INTRO:
“Comparison is the thief of Joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Everyone of us seems to have “Hot Button” comparison items…
Comparing ourselves to others.
For many of us it’s work and success.
For others it’s popularity and social status.
For others it’s money.
For others it’s image. (Our body)
For others it’s life stages.
We even compare within the Church.
-roles, gifting, leadership abilities…
Why do we find it difficult to rejoice when we see other people succeed.
Parable’s are like a window (into the kingdom of God), a mirror (a reflection of yourself), and a door (opening up an opportunity to live out what God is saying)
Lay out the context of the parable…
Matthew 20:1-16 (ESV)
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius[a] a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went.Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’[b] 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”
Is God fair?
Comparison: (Where it Starts, What it Steals, & How it STOPS)
Where it starts?
1.) In our calculations.
2.) In our expectations.
3.) In our complaints.
In the calculation…
vs. 10- They “thought”
leads to expectations…
leads to a complaint…
* Complaining is deadly…
Complaining keeps us from God’s blessing and favor on our lives.
ex: of the israelites in the wilderness…
(yesterday God did it! Today, where are you God?)
We bring others with us and bring them down.
In the chapter before, “Peter well, we gave up everything…” (The rich young ruler)
A huge symptom of unhealthy comparison is “taking pride in your sacrifices”.
What it steals?
1.) Gratitude from yourself.
The workers talk very openly about the cost… But they neglect to talk about the privilege.
* They forgot that they land owner “gave” them the opportunity.
2.) Good from others.
When you’re competing and jealous and envying, we’re not thinking about the good of others.
3.) Glory from God.
We’re obsessed with comparing ourselves with others, because we’re desperately trying to discover what we’re supposed to be like.
Life can become an endless cycle of comparison… and when you’re “winning” it leads to arrogance, and when you’re “losing” it leads to despair.
When you’re comparing you’re assuming that that person is either a “better” or “worse” version of you.
But they are not you.
All of us were created by God, for God we were meant to reflect HIM, and embody HIS attributes.
When we’re obsessed with the Horizontal we forget about the Vertical.
Back to Peter…
John 21
20-21 Turning his head, Peter noticed the disciple Jesus loved following right behind. When Peter noticed him, he asked Jesus, “Master, what’s going to happen to him?”
22-23 Jesus said, “If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you? You—follow me.” That is how the rumor got out among the brothers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that is not what Jesus said. He simply said, “If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you?”
Peter’s question captures our tendency to compare, but Jesus answer free’s us to focus. We’ve been looking around, but we haven’t been looking up.
How it stops?
1.) Trusting in who GOD is and what He is doing in YOU.
2.) Understanding that life isn’t a competition, it’s a gift!
3.) Receiving and walking in God’s grace through Jesus.
Knowing who God is and what He’s doing in us.
We need a healthy understanding that life isn’t a “competition” life is a “gift”.
The body of Christ… We’re all different parts with different responsibilities.
God is the great giver.
See God invites us into the economy of Grace.
Is God always fair?
The answer is NO.
No because he always goes beyond fairness…
He goes to mercy, to grace.
If you want fair, you can talk about Judgement.
This parable shows how determined God is to do good to people.
“Are you angry at my goodness?” – God
If all of us in this room appealed to Justice, we would all stand condemned forever.
When it comes to others, we’re all for JUSTICE.
When it comes to us, we’re all for grace and mercy.
See the tone of the land owner at the end of the parable….
vs. 13 But he replied to one of them,‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong.
GRACE.
The most terrible sinner on earth can enter the kingdom of God through the finished work of Jesus Christ. That’s why it’s called Good News.
When you look at the CROSS, you not only see that God is just (He’s dealing with sin), but you also see that He’s gracious, loving, merciful, kind…
WHY?
Because He took your place and my place.
The penalty that you and I were owed.
He paid.
The same grace that saves us from our work calls us to our work and that work is to reflect Jesus Christ in this world so that others might get a taste of Heaven when they see your life.
4 ways to BEGIN IMITATING the Goodness of Jesus:
1.) Affirm and Honor all the Good that God has given to them.
* maybe it’s saying a prayer of thankfulness for them and for the good God’s given them!
2.) Immediately pray that God would bless them more.
* Thank you God for all that you’ve given to that person, I pray that you’d give them even more.
3.) Support them in it.
* You become a part of the blessing.
4.) Gladly take the lesser place to do so.
* you will rob no one in doing this.
* there’s no line for last place.
Jesus came and didn’t set himself up as our competition but as our salvation.
Him who was rightly owed everything…
2nd Cor. 5:21
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.