The Disobedient Tenants | Matthew 21:33-46, Matthew 24:32-34

You have your Bibles our main text that we kind of going over. The next few weeks will be. Matthew 24 32 through 35. Matthew 24 32 through 35. Pray with me our God and Father we come to you in the name of Jesus.

Lord, I need your spirit. Oh God fill me. Help me to speak to your people Pray that I've done due diligence and that what I'm about to bring to them. I have accurately interpreted Lord we need you. Without you we are fools here gathering together In the midst of other fools, but we believe That you have sent your son and he has died on the cross to save us from our sins.

And yet now he lives so we can truly live. And we gather together today to rejoice in that fact of his gospel the gospel of the kingdom or help us to to preach this every day To ourselves and to those who we are in contact with be with us.

I pray in Christ's name Amen. Now when he drew near to Jerusalem he came to Bethpage to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus sent two disciples saying to them go into a village in front of you and immediately you will find a donkey tied.

And a colt with her untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you you shall say the Lord needs them and he will send them at once. This took place to fulfill what was spoken of by the prophets saying Say to the daughters of Zion behold your king is coming Mount humbled mounted on a donkey on a Colt the full of a beast of burden the disciples went and did as Jesus directed them.

They brought the donkey and in the coal and put their cloaks on them and said he said on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road and others cut branches from the tree and spread them on the road and the crowds that Went before him and that followed him were shouting Hosanna To the Son of David blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest.

And when he entered Jerusalem the whole city were stirred up saying who is this? And the crowd says this is the Prophet Jesus from Nazareth the Galilean. And Jesus entered the temple and he drove out all those who sowed and bought in the temple and he overturned tables of the money changers in the seats of those who sowed pigeons and He said to them it is written that my house shall be a house of prayer.

But you have made it into a den of robbers and the blind and the lame came in the temple and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done and the children crying out in the temple Hosanna to the Son of David.

They were indignant. And they said to him. Do you hear these things that are saying? And Jesus said to them have you never read out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise.

And leaving them he went out of the city to Bethany and he watched there. And in the morning as he returned to the city, he became hungry and seeing a fig tree by wayside. He went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves.

And he said to it may no fruit ever come from you again. And the fig tree withered at once when the disciples saw it they marveled saying how did the fig tree wither at once and Jesus answered them truly I say to you if you have faith and do not doubt you will say not only Do you?

Not only do what I what has been done to the fig tree, but even Say to this mountain be taken up and thrown into the sea and it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive if you have faith.

And when he entered the temple the chief priest and the elder of the people came up to him as He was teaching and said by what? Authority are you doing these things and who gave you this authority? Jesus answered them.

I also will ask you a question and if you answer me the end if you tell me the answer then I will also Tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John. From where did it come? From heaven or from man.

And they discussed among themselves saying if we say from heaven He will say to us then why did you not believe him? But if we say for men, we are afraid of the crowd for they all held John that John was a prophet so they answered Jesus we do not know and He said to them neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

What do you think a man has two sons and he went to the first and said son Go and work in the vineyard today. He answered I will not but afterwards changed his mind and went and He went to the other son and said the same and he answered I go sir, but did not go.

Which of the two did the will of the father? They said the first. Jesus said to them truly I say to you The tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you for John came To you in the way of righteousness.

And you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him and even when you saw it. You did not afterwards change your mind and believe him told y 'all last week that we're kind of.

Eschatology's Impact on Biblical Interpretation and Christian Living

Because of where we are in Hebrews we come to a portion of the text. It says how shall we neglect a great salvation? How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? And so I pointed out that this escape here that it was speaking about and that the salvation it was speaking about is not a.

The salvation isn't salvific that the word salvation can mean rescue. If if I saw someone that was about to be hit by a car and I run Knock them out the way. Keeping them from being hit by the car. They could actually say I was their salvation.

Like that would be a proper term of the word. And so as Christians today when we speak about Jesus being our salvation, we're talking about him Saving us from the wrath of God that we so truly deserve, correct?

We deserve God's wrath. Jesus on the cross took our place. So Jesus is our salvation for the eternal wrath of God. So in Hebrews when it says how shall we neglect? How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation this escape?

It's talking about what was about to come upon Israel. And so last Was the last week that I started was there's been two weeks already. Yeah last week I started. We're laying a foundation of what this escape is from and so I told y 'all that I Introduced what's called partial preterism so that the word preter.

It's a Latin word for past and I explained to you like I well not in great detail of Daniel chapter 2 about the image that was set up the head of go the chest of so the chest and arms of silver the the middle and thighs of bronze the the legs of iron and the feet of iron mingled with Clay so I kind of walk through that giving a quick explanation of what that was as we walked verse by verse through Daniel 924 through 27, I believe and so.

And this last week is like it's really been on my mind heavy. I've been putting a lot of stuff on YouTube. Just trying to Get some reactions about this belief because I mentioned that I've been listening to a lot of stuff on YouTube about This coming May 14th that the rapture is going to happen and if it doesn't happen this May 14th, and it's going to happen the day of Pentecost.

Which will be in May also and so Again each year around this time and around the time of September Prophecy watchers, they're all over the YouTube the world's about the end the Rapture's coming and so I've been challenging these people and my wife mentioned earlier about one guy who he said that I was a blaspheme in the Holy Spirit because I denied his interpretation of Trump and and Obama being mentioned in Daniel the the book of Daniel so he was kind of mentioning Daniel chapter.

But he's giving Daniel book chapter like chapter and verse this is this is Trump Daniel chapter and verse this is Obama Daniel chapter verse. This is Biden and I'm like Wrong like I did the old Trump wrong and I was like, but if you want to debate this issue I gladly debate this with you because I did that he told me I was blaspheming the Holy Spirit well, yes two days ago a Guy was speaking very kind words to me, but at the end he says He says but I just want to let you know that when the Rapture does happen You're gonna be left behind because you're denied you have denied the Rapture.

You're going to be left behind and just this morning just this morning. I was told that They're going somebody's gonna unsubscribe to my youtube channel because Jesus warns about people like me in the Bible.

He warns about people that takes the Bible seriously and all I'm saying like look if you truly if you truly believe if you truly believe in a Rapture you have to find that in the text and the only text that you that they're getting it from is from Daniel chapter 7.

There is no separation and then I mean Daniel chapter 9. There is no separation. There is no time gap and all I'm doing is challenging these people. Listen, if you truly believe it, you need to be able to defend it.

Right if you truly believe something you need to be able to defend it and I'm giving them an opportunity to defend it. If you truly believe it, let's debate it let's really get it out there and I think you know, I mean I Really have a heart for these these men and women because I once believed this I once held to this and so as we're walking through Hebrews and we come to that portion.

I really felt like you know as a church. We really need to lay down what it is that we believe as reformed Christians. We really need to have it to where if someone questions This or brings this up. We can say here is what we teach on it.

We can actually send them a link to say this is what we believe about this portion of Scripture. Hallelujah, and so because of that we've taken about we're gonna take about three or four weeks. To walk through this and so my theme this week is the disobedient tenants.

My proposition is this Jesus either came in that generation like he said he was or he didn't. One or the other right he either came like he said he was or he didn't. If he did not come in the first century, he would be a liar.

He would be a liar if he did come then his coming was a coming of judgment against Jerusalem. And so I asked the question I said why should you why should we care about eschatology. Why should we care about the subject of eschatology and last week?

I gave a definition this week. I want to give a different answer. Answer. And the answer is this because your understanding of eschatology will determine your understanding of the Bible and in turn will determine the way that you live your life.

Your understanding of eschatology it will determine the way you read the Bible. So when you come up to a spot in Hebrews where it says, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? You're gonna think that this is pointing to a future event.

Which we can make application for our present time. But we need to teach what's actually What the Hebrew what the original audience when they heard this letter when they read this letter what they would have understood.

We need to walk through this Bible very carefully and bring out what they would have understood and make application to us. Now there is spots in the Bible where it talks about our future. But that's not one of them and that's why eschatology matters.

And if you believe that there's a great judgment about to come on America or all over the world where we're gonna have to when we see it. We're not the run to the hills of Jerusalem. That could be happening May 14th like you're not gonna be Planning your life for betterment.

You're not gonna be out starting businesses. You're not gonna be out preaching the gospel. You'll be hunkered down in a bunker. Somewhere waiting for the rapture of the church. You're gonna be trying to jump yourself into rapture.

Ain't that what Jeff Durbin said? He said he would jump himself in a rapture, you know. He tried to jump and hopefully God catch him right up, you know meeting God halfway or something. So it matters eschatology matters.

And the main text that we've been we're gonna be dealing with we're not walking through this text today. We will be walking through it in a couple weeks. It's Matthew 24 32 334. So let's read that real quick Matthew 24 32 through 34 from the fig tree learn its lesson.

As soon as its branches become tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also when you see all these things you know that he is near at the very gates. Truly I say to you This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

Heaven and earth Will pass away, but my words will not pass away. So right here immediately we have to look at audience relevance. Who was Jesus speaking to? Well, if you go back to verse 1 of 24 Jesus left the temple.

He was going away when his disciples Came to him pointing out the buildings of the temple, but he said but he answered them. You see also he answered them them being his disciples. So Jesus speaking to his disciples says to them.

When you the disciples see all these things you the disciples know that he Jesus Is near so audience relevance relevance. Who was he speaking to? The disciples who are who's supposed to see these things the disciples.

He says this generation the Greek word for generation here is Ghana. It always means the near demonstrative the generation the people of that he is speaking to if Jesus was to appear in our time and says that this generation will not pass away.

Would he be speaking to a generation 2 ,000 years from now. No, he will be speaking to our generation speaking saying this generation he did not say the generation who sees these things or That generation pointing to a different time and place.

He says this and so that's what a Serious Bible Reform people we look at this and say Jesus wasn't speaking to us about it. He wasn't talking to us. He didn't say that we you and I would see these things.

He was speaking to his disciples. He says when you Secondly speaking to his disciples, right? Audience relevance is it's really important. So today our supporting text Will be in Matthew 21 33 through 46 you was probably wondering what's this guy doing reading from Matthew 21?

The Parable of the Disobedient Tenants: Setting and Context

Well, I was giving some context Matthew 21 33 346. This will be what will break down for today. Here another parable. There was a master of a household. It was a master of a house. He planted a vineyard and he put a fence around Around it and dug a winepress in it and he built a tower and he leased it to tenants.

And he went into another country when this when the season for fruit drew near he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit and His tenants took his servants beat one killed another and stoned another.

Again, he sent other servants more than the first and they did the same to them. Finally, he sent his son to them saying they will respect my son. But when his tenants saw but when the tenants saw the Sun they said to themselves this is the air.

Come let us kill him and have his inheritance and They took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes what will he do to those tenants? They being the Pharisees said to him He will put those wretches to a miserable death and went out the vineyard to other tenants.

He will give him the fruit in their season. Jesus said to them have you never Read the scripture the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone and this was the Lord's doing and it was Marvelous in our eyes.

Therefore. I tell you the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and Given to another people producing its fruit and the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces. And when it falls on any Anyone it will crush him and when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard this heard his parable they perceived that he was speaking about them and Although they were seeking to arrest him.

They feared the crowds because they held him to be a Prophet. In our outline today, we'll see several things concerning the tenants. Concerning the master son and concerning the land. Number one concerning the tenants.

The Tenants' Disobedience and Persecution of the Servants

We will see the disobedience To their disobedience to the land their persecution over the servants and the son. Concerning the son we will see there. We will see the son being put to death Outside of the city the Sun and that the Sun is the cornerstone and concerning the land we will see The land slash kingdom of God taken away from the tenants and given to a people producing its fruit so as we transition.

You if you read in Leviticus where it talks about leprosy. And it talks about if leprosy breaks out into the house that the high priest would go and he would look in the house and he would You know see where the leprosy was and he would tell them how to remove the leprosy he would leave the house and then he would come back and If it was still the house was still leprosy he would remove Brick from brick block from block where the leprosy was broken out.

He would replaster it redo everything put new blocks in and he would leave again. And he would come back and check it again, and if it still had leprosy He would remove the whole house brick by brick the whole house had to be Destroyed and removed from that land and that's what we're looking at here today.

That's basically the story that's been told here by Jesus and so Earlier I kind of just as a service started I read from Matthew 21 1 through 32 and we we saw Jesus entering the temple. I mean we saw Jesus entering the country.

He entered the Mount of Olives the the crowds were saying Hosanna son of David Shows him entering the temple it shows him flipping over tables. It shows him Leaving the temple waking up the next morning coming back towards the temple and cursing a fig tree.

When he enters the temple he's he's questioned about the authority that he has. And so he brings up John the Baptist and in bringing up John the Baptist. He gives a parable and right here what we're looking at right now is a another parable the parable of the tenants and so What is a parable.

The definition for a parable it's a simple story. Used as an illustration for a moral or a spiritual lesson. So what is Jesus doing here? He is using a parable he's telling a parable for the a simple illustration for a moral or a spiritual lesson.

And in our text we have Jesus entering the temple for what seems to be the third time. He gives this parable. Before he gives the seven woes to the Pharisees. If you don't know Pharisees are the religious leaders of that time.

So he starts the parable off by introducing to us the master and. And what the master has done verse 33. He says here another parable. So right here when it says here another parable. Means that he just told us a parable and what was the parable that he just told before this one.

It was the parable of the two sons. He told one son to go into the vineyard. He said first son said no I'm not going but he ends up changing his mind and going the other son. He tells him to go into the vineyard he says sir, I go but did not go and In turn he tells him that the prostitute the tax collectors and prostitutes are going to enter the kingdom of heaven before they.

So that's kind of like the the sum of this parable. And so here he steps into another parable here another parable. There was a master of a house. He planted a vineyard and he put a fence around and he dug a winepress In it and he built a tower and he leased it to the tenants and he went into a another country.

So we have this this this the master of a house. He has a piece of land. He digs a vineyard. He digs this vineyard and he leases it to tenants. He makes a contract. And he leases it to tenants. So just have that in mind as we walk through These points so point number one concerning the tenants we will see their disobedience to the land their Persecution over the servants and the son.

This is Matthew 21 34 through 38 and when the when the season of fruit drew near He sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit and his tenants took the servants beat one killed another and stone the other stone another.

Again he sent his servants. He sent more other servants more than the first and they did the same to them. Finally, he sent his son to them saying they will respect my son. But when the tenants saw the son they said to themselves, this is the heir come let us kill him and take his inheritance.

So he leases them The land so what is their obligation. What is the tenants obligation? Their rent money is fruit right. They are supposed to give the fruit of the land to the master. The master sends servants in the season and then the time of the season that fruit would have been producing but instead Of giving him the fruit.

So by way of observation their payment would have been fruit From the land but instead Ascending fruit back with the servants. They do what they beat they kill and stone them. So when we're talking today about fruit We're talking about the fruit of obedience right.

So if you hear me today talking about The fruits of repentance The fruits of faith the fruits of love like he gives the the fruits love joy peace patience like this is Obedience to what God has given to us their obedience in this parable in the spiritual moral story is fruit from the land.

But we need to take from it as their obedience. They needed to obey and give to the master the fruit. Turn to your Bibles to Matthew chapter 23. But instead of giving fruit What do they do again? To the servants beat kill and stone.

Matthew 23 Beginning in verse 29. This is one of the woes that Jesus gives to the Pharisees. It says woe to you Woe to you scribes and Pharisees. For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate The monuments of the righteous saying if we had lived in the days of our father we fathers We would have not taken part with them and shed in the blood of the prophets.

Thus you witness against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up then a measure of your father's you serpents you brood of vipers. You how are you to escape being sentenced to hell.

Therefore I therefore I send you prophets wise men scribes some of them you will kill and crucify and some of them you will flog in your synagogues and And persecute from town to town so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed from on the earth from the blood of the Righteous able to the blood of Zechariah the son of Berekiah whom you murder Between the sanctuary in the altar truly.

I say to you all these things Will come upon this Generation so next week we will look at who is Zechariah the son of Berekiah, but for right now we do not have time but again, it says truly so we we see that the That these religious leaders were sent prophets.

They did what? They Beat they killed they stone. Jesus says that he's gonna send them more prophets in the weather day. They beat they kill and they stone. I mean it uses other words. But in in general they do what's been said in here.

But verse 36 listen, it says truly I say to you all these will come upon this generation again this generation. The Greek word is Ghanaia that generation. That it was going to happen to that generation that he was going to send these these other servants these prophets and that they were going to beat them and That they were going to kill them and stone them.

So the master sends the servants. Verse 37 says finally. And then verse 37. It says finally he said Finally he sent his son to them saying they will respect my son. So he sends his servants two times and then says finally they will respect my son.

The Son's Rejection and Death Outside the City

So as we transition What does the master do? The master Leases this tent leases his vineyard to the tenants. They did not keep the agreement. The agreement was to send fruit but instead They beats they kill and they stone his servants and they kill his son for one purpose.

To steal his inheritance. Now. What was the inheritance of the Sun? The parable doesn't give but you have to take in mind. It has to be the land. The land is his inheritance the the land belongs to the master the vineyard belongs to the master.

So these these tenants have in mind if we kill the Sun we take possession land. Remember Deuteronomy 28 20 27 to 28 27 28 or 28 29 where it talks about the the law given through Moses keep this law and live in the land.

So that's what we're looking at here. This is a parable speaking about the custom of Moses keep this law live in the land. They wanted to live in the vineyard in order to live in the vineyard in order to live in that land.

This parable was saying that they needed to give to the master the fruit that it was producing. But instead of giving him the fruit that it was producing they would kill his servants and. Finally he said I'll send to them my son and that's.

The whole story is boiling down to what takes place with his son so point number two. Concerning the Sun we will see the Sun being put to death being put outside the city and That the Sun is the cornerstone and a lot of these verses they're going to overlap.

2137 through 42 says finally he sent to him his son saying they will respect my son. But when the tenant saw the Sun they said to themselves, this is the air come let us kill him and have his inheritance.

And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants? They said to him he will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the tenants to other.

Let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruit in their season. Jesus said to them have you never read? That the stone that the builders reject has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.

So Main thing here. What do they do with the Sun? How do they kill him first? They take him outside of the vineyard. Jesus. The master sends his son to receive fruit from the vineyard. They remove the Sun from the vineyard.

Take him outside in order to kill him and in thought if I kill the Sun we receive the vineyard. Now what Christ did in this parable here is he identified to us the Sun in verse 42. Jesus said to them have you never read in the scriptures?

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. So who is the cornerstone. Come on Baptist we've been going through this. Who is the cornerstone? Jesus is the cornerstone here. Jesus is revealing to the tenants who the Sun is that he is speaking about the cornerstone.

Jesus is the cornerstone. Look at Psalm 118 verse 23 22 through 23. 118 verse 22 through 23. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes this. This is the day of the Lord let this is the day that the Lord has made.

Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Now this is taken from Psalm 118 and I wanna Real quick read through this and just just listen to the glory that's been spilled out here and see if you notice when it's speaking about Jesus listen for the the Jesus in here, okay, so this is a Messianic Psalm.

I Will give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his steadfast love endures forever. Let Israel say his steadfast love endures forever. Let the house of Aaron say his steadfast love endures forever. Let those who fear the Lord Say his steadfast love endures forever out of my distress.

I called on the Lord. The Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is on my side. I will not fear who what can man do to me? The Lord is on my side as my helper. I shall not look. I Shall look and triumph on those who hate me.

It is better to take refuge in the house of the Lord. It is better to take refuge in the house of the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the house of the Lord than to trust in princes.

It all the nations surround me in the name of the Lord. I cut them off. They surround me. They surround me on every side in the name of the Lord. I cut them off. They surround me like bees they went out like fire among the thorns, and in the name of the Lord, I cut them off.

I was pushed hard so that I was fallen, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation. Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous. The right hand of the Lord does violently, excuse me, violently, the right hand of the Lord exalts, the right hand of the Lord does violently.

I shall not die, but I shall live. Listen, I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord. The Lord has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death. This is speaking of Jesus.

Open the gates of the righteous that I may enter through them, and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord. The righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and become my salvation.

The stone that the builders have rejected has become the cornerstone. The Lord, this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Save us, we pray. Oh, Lord, oh, Lord, we pray. Give us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. Oh, the Lord, the Lord God, the Lord here is Yahweh, capital L-O-R-D.

The Lord Yahweh is our God, is God. The Yahweh, basically saying the Yahweh is God. He has made his light, Jesus is his light, shine upon us. Bind the festival sacrifice with cords up to the horns of the altar.

Stop them, that's what it's saying. Bind the sacrifice of the cords up to the horns of the altar. It's saying stop the sacrifices. You are my God and I will give thanks to you. You are my God, I will exalt you.

Oh, give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His steadfast love endures forever. He's saying this is what's about to happen. Him sending his son, him removing the sacrificial system, him destroying the people, him removing the tenants from that land.

This is great, this is the Lord's doing and it is wonderful in his eyes. This great destruction that's about to come upon Jerusalem, this is the Lord's doing and it is wonderful in his eyes. Go to Isaiah, one verse in Isaiah.

Isaiah chapter eight verse 14. And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare in the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And then last week we went through Daniel chapter two and I just want to read to you from Daniel two real quick, 34 and 35.

And this is speaking of Jesus. If you just remember the story I told of Daniel two last week. It says, Daniel says that as I looked, a stone cut out by no human hand came and struck the image on the feet of iron and clay and it broke into pieces.

The iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, the gold, all together were broken to pieces and became like chaff in the summer threshing floor and carried them away so that not a trace of them could be found.

But the stone that struck the image has become a great mountain and it filled the whole earth. Now you go to 44 and 45. In the days of those kings, God will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed nor shall a kingdom be left to another people.

It shall break to pieces all the kingdoms that were before and bring them to an end. And it shall stand forever just as you saw a stone cut out from a mountain by no human hand and it broke into pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold.

A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. And this dream is certain and its interpretation is sure that this dream that King Nebuchadnezzar had that Daniel was interpreting was a prophecy of what's going to happen when Jesus comes to the earth.

And it was gonna be at the time when the iron was mingled with the clay. Now he was gonna come and all the kingdoms that were before his kingdom were going to be destroyed and this land, this kingdom was gonna be given to another people.

And so as we transition to our next point, we see Jesus here pointing to himself, pointing to himself as being the master's son. That's what he's doing, he says, I'm him, I'm the stone that you builders are rejecting.

He's the one who was killed outside the vineyard and that Jesus is the stone that the builders rejected. He was rejected by his own, right? John 1, John 1 verse 11, Jesus came to his own and his own people did not receive him.