9-24-17 - Thank God That His Ways Are Not My Ways
Preacher:  Pastor David Schultz

 

Matthew 20:1-16

[Jesus said to His disciples] 1 “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 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?’ 16 So the last
will be first, and the first last.”