God, then lost everything including their own lives.
We must also notice that the greatest hindrance to God's Kingdom will come from those who are in the highest administrations in the affairs of men.
We know this is happening in America today, where the Church is hindered more by our own government than from any other source!
Our own Constitution was written to try to keep this from happening but these people are above the law.
BUT, We should also understand the wrath of God is still a sign of God's holiness.
Psa 79:6 Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.
And the element of love and compassion of God is always closely connected with God's anger!
And God's anger can be extremely destructive!
Jer 10:24 O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.
We should also notice that when God takes His vineyard from these evil men, it will still be cultivated and it will still be expected to bear fruit.
God will simply raise up a different people to take care of it!
**We see that when these Jews heard this statement from Jesus that they knew exactly what Jesus meant.
They could not believe any such thing could happen to them because they had justified themselves above all other Jews.
They felt that God would not allow such a thing to happen but God was standing before them in the flesh this very day.
They decided if they destroyed Jesus these things would go away by doing just what the parable of Jesus had just said.
They said "God Forbid" not accepting the truth.
What is the truth of God?
Psa 2:8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Psa 2:9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Psa 2:10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Psa 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling
And how did Jesus respond?
*****Luk 20:17 And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?
Luk 20:18 Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
To those that do not believe in a coming "Judgement" what do they do with such a Scripture as this?
Jesus stared them right in their face when He said these words. To behold is to fix your eyes upon something or someone.
Kind of like that look we have all gotten from our mothers just before she reached for that hickory switch.
The truth is our world does not want to hear the truth, because the leaders of this world think they can defy the Living God and make their own truth.
How foolish have we become!
The prophet Daniel also wrote of this coming destruction.
Dan 2:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
We are foolish to ignore the coming wrath of God when all the governments of this world will be destroyed and King Jesus will then sit on His throne on this earth for 1000 years.
Jesus Christ is the Head and the Chief Cornerstone of His creation.
Jesus Christ is the Foundation Stone of the Church.
And He is certainly the The Foundation Stone on which we are all to build our lives.
Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Eph 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
Eph 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
If we cannot become a habitation for God we cannot be saved.
This same Foundation for building eternal life also has destructive power!
The destructive power of a stone over flesh and blood is well known.
So most all the religious leaders of the Jews turned on Christ Jesus that very day and joined forces.
*****Luk 20:19 And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.
**We should keep in mind that just because two or more groups of people who are really true enemies, then join forces in a common cause does not make them right, it just makes them more wrong!
We see today in our own political arena this same thing is happening.
It is just a ploy used in politics to keep power in the wrong hands.
**We also see that religionists will go to any lengths to maintain control of the church.
We also see this going on today!
Solomon wrote that there is nothing new under the Sun and these are some of the things he was writing about.
**Another thing we see is that the Lord Jesus Christ had a perfect knowledge of these people and the intentions of His enemies.
We see that the Lord has no fear of any of His enemies and will always give them plain answers that they can understand.
The Jewish religious system had become it's own political institution.
Just as political parties of today gang up to destroy politicians, most of the priesthood, that had begun with Moses, was now joining forces to destroy Jesus Christ, the Living Breathing Son of God.
These were the people who were to be God's testimony of righteousness but had instead become selfish, power hungry pawns of Rome.
These were men who realized that people were flocking to Jesus by droves and if He so chose to allow them to make Him their King, Rome would come in and put down any revolt and they would lose their positions they had bartered with Rome to keep.
They would not only lose their position and authority but they would lose their livelihood.
They were becoming rich while their nation was being robbed by Rome.
They began to conspire some way to cause Jesus to trap Himself.
*****Luk 20:20 And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.
Luk 20:21 And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly:
They chose to stop Jesus by posing trick questions to try to get Jesus to take some position against the people.
They thought they could then arrest Him and destroy Him and their problems would be solved.
Notice they first sent spies to watch Jesus' every move but sadly they were not interested in the way of salvation.
They were always seeking ways to accuse Him.
If they could cause Jesus to make an error in His doctrine He would look bad before the people.
If they could get Jesus to say anything against Rome then He could be arrested for treason.
The truth is, religion will always become political in the wrong hands!
As Christians we must always be aware of these things and guard against such things as power and position and selfish loyalty.
Joh 5:44 How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?
Jesus said our faith is useless when we trust more in the things of this world and we do that when we trust some man more than we trust God.
Jesus also had these words:
Mat 20:25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
Mat 20:26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
Mat 20:27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
Again Christians must realize that we have only one Master, King Jesus.
We must remember that these men with different concepts had joined forces. They had been enemies but had linked together to destroy the Lord.
**Some of these religious leaders believed that religion should be supreme. They believed strongly in the spiritual world and that all obedience and loyalty belonged to God and to God alone.
Therefore they were totally against paying the Roman taxes, considering that paying taxes infringe on God's right to all possessions.
They insisted on these things for the people but they themselves had no problem accepting the power and prestige of Rome.
**The other side of this group was locked in on "Humanism". They believed that the state was supreme.
They did not hold to the supernatural or a Supreme Being who was involved in the affairs of mankind.
If there were religion then it too was to be subject to government control.
We are foolish if we do not see these same two battles going on in our own political structure today!
To these people God was to be ignored, unless they could use Him to be some benefit or blame in times of tragedy.
Even insurance companies have a clause which reads "an act of God" when it comes to a tragedy.
What does God say?
Isa 5:14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.
Isa 5:15 And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:
Isa 5:16 But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.
The truth is when we feel like there is someway to fool God then we have become the fools ourselves!
So they asked crafty questions to try to entangle the Lord.
We should realize cowards are like cats who like to take their prey by suddenly pouncing upon it. They will rarely come face to face with their prey trusting in their own stealth to surprise their enemy.
*****Luk 20:22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?
Luk 20:23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me?
Luk 20:24 Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's.
Luk 20:25 And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.
Once we are saved God puts His stamp of approval upon our heart by the Holy Spirit and becomes our owner.
All that is created by God belongs to God!
The images stamped on all coins belong to the governments that forged them.
At least in America the phrase "in God we trust" is also imprinted still on our coins but for how much longer no one knows.
When Jesus pointed to that image He did not deny that the image was Caesar's.
Coins, roads, buildings, sewage, transportation and many other things belong to the state including the military and law enforcement.
AND We already know that we are citizens of this world as long as we are in this world.
We are subject to the powers of this world and we owe some allegiance to the state.
Tit 3:1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,
The Bible says it is God who puts leaders in place and for His own reasons!
Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Rom 13:2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Rom 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
Jesus said render to the government those things that belong to the government.
This is another reason we must keep our governments as small as possible but yet with enough resources to protect us.
We are to honor the laws of the land but only in regard to the laws of God!
Ecc 8:2 I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.
God must also have His due as well as the king his!
When we realize that governments may create coins and some other things but it is God that created man and man is always subject to God.
We owe our allegiance to God and not to any man!
In fact we owe God our lives. Our lives were created so that we can exist with God, for His pleasure.
God also created this world and we should do our best to take care of it.
Man is also a spirit and therefore able to be "Born Again" and live being able to deny our selves and pick up our cross daily and follow the Lord.
1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
Man is also a body and we owe our bodies to the Lord.
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
It is in this fashion that we can make a difference in this world we live in.
So what happened?
*****Luk 20:26 And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.
They were silenced!
They were unable to discredit the Lord.
They were amazed at His answers.
As long as we are upon this earth we hold a dual citizenship as described by the Lord Jesus Himself.
We are to render to the government what is owed them and we are to render to God what is owed Him.
Most people murmur and fuss about what is owed to the government but then relent but they refuse to give God what belongs to God and most of them never relent to God.
These that were amazed at the answers of Jesus this day, would still reject Him though they knew He spoke the truth.
In order for the kingdoms of this world to survive, they must become the kingdoms of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Man can only survive by having only one Master!
Man is trinity in himself and each part has it's own purpose in the methods of God!
To disagree with these things is to reject the Lord Jesus Christ and bring eternal death!
Our secular life and our Christian life are are to be equal partners while we are on this earth so that we can be the most useful servant that God has made and fulfill the purpose for which we are called.
Questions?
Let's Pray!
