This story our Lord tells to His disciples comes
right after His discourse with the rich young man who went away from Him sad
and lost eternally because he was unwilling to repent of his sin of
covetousness. The workers in the vineyard are all hand-picked by the landowner as
He goes out in the marketplace. This is a picture of the Sovereign Election of
those whom our Lord Jesus Christ will save. The contrast of this story with the
conversation with the rich young man is striking because we saw clearly that he
wanted to know what he needed to do to gain salvation, but our Lord in this
parable shows clearly that salvation is not about what any person can do but it
is all of the Sovereign Election of God. Religion teaches religious people to
always try and earn favor with God, which as we saw with the rich young man is
not possible (see the article entitled “Favor with God” http://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=93427).
Romans
9:15-16 For He says to Moses, “I
will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever
I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills,
nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. NJKV
The land owner finds men standing idle in the
marketplace (which pictures those still in the world) and calls them to himself
to come and work for him. This is exactly how our Lord called the very man who
is the instrument being used by God the Holy Spirit to write this gospel
account (the Apostle Matthew). Our Lord said to him simply, “Matthew, follow Me”,
and Matthew got up from his tax collecting table and followed the Lord Jesus
Christ. This is the saving call received by every one of His true disciples
from the youngest to the oldest. The parable states that the landowner chose
some to come and work in his vineyard early in the morning. This tells us that
our Lord Jesus Christ bids or summons some to come to Him at a very young age, how
about even while they are still in their Mother’s womb. Of course the little
one in the womb is not conscience of it, but our Lord will come to each of His
little ones and open their spiritual eyes.
Jeremiah
1:4-5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the
womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a
prophet to the nations.” NKJV
The land owner kept going out into the marketplace
at the third hour, the sixth hour, the ninth hour, and finally the eleventh
hour until he had found and hired the last laborer to go into his vineyard. The
effectual call of salvation from our Lord Jesus Christ comes for some at different
stages of life as early as 7 years old to as old as 120 years old. The hour of
grace is now open for all from the womb to the grave to call on the Lord Jesus
to be saved, but soon the door of grace is going to close just like the work
day must come to an end, so will the period of grace for unbelievers/lost. However,
for many centuries educated and non-educated people have mocked at the second
coming of our Lord saying the time has been so long He surely must not have
meant He was literally going to return to the earth again. It is something that
one living in sin and pleasure of the world would like to ignore or dismiss
altogether, but God resides in eternity and time does not constrain Him. All
things happen according to His perfect will and timing and since He (by His
word) has said He will return to judge the earth in Righteousness, we can be
certain that He will do just as He said He would.
2
Peter 3:1-8 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of
which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of
the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment
of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first: that scoffers
will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where
is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things
continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they
willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the
earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that
then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which
are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of
judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one
thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand
years as one day. NKJV
Now the land owner at the end of the work day has
his steward to call all of the workers in to pay them the wage agreed upon.
When he called the last hired to be paid first, he gave them one denarius and
they only worked in the vineyard for only one hour and this was looked upon by
those called early in the morning as surely to justify them receiving more than
the last seeing they had worked longer or all day. However, the land owner
rebuked those men and calls them evil for thinking they can dictate to him what
he wills to do with his own possessions. Our Lord calls those to Himself as He
wills and how He wills and salvation is the same free gift of receiving grace
through faith no matter what point in their life it comes. The thief on the
cross lived his entire life serving sin and was saved on the earth for maybe a
couple of hours before he went to Paradise with Jesus. There is nothing that
anyone can DO to make God save them, but only when you recognize and no longer
rationalize the fact of your sinfulness, then and only then will Christ make
you brand new in Him by His blood.
Ephesians
2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should
boast. NKJV
1
Timothy 14-16 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith
and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy
of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of
whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first
Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going
to believe on Him for everlasting life. NKJV
“Is it not wonderful news to believe that salvation
lies outside ourselves?” Martin Luther
“A child of five, if properly instructed, can as
truly believe and be regenerated as an adult.” Charles Spurgeon
“The grace of God hath power to bring salvation to
all men, and if a man is unsaved it is because he wants to work it out; he
wants to receive salvation in some other way than God’s way; but we are told
that “he that climbeth up another way, the same is a thief and a robber.” D. L.
Moody
“You could not be saved through any effort of your
own, but now that you are saved it is necessary for you to put forward every
effort you can to glorify Him.” Harry Ironside
If
you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this
from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear
Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I
believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from
the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn
from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control
of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you
Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus
Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and
Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple
I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reader,
Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…
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