Heaven is not the Reward (Matthew 20:1-16)
Gary McManus, 02/24/2019Part of the God's Love; Beyond Belief series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
Matthew 20:1-16
The fruit of this message is the result of the Bible
Study class on Wednesday evening. The class is looking
at “A Life That God Rewards” and all the Bible verses
that speak to that topic.
Video presentations (and author), Bruce Wilkinson
This is Jesus’ story. There are easily five or six
traditional interpretations of Jesus’ story.
Part of the beauty of God’s word and why God’s
word has endured—because it is always true to you
and every generation of believers.
Jesus’ story begins and ends with the landowner
—that would be a clue that Jesus’ story is about the
landowner.
[The last phrase is translated BEST by the
Revised Standard Version—Jesus has used an idiom
about the eyes to say,
“Are YOU envious because I am generous?”
The landowner says six things
--I did you no wrong.
--Do you not agree?
--Take your money and go
--I choose to give
--Am I not allowed to give?
--Are you committing envy in your heart?
There is a difference between wages and rewards.
Most of the workers received MORE than what
they earned. . .a bonus, we would call it.
The Bible word would be “reward”.
Jesus’ story implies a question to all audiences.
Are we LIKE those workers?
But what Jesus has told us about. . .is God.
Pastor hesitates to use this language but it
makes a point:
God is JUST but God is not always fair.
When God is not fair, YOU are the one who benefits.
God is just. The householder pays the agreed
wage for the work.
But the early workers claim (seeing the late workers' payment),
that their payment isn’t fair given the conditions they
labored under.
All who claim Jesus Christ as Savior will go to heaven.
The Bible reminds us—Jesus told us, Paul wrote about it.
The Apostle looked forward to it (2 Timothy 4:8 ). . .
the MORE that SOME of us will receive in heaven
at the last judgment.
Messiah brings rewards: Isaiah 40:9-10-11, Jeremiah
25:14, Joel 3:4 and others, Luke 14:14, Hebrews 10:30).
“Reward?” “Recompense” is better.
This is about the Heavenly Father.
The Heavenly Father is a REWARDER.
(Hebrews 11:6, KJV plus others)
God is a good gift giver. Jesus said so.
(Matthew 7:11)
2 Corinthians 3:18
1 Corinthians 2:9: we CAN’T know what the Lord
has in mind. Our God is a rewarder. It has been promised.
It will happen and together we will praise the Lord. Amen.
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