Many and Few

The Lord is going to give every man what is right. You know the scripture that says the Lord is going to reward everyone according to their works. He's going to give you what's right. But what's right in the case of the believer is that We have abandoned our works and the works of Christ, the accomplishments, the victory, the sacrifice, the righteous life of Christ is imputed to us. When we stand before the Lord, if we stand before him boasting of all the hard work we've done and expecting what we deserve, what we think we deserve, then what we deserve is hell. That if we stand in Christ, we receive what he's earned for us.

The reward of his perfect righteousness, which he established in life, in his 33-year life on this earth as representative man, representing a people just like Adam, represented a people and they all died in Adam. So Christ represents a people, his elect, his sheep, his chosen ones, his family, and all of them live, all of them live. And also we receive the reward of the forgiveness, of the putting away of sin that he purchased with his precious sin-atoning blood, shed for us. If he shed his blood for you, then the benefits of that shed blood are not up in the air, they're not up for grabs. The Scripture puts it this way, he obtained eternal redemption for us.

Somebody was redeemed. Do we want wages or do we want gift? Those who were dissatisfied with the penny, they wanted wages. They wanted what they earned. We earned it. Look what we did. Or do you want a gift? Those who received a penny a day's wages without working a full day. That's a gift and they knew it. The ones who were dissatisfied knew it. You're just giving them a gift. They don't deserve that. We do, but they don't.

We deserve more if you're gonna give them a penny. Do we want grace or do we want what's coming to us? Salvation in this parable, as I said a minute ago, is satisfaction. It's about what God gives and how it's received. Look with me at Acts chapter 13, please. You know this story.

Acts 13, 48, when the Gentiles heard this, when they heard the gospel, they were glad. and glorified the word of the Lord, and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the regions, but the Jews stirred up the devout and honorable women and the chief men of the city and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them out of their coasts. One group was happy and glorified the word of the Lord. They didn't boast in themselves, They didn't say, well, we've earned it. They glorified the word of the Lord, the gospel. The other ones ran them out of town, ran the preachers of the gospel out of town. Same message, much different reaction. And this is life and death on display, on plain open display. Again, what were these ones in our text dissatisfied about?

It wasn't the penny. When they agreed with the householder for a penny, they didn't have a problem with a penny. And the penny didn't change. It's the same penny afterwards at the end of the day as it was at the beginning of the day that they said, yeah, that'd be great. We'd love a penny.

That's perfect. Enough. Plenty. same penny at the end of the day. Look at verses 11 through 15 again in our text, Matthew 20. When they had received it, they murmured against the good men of the house, saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us. You see that?

They're not equal unto us. The Pharisee and the Publican. Thank you God that I'm not like that Publican. He's not equal unto me. I'm better. I'm more. I'm something. He's nothing. Same exact scenario. You've made them equal to us. They're not equal to us. We're harder workers. We deserve more. Us which have borne the burden and heated the day. You think you're going to receive something good from God because of what you do. You're a goner. You're a goner. God hates that. It's what happened in the garden. Wasn't enough, was it? It wasn't enough. Paradise wasn't enough.

They had to be God. And that's exactly what's going on in religious meetings this morning. They want to be God. What does it mean to be God? Everything's up to you. You decide. You're the master of fate or whatever they want to call it. Still want to be God.

But he answered one of them and said, friend, I do thee no wrong. Verse 13, didst thou not agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way. And I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine I evil, because I am good? The answer to that rhetorical question is absolutely yes.

The only thing sinners hate worse than the law of God is the grace of God, the goodness of God. You tell somebody about God's free, sovereign, electing, distinguishing grace, and they'll kill you in their heart. They'll kill you in their heart unless they know unless they've tasted that he's gracious themselves.

So the last shall be first and the first last, many called. Again, this is the son that stayed home. His grievance was based on his own performance, wasn't it? I've stayed home and worked. I've served you all these years while he was out living it up.

He hated the grace that was shown to the prodigal The unchosen, unregenerate religious sinner hates the grace of God. If you hate the truth of God's grace, you hate God for doing with his own what he will. If you hate distinguishing grace, he could have given them more than a penny. He could have turned around and said, okay, you've worked longer. Here's another penny. He didn't do that. They hated his grace. He gives his grace to whomsoever he will. He had pity on those ones that hadn't been hired.

They were useless. Think about why you wouldn't, why would you be the last ones that were hired? Why would you still be there in the 11th hour with only an hour of work left in the day? Nobody's hired you yet. That's who God chooses. The woods who are worthless, they can't work for themselves. They can't do anything worth doing. Nobody wants them. That's who God came to save in a spiritual sense now, not just poor people, not just afflicted people in the flesh physically. This is a spiritual story.

Those who nobody wanted, who everybody else cast out, the blind man in John chapter 9, when they cast him out, he's useless, get him out of here, he's a blasphemer, he's not welcome in the church of God. Which God is that a church of, though? Because the God of heaven and earth said, He, I am Him, I'm speaking with you, and you're looking at me, you see me, you stand before me because of my grace." And he said, do you believe on the Son of God? That's all that matters. None of the rest of it matters. If no earthly church will have you, whatever, do you believe on the Son of God?

Who is He, Lord? It's me. It's me. And he worshipped. He worshipped. So people can argue about whether these ones that complained were saved or not, but the point of the story is, and the parable has one message, is how God does save whoever he saves. It's by grace. It's by a gift. It's from his goodness. And when he showed Moses his goodness, what did he say? I'll have all my goodness pass before thee, and I will have mercy on sinners.

Why did the rich young ruler go away sorrowful, chapter 19 of Matthew, while the disciples were able to do the very thing he couldn't? Their estimation of a person was different. It hinged upon who he is. Why do some reckon one way and some reckon another way? Many are called, but few are chosen.

Why were the Gentiles glad and the Jews mad? As many as were ordained to eternal life believed. Those whom God foreknew, predestinated, and called, and justified, and glorified, they were happy. the dog the gentile dogs they were happy with grace so what the lord is saying to simon peter is that yes you will never be the loser for honoring me you'll you'll leave five family members and you'll have 500. And that's the truth. The family of God is large and welcoming and gracious and kind and you have more in common with them than blood can ever pretend to be.

But You'll never be the loser for honoring the Lord, but don't ever get to thinking it's because it's owed to you. It's not. Don't ever get to thinking I've got it coming. Remember how Peter phrased his statement and question all in one? We've left everything and followed you. What will we have there for? Don't get to thinking that you have anything because of what you did.

See what the Lord's telling him? The last ones hired received more than they deserved. And the Lord has already told Simon that he would have much more than he left behind. But we have to understand if the Lord gives us what we deserve, we will be in hell. The wages of sin is death. but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. If we receive anything from God but hell, it's grace. Free grace. It's seen in that statement, can I not do with mine own what I will? Can I not free grace? Can I not free grace? do with mine own distinguishing grace. They're mine. They're mine.

They're mine, mine own. what i will sovereign grace of his own will begat he us with the word of truth his own will of my do what i cannot do with my own what i will in whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.

He does as he pleases in the armies of heaven, among the inhabitants of this earth, and none can stay his hand, saying to him, What doest thou? Many are called. The rich young ruler was called in an outward stance. The Lord received him and spoke to him. But Simon Peter was chosen. Judas was called. He was one of the 12. But Simon was chosen. Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood did not reveal to you who I am, but my Father, which is in heaven. Blessed are you, chosen, blessed of God, and selected, elected.

So Peter, rather than looking at Christ and saying, well, he seems like a good man, you know, But I've been fishing all my life. He seems like he's a good guy. But I've been fishing my whole life with my dad, and I know how to fish. And I think I'm just going to keep fishing. No. He, at one command from the master, left his nets, his father, and his boat, and followed the Lord Jesus Christ. Chosen. Chosen. The rich young ruler, on the other hand, was called upon to leave all he had and follow Christ. And he said, my possessions are great. What are possessions? Generally speaking, stuff you worked for, stuff you earned. Before God, we haven't earned anything.

Salvation is in the reckoning, you see. It's in being satisfied or not satisfied with Christ. Serving the Lord to those who hired early was rigorous and hard. They're working for the good, but they said, man, this is tough. We've borne the burden and the heat of the day. What do believers say? I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." These light afflictions. The Lord said, look at all you've done. We didn't do any of that.

These are those who believe on Christ, who have suffered more than others. And there's no guarantee that we won't murmur every once in a while. Even if we really haven't borne that much, we tend to murmur. Those who are chosen reckon differently than those who are not. By the grace of God, the love of Christ constraineth us. This is the difference. The love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judge. What is our reckoning? How do we reckon things?

That if one died for all, then we're all dead. He died for us because we were dead. And that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them. Rose again. It's a difference of reckoning. What think ye of Christ? And the difference is His grace. The difference is being chosen by Him and His grace bestowed. He's worthy of anything and everything that we ever will endure for His sake. May He keep us from ever uttering a single murmur. May He shut our mouth up against murmuring, but rather May we and all that hath breath praise the Lord. Amen. Let's pray.

Many and Few

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Many and Few

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