IV. WHAT IT WAS THE FATHER WISHED HIS SONS TO DO (Continued).
"Son, go work to day in my vineyard," Matthew 21:28.
We continue where we left off on Tuesday past. We considered how that a vineyard is special place, specially chosen for its richness of soil, sunshine and sheltered.
Now let us continue to consider:
1. God's vineyard is His Church and it is there we are called to work. "Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill," Isa 5:1. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman," John 15:1.
As Adam was placed in a garden to till it so Christians have the keeping of God' vineyard. "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it," Genesis 2:15. Man was meant to work. Idleness leads to sin. This is an age when men are paid to be idle. Here is danger. "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters," Ezekiel 16:49.
Labourers are needed. "Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest," Luke 10:2.
Help rendered to God's elect is counted as an act of love toward Christ. Matt 25:34-40. "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me," Matthew 25:40.
"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ," Gal 6:2. Every kindness to a fellow Christian is an act of love toward the Saviour.
2. It is a place of much labour. From the beginning of the year until the harvest, the vineyard is a place of labour.
It is a full-time work. God has much work for men to do. To serve in the garden and to watch over it. There is employment for all, no matter what your talents and abilities are.
It is not so in this world. Many can find no work for they are not qualified.
3. We are privileged to labour amongst a glorious workforce. First of God is a fellow-labourer. "For we are labourers together with God," 1 Corinthians 3:9. As well as that we may count the most wonderful human beings who ever lived as companions. From Adam, Abel, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, David, the great prophets, the apostles, the Reformers, the great revivalists etc. All our counted as our fellows!