 dressers and that's found in Matthew chapter 21. So if you'll turn there with me, Matthew chapter 21 and we'll be looking beginning at verse 33. The willful rejection of Christ, the parable of the wicked vine dressers from Matthew chapter 21 beginning at verse 33. We'll read the text together and then we'll pray that the Lord would attend is preaching with his spirit. So let's look together beginning at verse 33. Here Jesus says, here another parable. There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it and built a tower and he leased it to vine dressers and went into a far country. Now when vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the vine dressers that they might receive its fruit. And the vine dressers took his servants and beat one, killed one and stoned another. And again he sent other servants more than the first and they did likewise to them. And then last of all he sent his son to them saying, they will respect my son. But when the vine dressers saw the son, they said among themselves, this is the heir. Come let us kill him and seize his inheritance. And so they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine dressers? They said to him, he will destroy those wicked men miserably and lease his vineyard to other vine dressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus said to them, have you never read in the scriptures the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. And this was the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken, but on whomever it falls it will grind him to powder. Now when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitudes because they took him for a profit. Let's pray. Father in heaven, thank you so much for your word. God, thank you for this time to gather together with brothers and sisters, just family, Lord. And to worship you, to praise you, to learn of you from your word, Lord, and to be transformed by it, to be sanctified by it. God, to serve you more fervently, to love you, Lord, more fervently, to worship you more fervently. So thank you, Lord, for your word. Thank you for this parable. I just so in awe of you, God, for the parables that you've told and, Lord, just brilliance of the words, got the brilliance of the stories. Just we as those in the first century, just astonished at your teaching, Lord. And thank you, Lord, for the blessed privilege of having eyes to see and ears to hear, hearts to understand. So please bless this time we have together. God, I pray to be pleasing in your sight. I pray that it be edifying to the saints. God, I pray to be convicting to your glory in Jesus' name. Amen. And so our sermon titled the willful rejection of Christ. This is a parable of the wicked vine dressers beginning in Matthew 21. And here we have a story, another earthly story with a heavenly meaning. The definition of a parable. And this is our story from Jesus Christ. This is here at this point in time in Matthew 21, the last week in the earthly life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's Wednesday of that final week and Jesus Christ is in the temple and he's teaching, he's instructing and he's preaching the gospel and he's sharing about the kingdom of God. He had just on Monday, just a few days before here, had been ushered into the city with fanfare. The people were shouting Hosanna, they were spreading their garments out on the road and that was a symbol, if you will, of royalty. It was something that was an ancient symbol of great royalty coming into a town that they would have spread out their garments on the road. It was an act of honor. It also acknowledged that they saw him as a king. They identified him as a prophet and as the son of David. In all this, this final week in his triumphal entry into Jerusalem in fulfillment of prophecy. According to the 70 weeks prophecy in Daniel 9, there was seven weeks of years, seven weeks of years or 49 years altogether, followed by 62 weeks of years or 434 years altogether for a total of exactly 483 years from the time of the decree of Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem until the coming of the anointed one here this week, Monday in Jerusalem. So perfect fulfilled prophecy in Scripture, literal fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy fulfilled here by Christ. And there's a 70th week remaining where Daniel speaks of sin's final judgment and Christ's final reign of righteousness. However, now in Jerusalem, he's a mere two days before he'll be taken by the hands of lawless men and crucified. On Friday, he will die. Tensions in the temple on this day, on Wednesday, couldn't be any higher. Christ had just gone back into the temple the day before to cleanse it from the money grubbing, money changers for a second time. Although there were people astonished at his teaching, the hatred of the Pharisees was to a boiling point and they were plotting as they normally did now even more fervently plotting to kill him. The Pharisees had just challenged his authority and Jesus publicly challenged their ignorance and made a public spectacle of them. And now here he is in the temple, Matthew 21, verse 33 on the second of three parables that are just raking the Pharisees over the coals, just railing against them. He was making a public spectacle of their hypocrisy and they are angry. Their entire system with the words of Christ is being threatened, overtly threatened, and Jesus was ripping to shreds everything they placed their trust in and they were hot ready to kill him at a moment's notice as soon as the opportunity presented itself. And so in similar fashion and familiar fashion, Jesus enters into a story and Jesus was an amazing storyteller. I am amazed at the parables of Christ how in just a few words Jesus can crush their entire theology. It's just amazing. And you can imagine in the temple, the people being astonished at his teaching, he had them in the palm of his hand, right, telling these stories. They were riveted. The Pharisees smoke coming out of their ears. Everyone else just riveted the stories. And here he is again, another story. And he begins with point one, the goodness of God displayed in this story, the goodness of God. Christ begins, here another parable. There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it. He dug a wine press in it and built a tower and he leased it to vine dressers and went into a far country. So here another parable. That word for another there is a laus in the Greek. It means another of the same kind. Basically he says, listen, I'm going to tell you a story and it's going to be just like the one you just heard. It's another of the same kind, just like the one I just told you where you got embarrassed and shamed before. I'm going to tell you another story just like that one to embarrass and shame you again. He had just told them the one describing them as the wicked son who refused to work in his father's vineyard. It was a shocking parable about their rebellion against God. And he had said at the end of that parable that tax collectors and harlots would go into the kingdom before they did. It was a scathing rebuke. All right. And this is going to be another story just like that one. Another story of their willful rejection of Christ, their Messiah. So now he enters into this story and it's a story about a certain landowner. So we know up front, as you do, the certain landowner represents God. This is a story about the landowner, God. And this landowner plants a vineyard and he cares for it. He plants a vineyard and he cares for it. The Pharisees would have known exactly who the vineyard represented. They would have known exactly who the landowner represented. But especially here with respect to the vineyard, because in Isaiah chapter five, verse seven, the Bible says, for the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel. And the men of Judah are his pleasant plant. All right. So they would have known exactly who the vineyard represented. That's the house of Israel. However, specifically here, the target of the rebuke here are the religious leaders. The Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes, the religious elite, elite over Israel. They are the vine dressers to whom the vineyard Israel has been leased. Okay. And they are to care for the vineyard. The way that they're to care for the vineyard is the same way that the landowner would have cared for the vineyard. That would have been the purpose for leasing it to vine dressers while he was away in a far country. Those vine dressers would have cared for the vineyard in the same way that he would have. And the owner here, the landowner, God, entrusts them to do just that. He entrusts them to take care of what would have been his prized possession, the vineyard. He entrusts them to do it and he goes on a far journey. All right. The first thing I want you to see from this, beginning in verse 33 here, is that what is emphasized here is the goodness and care of the landowner. The goodness and care of the landowner. He set a hedge around the vineyard. He dug a wine press in it and he built a tower. They would have seen this as great care. First, he plants the vineyard in the first place. He wasn't doing that to look at it. He wasn't doing it for his exercise. He expected to get fruit from it. We expect to see grapes come from the vineyard. He obviously planted it with a hope of seeing fruit. Because it was so valued, because it was so prized, he put a hedge around it. That's to keep thieves and robbers out, to keep animals from running through there and making a mess of the whole place. He cared for it. He gave it protection. Then he said he dug a wine press in it. This would have been a big deal at this time and it would have shown that they just weren't interested in the grapes. They were actually going to produce grape juice, wine from the crop. So he expected fruit and then in making provision for the fruit, he dug a wine press in it. A wine press would have been a basin cut into stone. There would have been an upper basin that was cut into the stone. It would have had a trough in it so that as grapes were pressed into the stone, it could have been some of them very large, some of them smaller. But as grapes were smashed into the stone surface, the grape juice would have gone into the trough and fallen down into a lower basin and then it would have been collected out of the lower basin. They would have put it into wine skins or pots or jars, but they would have collected the wine, collected the juice. That's what they used to mix grape juice or wine with. But then he not only puts a wine press in it, he builds a tower. Again, another example of protection and care. He's sparing no expense here. The tower would have been a lookout so you could see anyone coming, all right? But it was also a place for storage. So you could put all the tools that you used to care for the vineyard in the tower. Again, just that idea of care for the vineyard that he did everything that he could do. In other words, he left nothing to chance. He did everything that he could do. He left nothing undone. The vineyard was well planted. The vineyard was well protected. The vineyard was well cared for, okay? And all of this would have made complete sense to those in the temple. Those listening were very familiar with this. There were vineyards all over the place, scattering the hillside around Jerusalem. This would have been very familiar, okay? So then the landowner goes away and he leases the vineyard to vine dressers. He entrusts them to care for what would have been his valued possession, his vineyard. And they would have been responsible to provide a certain amount of fruit as part of that lease, a certain amount of fruit to the landowner. The way that would have worked is the vine dressers would have cared for the crop, would have grown the crop, tended to the crop, and then harvested the crop. When the crop was harvested, they would have either given actual grapes or actual wine, actual grape juice to the landowner for his portion, or they would have taken those crops into market, sold them, gotten the money, and given money to the landowner. But the landowner expected a certain amount of fruit, expected a certain crop to come from the land, and then they would be allowed to keep everything above and beyond that for their own living. Now this would have been a good living. This would have been great opportunity here. This wasn't a hack job on this vineyard. He's done a good job here. This is a well planted, well cared for, well protected vineyard, and they could have made a good living here. This would have been a valued possession to them. And good here again because of the goodness and care, attentiveness of the landowner. And listen, these vine dressers, there was no one who would have been more blessed, more privileged, than these vine dressers to work for this particular landowner. And we know who the landowner represents. There was no one more blessed, more privileged than the work for that landowner. All right? All the ways that he had cared for his vineyard, all the ways that he had set this vineyard up to be productive with fruit, now because he cared for the vineyard, the landowners, or the vine dressers would have had it relatively easy here. This was a good deal. They could have made a good living. But listen to the care and compassion of God from Isaiah chapter 5, the chapter that they would have referenced in their mind with respect to this parable. Listen to what God says about his care for his vineyard. Now God says, let me sing to my well beloved a song of my beloved regarding his vineyard. My well beloved has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill. He dug it up and cleared out its stones. He planted it with a choicest vine. He built a tower in its mist and also made a wine press in it. And so he expected it to bring forth good grapes. This is emphasizing the love and compassion, the kindness, the tender loving care of the landowner. Listen to another example. Again, just emphasizing here the care and compassion and mercy and grace and goodness and gentleness and kindness of this extraordinarily merciful landowner. Listen to this passage from Ezekiel 16. Speaking of land of Israel, speaking of the children of Israel. When I passed by you again, God says and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love. And so I spread my wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you and you became mine says the Lord God. And then I washed you in water. Yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood and I anointed you with oil. I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin. I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrist and a chain on your neck. And I put a jewel in your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. And thus you were adorned with gold and silver and your clothing was a fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate pastry of fine flour, honey and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful and succeeded to royalty. Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty for it was perfect through my splendor which I had bestowed on you says the Lord God. Listen to that picture the Lord paints of his perception, his understanding of the love and care with which he treated Israel his people. Right? That's God's picture that he's painting there of what he did for his people. Listen to this from Deuteronomy chapter seven verse six. God says for you are a holy people to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set his love on you nor choose you because you were more a number than any of other people for you were the least of peoples but because the Lord loves you and because he would keep the oath which he swore to your fathers the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of bondage from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt therefore know that the Lord your God he is God the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commandments and just the faithfulness the kindness the mercy the goodness of the land owner. Listen to Jeremiah chapter 31 beginning in verse 35 he says thus says the Lord who gives the sun for a light by day the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night who disturbs the sea and its waves roar the Lord of hosts is his name if those ordinances depart from before me says the Lord then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before me forever. He's talking about the ethnic people of Israel and that is a testimony of God's covenant keeping promise to them and God stands by his promise this is the care the goodness the kindness the grace the unmerited favor of God toward his people verse 37 thus says the Lord if heaven above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done says the Lord in other words he will never cast off the seed of Israel the seed of Israel will never be cast off for what they've done here it's a promise from God who is a covenant keeping God we'll see that more as we go through the parable the way to the testimony of scripture okay and even the testimony of the covenants of God to his people is that God is true to his promises despite the utter wickedness and rebellion displayed against him it is the amazing unsearchable almost unbelievable grace and mercy of God in keeping his promise to wicked people to sinners who he's going to save amazing the grace and mercy and patience with which he treats these vine dressers in our parable is the grace of God the goodness of the landowner and though Israel as a nation has spurned his covenants God promises that they will not be cut off forever Romans 11 11 have they stumbled over this cornerstone have they stumbled over the cornerstone that they should fall in other words has God cast away his people and he's speaking about ethnic Israel and he says certainly not but to provoke them to jealousy salvation has come to the Gentiles and Paul asked the questions if there is temporary casting away if they're temporary casting away of Israel means reconciling the reconciling of the world then he says what will their acceptance be but life from the dead and what he's saying there is that if ethnic Israel being cast off means salvation to the Gentiles and then he asks what will their acceptance be God has every intention of accepting and saving ethnic Israel this is God's covenant keeping promises to his people this is a covenant keeping God gracious caring this is a God who keeps his promises who is faithful listen to this conception of Christ's love and care for the Christian and see if you can hear similar language to that care that he has for his vineyard the Puritan says thou has been mindful of me and visited me taken charge of me from birth cared in all conditions for me fed me at thy table drawn the curtains of love around me given me new mercies every morning suffer me not to forget that I look for yet greater blessings a hope beyond the grave the earnest and foretaste of immorality immortality holiness wisdom strength and joy all these now has provided for me in Christ I grieve to think how insensible I have been of the claims of thy authority and the endearments of thy love how little I have credited thy truth trusted thy promises feared thy threats obeyed thy commands improved my advantages welcomed thy warnings responded to thy grace but not withstanding my desert I yet live that is by the grace of God the goodness of God the mercies of God and he finishes this may thy goodness always lead me to repentance and thy long suffering proved to be my salvation and the point of this parable is the the goodness and kindness and care and of a covenant keeping God and then the patience and forbearance and long suffering of a covenant keeping God with a wicked and sinful people God who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things this is the love care compassion mercy and grace of the vineyard owner toward us the two in that grace and mercy he allows us to work in his vineyard gives us the blessed privilege of entrusting us with his vineyard he entrusted to us despite this love despite this care and compassion there is a rebellious rejection a rebellious rejection in verse 34 Christ says here now when the vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the vine dressers they might receive its fruit and the vine dressers took his servants they beat one killed one and stoned another again he sent other servants more than the first and they did likewise to them then last of all he sent his son to them saying they will respect my son but when the vine dressers saw the son they said amongst themselves this is the air come let us kill him and seize his inheritance and so they took him and cast them out of the vineyard and killed him there's three points i want to see from this rebellious rejection here first these vine dressers the religious leaders of the people the Pharisees here were to tend to his vineyard such that the vineyard produced fruit for the kingdom god the landowner expected fruit we see that throughout scripture god expects fruit we are to produce fruit for the kingdom we're a kingdom of priests a holy nation as peter says we're to produce fruit for the kingdom fruits of worship fruits of obedience fruits of conversions fruits of the spreading kingdom such that converts are coming in people are pressing into the kingdom but certainly fruits of worship fruits of obedience these vine dressers were given a great opportunity to make a living they worked for the best most compassionate boss ever and it was a great vineyard well cared for and they had the complete trust of the land owner he went away in a far country and left it to them however that wasn't enough and this is shocking is shocking from the parable it would have been shocking to them in the first century they wanted it all for themselves they weren't satisfied with what they got they weren't satisfied with the living they could have earned they wanted everything they wanted it all for themselves ultimately they wanted to be like the landowner right they want to be like the landowner i want to have this all to myself i want to own it it's mine sounds like the garden doesn't it i want to be like god sounds like satan i want to attain to the most high and so they decided to seize it for themselves by killing off his servants verse 35 the vine dressers took his servants they beat one killed one and stoned another and you have to see this is so despicable right so despicable in their own pride in their own covetousness they became bitter they became bitter and resentful against the landowner that bitterness that resentment turned into hatred and hatred turned into malice and then they acted on their malice this is the way it works right you've seen this time or two before haven't you bitterness turns into hatred pride turns into bitterness which turns into hatred which turns into malice and then you act on your malice and you fail to love your brother love your sister here they acted on the malice that was in their hearts and they killed his servants beat one stoned one killed one the difference they're beating here means they scourged him they flayed him open they bloodied him they killed one a sudden killing killed with a sword killed with a spear and then they drop boulders on another one and killed him crushed him to death okay if they had beat the first one wouldn't you want to send in the SWAT team like right then but listen to the the amazing patients now we saw the amazing goodness and mercy and grace of the landowner now look at the astonishing patients the astonishing forbearance of the landowner this should tell us something about the landowner the servants here by the way they killed they stoned they beat these represent those messengers of god from the old testament messengers of god from the old testament constantly sent to a rebellious people a stiff-necked people so we look at the goodness and love of the vineyard now look at the patients in forbearance of the vineyard owner this is amazing you almost be tempted like we said this morning you almost be tempted to stand back and looking at this thinking this is unreasonable it's almost unreasonable patients it is so patient so forbearing so long suffering there is a strong emphasis here on god's goodness and his forbearance to the house of israel and specifically to these religious leaders who lead them into error but you can see can't you just in the in the same way that god is good and gracious and patient with those false religious leaders in this first century hasn't god been good and long suffering with you he's been good and long suffering with me i'm reminded of moses standing before a sinful people and god saying step away from them so that i can consume them in a moment and moses rushing to intercede for the people and god being patient and forbearing and long suffering again with a stiff-necked people turn to judges chapter two we have that example of moses interceding for the people you see joshua interceding for the people but god doesn't stop with his patience and his long suffering his forbearance there he continues in his patience and his long suffering his forbearance to in his grace and mercy send messengers to the vineyard divine dressers here it's amazing patience look at judges chapter two and look down beginning in verse 11 judges chapter two verse 11 it says here then the children of israel after moses after joshua the children of israel did evil in the side of the lord and served the bales and they forsook the lord god of their fathers who had brought them out of the land of egypt and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them and they bowed down to them and they provoked the lord to anger that's righteous anger there despite the lord's patience doesn't mean that the lord is not angry doesn't mean that the lord is not going to bring judgment that god is patient here he's angry look at verse 13 they forsook the lord they served baling the asterisks and the anger of the lord was hot against israel so he delivered them into the hands of the plunderers who despoiled them and he sold them into the hands of their enemies all around so that they could no longer stand before their enemies that's the judgment of god but it's also the grace of god in that in this judgment it should turn them from the wickedness of their way back to the lord verse 15 wherever they went out of went out the hand of the lord was against them for their calamity as the lord had said and as the lord had sworn to them and they were greatly distressed now look at the patience of god verse 16 nevertheless the lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them yet they would not listen to their judges but they played the harlot with other gods and bowed down to them they turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked and obeying the commandments of the lord they did not do so amazing right the lord in his patience sending messengers one judge after another and to think that under Moses that act of idolatry would it would it have been right and just for god to have consumed them yes but the lord for his own great names sake for his own promise covenant keeping names sake spared them showed them grace and mercy here again the patience and grace and mercy of god look at verse 18 and when the lord raised up judges for them the lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge for the lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them and it came to pass when the judge was dead that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers by following other gods to serve them and bow down to them they did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way the anger of the lord was hot against Israel and he said because this nation has transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers and has not heeded my voice I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died so that through them I may test Israel whether they will keep is it through them that I may cast off Israel no it's through them that I may test Israel whether they will keep the ways of the lord to walk in them as their fathers kept them or not therefore the lord left those nations without driving them out immediately in order to deliver them into the hand of Joshua the patience the goodness the kindness of God the forbearance of God the long suffering of God in 1 Kings chapter 22 Micaiah prophesies against Ahab and Zedekiah strikes him in the face in 2 Chronicles chapter 24 King Joash kills Zechariah the prophet Zechariah had announced that they were forsaking the god not keeping his commandments and that as a result God had forsaken them and so what does the king do he stones him to death in the court of the temple a prophet of God turn to 2 Chronicles chapter 36 2 Chronicles chapter 36 just another example the long suffering of God the patience of God 2 Chronicles chapter 36 and look at verse 11 here's Zedekiah again verse 11 it says Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king and he reigned 11 years in Jerusalem he did evil in the sight of the Lord God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet who spoke from the mouth of the Lord he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear an oath by God but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel moreover all the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more according to all the abominations of the nations and defiled the house of the Lord which he had consecrated in Jerusalem look what God did and the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by his messengers by his servants from the parable right servants sent to them rising up early and sending them because he had compassion on his people he didn't delay he sent them time and again not wasting time not delaying but because of his compassion sent them quickly verse 16 but they mocked the messengers of God despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy therefore he brought against them the king of the Chaldeans who killed their young men with a sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin on the aged or the weak he gave them all into his hand in all the articles from the house of God great and small the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king and of his leaders all these he took to Babylon they burned the house of God broke down the wall of Jerusalem burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious possessions and those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths as long as she laid desolate she kept Sabbaths to fulfill 70 years again the patience of God Jeremiah chapter 2 verse 30 God says of Israel in vain I have chastened your children they received no correction your sword has devoured your prophets like a destroying lion that continue to kill God's servants God's messengers Isaiah was said to have been sawn in two you can read that reference there I think in Hebrews chapter 11 verse 37 Jeremiah was thrown into a pit and was said to have been stoned there Amos had to run for his life look at what Paul suffered at the hands of these wicked vine dressers the Lord in astounding patience right astounding patience sends one servant after another it is staggering in Acts chapter 7 verse 52 Stephen harshly rebukes them he says he's a messenger of God Stephen is a messenger of God you stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears you always resist the Holy Spirit as your fathers did so do you which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute and they killed those who foretold the coming of the just one of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it and so what do they do they kill Stephen too they stone him the fact that the Lord doesn't unleash the terrors of hell right then is staggering patience is the messenger of God after one messenger after another messenger after another messenger the servants of God all killed stone beaten all disregarded disrespected mocked this is dramatic patience on the part of God some might say this story is at this point a little ridiculous right they might think to themselves no one would send that many servants and certainly after all that wouldn't send his son and and that's the point now you're getting it put yourselves in the shoes of these rebellious people if you're outside of Christ if you're outside of Christ you are in the shoes of these wicked rebellious vine dressers how many times how many times does the Lord need to send you a delegate before you might desire to kill him how many times does the Lord have to send you a messenger a servant of his before you will give up all to follow Christ how patient how good how gracious how merciful does the Lord have to show himself to you before you will turn and follow the Lord it is staggering patience it is staggering grace staggering goodness why in your hard-hearted rebellion will you not turn and not just turn in some half-hearted way turn with all your heart all your soul mind and strength to follow this God this landowner how good how gracious how would you respond if someone were to say to you I don't think you're a Christian I think there's a problem look at how you're living the Lord is coming to execute judgment you'd better turn would you respond with hostility it says of those that were listening to Stephen that they were cut to the heart they were convicted they were convicted of their sin they were cut to the heart and then they gnashed their teeth at him and they stoned him they killed the messenger of God but there was another sermon that Peter gave an ax to at Pentecost where it says that those people listening to that sermon were cut to the heart they were convicted instead of responding by gnashing their teeth at him and responding with hostility they responded with what must we do to be saved why won't you respond as they did if you're outside of Christ if you haven't turned and bound your knee to Christ at this point that you are a wicked, rebellious, vine dresser turn to the Lord look at all that he has done but look at all the sermons that have been preached all the pages of Scripture that have been bled and teared over cried over when you respond with hostility you have Moses and the prophets will you hear them if you won't hear Moses and the prophets neither will you be convinced if one were to be raised from the dead and lastly he sends you word of his only son who died for sinners and was raised from the dead for your justification will you reject him too God's patience will run out will you turn to Christ or do you insist on testing his patience the third part of this rebellious rejection is why why would they continue to reject the goodness and grace and patience of God it says in verse 38 back in Matthew 21 but when the vine dresser saw the Son God sent his only son they said amongst themselves this is the heir come let us kill him and seize his inheritance last of all it says send my son they'll respect my son there's a there's a tinge of sadness in that isn't there in the tone just a tinge of of this astonishment even at their rejection certainly certainly they'll respect my son won't they but no these vine dressers the reason that they willfully reject Christ is that they want to steal and seize the inheritance for themselves for themselves they want the blessing all for themselves with no reference to the landowner with no deference to God at all they don't want God ruling over them they want to be like God they want the blessing without the birthright that's Esau right assault repentance with tears and can find no place for it they want the gift without any concern whatsoever for the giver they want the privilege without the provider they want the fruits without the Father and there is such malice expressed in this desire this is represented this malice represented in verse 38 as come let us kill him it's like the prodigal son right I wish that you were dead give me what is mine so I can go live my life right it's the same kind of expression here want their own life they want what's coming to them and don't want anything to do with the father nothing to do with the landowner nothing to do with God and you must acknowledge that this is the heart of every rebel against Christ the rebel wants to dethrone God from having any authority in their life they want to put themselves on the throne and beat to themselves as the most high it's the oldest sin in the book looking at this response of rejection in the light of the goodness and forbearance of God can't you see why this is grotesquely hateful of God the father that's why when you when you say to someone you're witnessing to them they're outside of Christ and to them their perspective they're just living indifferently just living apathetically no concern whatsoever for the landowner that they are God haters there is no middle ground you are a son of the kingdom or you are a God hating son of your father the devil there's just no there's no place in this considering the great grace and mercy and kindness and goodness and patience of God there's simply no allowance here for any kind of middle ground you can't take a middle position you can't straddle the fence it is one or the other why do you tarry between two responses if Lord is God serve him he does not gather with him scatters abroad to not live for Christ with all your heart is to hate him is to despise him because he died because he was buried and he was raised so in all of this there's there's just one reasonable response isn't there if you're going to respond he's asking these Pharisees if you're going to respond to this wickedness on the part of these vine dressers what would be the reasonable response to what they have done verse 40 therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes what will he do to those vine dressers they said to him the Pharisees they saw it they said to him he will destroy those wicked men miserably and lease his vineyard to other vine dressers who will render to him the fruits and their seasons these wicked vine dressers listening to this parable see it obviously they probably took great pride and answering the question rightly you have a pious answer in front of all those people standing by I just loved hearing that you know pious righteous answer roll off their tongues in front of all the people watching and with those very words they condemn themselves can you see in this just thinking in our own feeble attempt at understanding this the glory of God the goodness of God the grace of God the wickedness of rebels in God's kingdom can you see in this the reasonableness of hell is it not a reasonable punishment is it not a justifiable punishment there is the judgment here and then there also is the the replacement if you will taking away giving of the vineyard to others hell is reasonable hell is just and it's the just punishment sentenced out by a holy God against wicked rebellious centers the fourth point beginning in verse 42 we see the blindness of the builders the blindness of the builders verse 42 Jesus continues he says to them have you never read in the scriptures the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone and this was the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes this explanation here Christ's explanation is quoted from Psalm 118 and he rebukes them another scathing rebuke the cutting rebuke have you never read in the scriptures these were the religious leaders of Israel remember he said to Nicodemus you're a teacher and you don't understand this he says to them have you never read in the scriptures Psalm 118 says that these builders when they're going to build they need a cornerstone having a cornerstone was extremely crucial not just any cornerstone you needed a perfectly cut stone if you had a cornerstone that was misshapen or wasn't perfectly square perfectly cube your entire building could be off the cornerstone is the basis on which they formed the foundation on which basis on which they formed the walls of the building if that cornerstone was a skew in any way the rest of your building could be a skew and more a skew the further away you got from the cornerstone so the cornerstone must be perfect and when you have a perfect cornerstone it is ignorant to reject it why would you reject it if you're going to build you want to build with a good cornerstone don't reject the perfect cornerstone what do they do what do these fine dressers do what do the builders do the leaders the religious elite they reject it the Lord places the perfect cornerstone and they reject it so they reject it and what does God do God makes that reject rejected cornerstone the head of the corner and it is marvelous in our eyes this is a marvelous insight into the salvation of God in Christ in Psalm 118 Israel was the stone that the builders rejected okay and think about this for a moment you've got Israel that is a holy nation a priest to the nations and through Israel the nations of the world were to be blessed were to be saved they had the oracles of God and the nations of the world were to be blessed through Israel they were in that sense the cornerstone the cornerstone of God's kingdom those empires of the world those nations of the world rejected Israel as completely insignificant they ran over them they occupied them the Babylonians the Assyrians the Romans just came in and ignored and rejected Israel God's cornerstone to the world God's cornerstone to the nations but Israel was key God kept putting them back into the forefront of his redemptive plan of his plan of salvation and history but in this psalm Psalm 118 is in many psalms there's a double reference here there's a messianic tone to Psalm 118 and there's a messianic double fulfillment here Christ is also the chief cornerstone and we get that explanation or that interpretation if you will from Acts chapter 4 Acts chapter 4 turn there with me Acts chapter 4 and often this is going to be the case there's going to be clear scripture given to understand double references like this in Old Testament literature it's a good principle of hermeneutics to follow Acts chapter 4 and beginning in verse 8 and here's Peter's interpretation if you will of this Psalm Psalm 118 says here then Peter filled with the Holy Spirit said to them rulers of the people and elders of Israel so right off the bat now we're looking at who the builders are the builders are the rulers of the people and the elders of Israel those religious elite that were in charge of leading the people for God verse 9 if we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man by what means has he been made well let it be known to you all and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified whom God raised from the dead by him this man stands before you whole this is the stone which was rejected by you builders which has become the chief cornerstone nor is there salvation and any other for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved so here if you parse this look at verse 10 that it's the name of Jesus Christ here the stone the cornerstone the chief cornerstone moved to be the head of the corner is Jesus Christ of Nazareth now it says there in verse 10 they crucified him this is their rejection of the cornerstone they rejected the perfect cornerstone Jesus Christ the perfect cornerstone they rejected but then God elevates the stone to the head of the corner and that is in Christ's resurrection God raised him from the dead look at verse the end of verse 10 there they rejected Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified whom God elevated to the head of the corner raised from the dead he made Christ the chief cornerstone he says by him this man stands here before you whole this is the stone which was rejected by you by you builders which has become now God raising him from the dead the chief cornerstone and this is the implication of this understanding the implication of this understanding the implication of now the stone which was rejected being made the head of the corner the implication of that is nor is there salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved Christ is the cornerstone the chief cornerstone builders ought to know that if you were builders you'd know what a cornerstone looked like you'd know a good one when you saw it and you certainly wouldn't reject the perfect one but these builders are blind they're blind Mark 6 says that Jesus marveled at their blindness right marveled at their blindness Nicodemus do you not understand this what does it mean for Christ to be moved to the head of the corner we see that in Psalm 118 in a messianic reference we see that here in Acts 4 in Peter's discourse but we also see that well stated in Ephesians chapter 1 listen to this beginning in verse 19 that you may know of God what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead moving him to the head of the corner and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come and he put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the church that's what it means for Christ to be the head of the corner he is the chief cornerstone and this is a glorious insight into the gospel of God the salvation the redemptive plan the redemptive history of God and there is in point 5 here the glory of God in the gospel back in Matthew chapter 21 beginning in verse 43 we'll turn back there Jesus says here therefore I say to you the kingdom of God will be taken from you you wicked vine dressers and it will be given to a nation bearing the fruits of it and whoever falls on this stone will be broken but on whomever it falls it will grind him to powder and you have the first part of our story here the first part of the parable you have the vine dressers got the vineyard you got the landowner vine dressers and the landowner here you have the builders and the stone you see how those two things tie together but in verse 45 he goes on to say when the chief priests and Pharisees heard his parables they perceived that he was speaking of them and they figured that out but when they sought to lay hands on them they feared the multitudes because they took him for a profit so look at the glory of God here in judgment the glory of God in judgment he says that he's going to take the kingdom of God from you and he's going to give it to a nation bearing the fruits of it taken from you and given to another it's the judgment of God against Israel the judgment of God against Israel Jesus says to these leaders listen you have lost the right to be in the place of blessing in the place of my blessing and so now I'm going to turn from Israel turn from Israel turn from the temple turn from those religious leaders I'm going to turn them out of the place of blessing and what does he do? the temple is made desolate Jerusalem is destroyed not one stone left upon another he turns Israel out of the place of blessing to this day Israel is not being blessed in that way any longer there's a veil over their eyes the scripture says when it comes to the gospel they've been turned aside God turns from Israel but now here's the glory of God in his redemptive plan and salvation he says I will give it to a people when it says given to a nation that word there for nation is people peoples I'll give it to a people bearing the fruits of it and so this people Peter speaks of and first Peter too as being a holy nation priests to our God who is that? it's a church he gives this he turns in this case from Israel blessing Israel now turning to a people who will bear the fruits of it and I believe in that this time it's Gentiles it's every tribe tongue and nation it's the church the redeemed of this present church age that the Lord now is blessing it's not ethically defined now it's defined by faith in Christ and the church bearing the fruits fruits of repentance the church bearing fruits of worship the church bearing fruits of obedience church bearing fruits of conversions and the kingdom going forward and the gospel going forward and people being saved and Israel now being in the place of the unblessed Israel will Israel ever come back? absolutely Israel will come back God says yes you look at Romans 9 we had time and Romans 10 Romans 11 God will graft them back in Zachariah says they will look on him whom they have pierced and they will mourn for him as an only son and here God has a promise to fulfill and so the Bible says all Israel will be saved if God provoked them to jealousy so that the fullness of the Gentiles would come in has God cast off Israel? He says certainly not and if God cast off Israel so that Gentiles could be saved and that the world might have salvation in Christ by faith in him what will their acceptance be? he asks Israel will come back and Paul just in the the wisdom of God this glorious redemptive plan of God in this Paul it makes Paul exclaim Romans 11 oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out it's an amazing brilliance the brilliance of God the glory of God and the gospel this is amazing amazing thing in closing it says here in verse 44 whoever falls on this stone will be broken on whomever it falls it will grind into powder if the stone falls on you it will crush you to powder to be blown away in the wind it'll crush you like chaff to be burnt up in the fire and you'll be judged too you'll be taken out of the place of blessing and you'll be placed in a place of torment unless you repent unless you cease your stumbling over the chief cornerstone turn to Christ turn from your sin put your faith and trust in him did those who were listening to the story here in the temple that day this Wednesday before the death of christ did they get it did they get it no amazingly no it says they heard his parables in verse 45 they perceived that he was speaking of them and they sought to lay hands on him they couldn't because they're a bunch of cowards they feared the multitudes but they wanted to kill him what about you isn't just amazing looking at an account like this that informs our understanding of the attributes and character of god and how glorious how unfathomable his patience and how amazing his grace and mercy will you reject him with your life will you reject him and continue to live for yourself knowing how glorious and great and good god is and despite the astounding reach an astounding scope of his patience it is evident fact even from our parable evident fact from the scriptures that his patience will run out there is a limit to his patience will you turn to christ why would you wait run flee to him hell is a reasonable judgment it is a reasonable response to wicked vine dressers so don't let hell be your portion the lord holds out he extends out a hand of mercy and grace to you and invites you to behold the glory of the chief cornerstone and be saved will you nash your teeth at him there is no middle ground or will you cry out with those at pentecost what must we do to be saved and turn from your sin and put your faith in christ amen amen let's pray my father in heaven thank you for this story God I'm so in awe of you you God are marvelous in our eyes Christ marvelous in our eyes God your saving plan in christ just marvelous God just astounding astounding grace astounding goodness astounding patience so we worship you God we praise you or we long to know you more and inform our understanding of these things from the scriptures God there's anyone here who just hasn't sold out for christ God I pray that you would wake them up shake them turn them away from the precipice and save them for your glory for the christian here God I pray that we would be just awed by who you are or that we would serve you more fervently we would love you God more fervently we would be conformed into the image of christ and thank you Lord for your word and thank you for your grace to us in christ we love you in jesus name amen