May 26, 2019 "An Unfair God", Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley

have you everyone to tell God that ain't fair only to find out that we don't serve a fair god consecrate me now to thy service Lord the power of grace divine let my soul look up with a steadfast hope and my will be lost in dying in Jesus name we pray amen today I'm gonna ask you to journey with me as I find myself captivated once again by these parables that Jesus he uses especially in the Gospel of Matthew today I want you to hear the reading of a powerful and prophetic parable that is rooted in the 20th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew if you would go to the 20th chapter I wonder reading your hearing verses 1 through 16 and the New International Version of God's Holy Word and what you have found that it is our custom to ask those who are physically able to stand that together we might reverence the reading of the Word of God from Matthew chapter 20 beginning in verse number one you will also appear on the screens for those who choose to read along listen for the word of the Lord the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard he agreed to pay them a Denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard about 9:00 in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing he told them you also go and work in my vineyard and I will pay you whatever is right so they went he went out again about noon and about 3:00 in the afternoon and did the same thing about five of the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around he asked him why have you been standing here all day doing nothing because no one has hired us they answered he said then you also go and work in my vineyard and when evening came the owner of the vineyard said to us Foreman call the workers and pay them their wages beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first the workers who were hired about 5:00 in the afternoon came and each received a Denarius somebody said a day's wages so in those who when those came who were hired first they expected to receive more but each of them also received a Denarius somebody say a day's wages when they received it they began to grumble against the landowner those who were hired last worked only one hour they said and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day but he answered one of them I am NOT being unfair to you friend didn't you agree to work for a Denarius take your pay and go I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you don't I have the right to do what I want to do with my own money or are you envious because I am generous so the last will be first and the first will be last Oh II I want to talk about an unfair god you may be seated in the presence of the Lord as you study the life lessons the teaching and the preaching of Jesus you'll find that oftentimes Jesus tries to press upon his disciples as the word god presses upon us some principles of Kingdom living pillars that are difficult to take at face values in a simple sense Jesus tries to remind us that being a disciple means you live under a different set of rules than the rules that govern the world that your behavior ought to be different than those who don't know the Lord he presses Kevin some principles that that are hard to swallow at face value the world says that that if you come from me I'm coming back for you the kingdom says pray for them that despitefully use you the world says that in order to be somebody you've got to put resumes on your wall and read degrees on your wall and add to your resumes and acquire wealth and possessions but the kingdom says that in order to be great you've got to be a servant the world says me myself and I the kingdom says if anyone would come after Christ let him lay down his life take up a cross and follow Jesus those principles are often contrary and contentious to the world in which we live and so when Jesus tries to press a principle that is hard to take at face value oftentimes he breaks it down with a parable parables Jesus simply way of saying listen since y'all ain't feelin me the way I think you should let me break it down a little story and the story goes a little something like this it's exactly what's happening here in Matthew 20 Jesus has been pressing a principle that causes a question that he then answer with a pyramid to understand Matthew 20 you actually have to rewind to chapter 19 context is always important in chapter 19 a young brother who's relatively well-off and wealthy has come to Jesus and he has submitted an application to be a disciple I want to follow Jesus so he gets an interview and in the interview he asked Jesus now what are the requirements for being a disciple Jesus tells him here the laws that you have to obey honor your mother and father and love your neighbor he says I get that on my resume I've been doing that since the day I was born Jesus then looks back at him says alright I got one more requirement since you are wealthy and well-off I need you to sell everything you have and give it to the poor when this wealthy brother hears the requirement of giving up everything he withdraws his application stands up tells Jesus thank you for your time and he exit out the door he is unwilling to give up everything for Jesus Peter and the other disciples have been watching the interview and Peter in his mind realizes I'm not like that brother that brother didn't want to give up anything but I gave up everything for Jesus gave up my family gave up my fishing business left my hometown I'm not some johnny-come-lately Jesus I've been with you from jump I was there when you first called the disciple I've been with you since day one and so Peter seeing a brother who doesn't want to give up everything knowing he's giving up everything raises his hand says Jesus I have a question what do we get for everything we've given up for you we've been with you from day one we gave up family we've been doing everything you asked us to do surely greatness is ours we're not like him he couldn't stand it but we've given up everything God what is our reward jesus said Peter died didn't how it works the first shall be last and the last shall be first Jesus understands that Peter doesn't get it sin says well let me break it down to you a little story and the story goes lose something like this there's a landowner who one day needs his vineyard taken care of and as is the custom in that day he goes down to where the day workers are those men who are hopeful that somebody will choose them to labor that they may earn a day's wages a Denarius so that maybe they can put some food on their table these are brothers who had no contract they filed no taxes they get up early in the morning praying that somebody will choose them you know you see them at Home Depot in the morning they're just looking for somebody to give them a chance master shows up at 6:00 a.m. finds a handful of them so listen if you go to work for me for a day 12 hours 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. I'll pay you a day's wages I'll give you 1 Denarius they all agree that's what's going to happen they start working at 6 a.m. at 9:00 a.m. the owner goes back to the day worker corner and finds some other brothers still hanging out says then why don't you come work and I'll pay you what's right goes back at noon finds some more goes back at 3:00 and find some more goes back at 5:00 p.m. with only one hour left find some brothers at the day worker corner and ask them why y'all still stand-in here their responses ain't nobody chose us nobody thought we were worthy so he says come on go to work for me and I'll pay you what's right so on the vineyard you got the six o'clock crowd you got the nine o'clock crowd you got the noon crowd you got the three crowd and you got the five pm crowd have I lost you yet everybody's working bell rings at six o'clock the workday is over the owner tells us four men gather everybody together pay them what's right start with the last make your way to the first start with the five o'clock crowd then pay the three o'clock crowd then pay the noon crowd then pay the nine o'clock crowd and save the six o'clock crowd for last the ones who've been here the longest pay them last five pm crowd steps up and to their surprise they are given a Denarius somebody say a day's wages they get a full day's wages this crowd ain't been working but for one hour they sweat no calluses on their hand they own a mistake they've been working for one hour when a six o'clock crowd sees it they don't fuss because they start to do like Peter they begin to think in their mind well if the five o'clock crowd got a Denarius after everything we've done all the work we've been doing twelve hours in the heat of the day they tell themselves Bonus Time they step up to get paid to their dismay their displeasure and their disgust they are given a Denarius somebody say a day's wages and all hell broke loose they went to HR they filed a complaint at EEOC and went to the Department of Labor they formed a union they went on strike they began to pick at the landowner for his unfair wage treatment because this ain't fair there's no way we worked all day long and these jokers who just showed up go get everything we got that's not fair there's some of you you little bit holier than I am if you were in this text you you would argue that that's just the right of the owned all I'm with the six o'clock crowd God that that bad that that ain't fair all I've been doing all I've been working that's not fair we are raised with an instinctive awareness of when things ain't fair if you were ever raised with siblings you know when something is not fair shellie we have an expectation of equality I want the playing field to be level I live by a rule what's good for the goose is good for the gander I expect my good to be rewarded and I expect your evil to be punished and you are intimately aware of when the playing field a level you know right away when you've not been treated fairly and I don't like it when life a fair especially when I'm dealing with God have you ever experienced God being a little unfair let's not know you don't want to you want a shower cuz you really want your neighbor to believe you are Holy Ghost field that you've never had a problem with God that you wake up hallelujah every day so on behalf of the real folk let me just tell you they've been some times I filed a complaint with God God that ain't fair I'm trying to do right and I keep coming up short that ain't fair i tithe and you don't answer my prayer that that ain't that ain't the agreement we had I come to church every Sunday and I still didn't get the job that ain't fair Lord I'm trying to do right I'm nice to folk on him like I love on people I forgive folk when I really want to slap them Lord I don't custard folk the way I used to and everything I've done for you god I expect you to do better by me Lord this ain't fair it ain't fair that I've lived right I run I'm a vegan and cancer still knocked on my door have you ever want to tell God that ain't fair only to find out that we don't serve a fair god they're upset because the land note is not fair and Jesus is trying to push a lesson to Peter and the disciples to let us know we don't worship a fair God and how are you gonna complain and be upset with the God that you worship here here's the problem the parable is meant to teach us that the 6 a.m. crowd has some real fundamental problems their first problem is that when they've worked and they see the crowd get 5 5 p.m. crowd giving a Denarius this was the Bible says they expected to receive more in their mind they began counting up all the things they have done and they reached the place that is dangerous in life to reach believing that the landowner owes you something can I tell you what messes up every Christian life a sense of entitlement reaching a space and place in life where you believe there's some things God has to do for you look at all the times I've come to church look at all the times I praised when I didn't feel like it look and all the choir rehearsals I've been in in 60 years singing in one choir God you owe me something I've been to faithful I've been to religious I've been to righteous God you owe me for all that I've done and that's what happens when you start getting frustrated and complaining with God and looking at all the things you have done in the back of your mind you're saying God you owe me something allow me to tell you the problem with the 6 a.m. crowd because it might be your problem the 6 a.m. crowd feels entitled but here's the problem the master says to them didn't we agree on this as 6 a.m. when I hired you I said you work 12 hours I'll pay your Denarius and you said cool so really all you did was what you were supposed to do hear me there's no extra credit trophy for doing what you're supposed to do you God doesn't owe you cuz you came to church you're supposed to come to church when you give your life to the Lord doesn't owe you because you said Amen when the preacher said saying man you saw a man as good as God has been to you you don't get credit for forgiving somebody their sins you're supposed to forgive there's God has forgiven you can I tell you something a Christian who believes God owes them it's kind of like a dad who wants credit cuz he say he take care of his kids ain't nobody gonna clap for you cuz you take care of your kids Negro you're supposed to take care of your kids you're just doing what you're supposed to do you're supposed to worship you're supposed to pray you're supposed to tithe you're supposed to trust God you're supposed to be kind that's what you signed up for and it's dangerous to reach a place where you think God owes you when what the parable really teaches is that God can never oh you anything because God is giving you everything you own how can your little religious list of what you've done what ministry you in what Sunday School class you went to how does that compare to what God has done for you okay I I know you wouldn't get it so let me break it down what a little story they go a little something like this every every day I take my kids to the bus stop and they've got to be at the bus stop between 6:30 and 6:45 it's her early start I need to know that early in the morning they're two things I need prayer and coffee sometimes the coffee comes before the prayer I'm just gonna be honest with you I need coffee and don't don't talk to me - I've had coffees I'm just not an I'm not I'm not a pleasant person until I've had coffee so when I take the boys early in the morning there there's a there's a convenience store right there with bus stop in 7-eleven and I like getting coffee from 7-eleven because I like 7-eleven coffee I don't like Starbucks Starbucks is nasty 7-eleven has good coffee and and and I pull up I've got the boys in the car I pull up and I want to go get some coffee and I know the coffee cost a dollar and fifty seven cent how do I know because I get it every time I go I know sixteen ounces of 7-eleven coffee is one dollar and fifty seven cents the problem is I've gotten in the car and I don't have my wallet on me and I realized there's not enough change in the ashtray to get a dollar and fifty seven cent to get some coffee now I look at my two sons and I say do any of you all have two $2 bills to give your daddy I know they have it because I've given them the money that's in their wallet so mark I asked them do y'all have money I looked in the back cupric like he's sleep so I turn the deuce I said listen this man give me two dollars so I'm gonna get some coffee he's got an attitude about us give me two dollars you know I need my coffee give me two dollars he reaches in his wallet he reluctantly pulls out two dollars then I know I've given him I go in the store I buy my coffee for a dollar fifty seven cent and keep the change I figure that's what he do with me that's what I'm do to him so I get back in the car that's coffee and he has a visible attitude he is visibly upset and so I ask him what's wrong I know what's wrong but I want to hear it come out his mouth I want to hear him tell me what I already know I said son what's wrong - this early in the morning he had the nerd look back and say now you all need two dollars I was waiting for it to come out this is an opportunity for me to teach you a very valuable lesson I said son there is no way in the world I owe you two dollars he said yes you do I said well let me run it down for you huh that money in your wallet I gave it to you the clothes you are wearing I bought them the food in your stomach I paid for it the Jordans on your feet daddy bought those the Bears who slept in I provided it there's no way I owe you when I gave you everything can I preach to somebody how can god oh you anything when God gave you everything would you touch somebody tell him you Oh God when when the owner sees that they're wrestling with entitlements watch what he does he matches their entitlement with his sovereignty so he says he sees them wrestling with entitlement so watch what he says can't I do what I want to do with gonna send you with my money now anybody groaned that earns knows that when you use the phrase my money you letting everybody around you know this is my money and I'm gonna do what I wanna do with my own money and when you say that what you're really telling them is I don't have to do anything with my money for you and that's what God is pressing upon us when we feel entitled God said listen I know you don't have everything you want but know this I didn't have to do anything for you I didn't have to choose you I didn't have to wake you up I didn't have to answer your prayer God didn't have to do it ooh but I'm so glad he did I'm so glad he woke me up I'm so glad he blessed me I'm so glad he chose me hey God he did what he didn't have to do so listen listen don't be entitled cuz I didn't have to do anything the second problem that six o'clock crowd has not only are they entitled but they are comparing themselves to the five o'clock crowd let me tell you some I'm gonna cut across field and make this real simple nothing good comes from comparing yourself with someone else I'm saying again nothing good can ever come by you comparing yourself to somebody else they say third time's harm nothing can good can come from you comparing yourself to somebody else watch watch watch out demonic this mindset is Kevon the six o'clock crowd isn't really upset that the five o'clock crowd get paid they're upset that the five o'clock crowd got paid what they got paid it's not that you have is that you have what I have privilege is always threatened by equality primping privilege says I don't mind if you get paid just don't get paid equally across gender lines as I do privilege says I don't mind y'all getting in just to let as many of y'all get in as we in privilege says I don't mind you climbing up the ladder as long as I'm ahead of you on the ladder they're privileged and they're threatened by the Equality so what should they do y'all this in the Texas in the text when privilege is threatened by equality when the six o'clock crowd doesn't like that the five o'clock crowds be treated equally watch what they want to do now they want to change the agreement this what was written but when privilege is threatened by equality it wants to change the law when privilege is challenged by equality they change voter ID laws when privilege is threatened by equality it's got to change the composition of the Supreme Court because whenever privilege is threatened by equality there are legal consequences because privilege doesn't like you being equal and here's the demonic part can i push this I mean I'm out here deep water now here it is the the dangerous part of the demonic part is that the five o'clock crowd paid did not affect the six a.m. pay at all what we got didn't challenge you at all do you know how to Manik your mind has to be for you to be upset with somebody else being blessed when their blessing didn't threaten your house at all people who are upset by your being blessed operate on to one of the deepest dangerous philosophical under guardians of privilege that I came by to preach to you about and it's called the economy of scarcity it's this belief that there's only but so much and if you get bigger slice that means my slice has to be less and so they are offended by you getting because they believe that you're getting is at their expense but I came by to tell you we don't serve a scarce God we don't serve a God who is limited we don't serve a god who's restricted God ain't on a budget God can do whatever God wants to do and God blessing you does not threaten me God is not limited can I prove it to you right here in the text I've always wrestled CJ with why the landowner after hiring folk at six went back at 9:00 at noon at 3:00 and at 5:00 it would make sense that a six o'clock he would have hired everybody he needs why is he going back at 9:00 at noon at 3:00 and at 5:00 somebody says good question can't tell you why he goes back to hire some more folk because his land is big enough for anybody he wants to hire to be able to work and to provide our God is so big and our God is so large and our God is so unlimited that God can bless whomever God wants to bless and work with whomever God wants to use just to stop comparing yourself nothing good comes from comparing yourself because the truth be told you really don't know what you're comparing yourself to come come come here you don't know what's behind that makeup you don't know where that Mercedes goes at night [Applause] that ring may be a fool you don't know and the real question is to whom were you comparing yourself Michael if you compare yourself to Jeff besos you are broken if you compare yourself to that homeless vet who's out in the corner asking for some change you realize you're blessed if you compare yourself to that young hem of that young her yeah you got problems by day you take a walk through the oncology ward at Walter Reed Memorial you see I'm blessed so watch what the owner does when he sees their entitlement he reminds them of his sovereignty when he sees they're comparing themselves he reminds him that he's faithful listen what he says he said didn't I say to you that if you work the whole day I would give you one Denarius I did what I said and the problem is you are forgetting how faithful I am to you because you're looking at what I'm doing with somebody else you're so concerned with what's happening over there you forgot to thank me that I'm faithful to you [Applause] but love it let me tell you what that's so important because I believe too often we complain because we hold God to the payment of a promise God never made god never promised you that you wouldn't have any trouble but he did promise all things would work together for your good god never promised that you wouldn't have any enemies and haters in your life but he did promise that no weapon for him to get you would prosper god never promised you would get everything you prayed for but he did promise he meet all your needs according to his riches and glory that their work in Christ Jesus god never promised you everything would come quick and easy but he did promise you that they then went on the Lord shall renew their strength god never promised you that you'd never have a bad day but he did promise you morning by morning new mercies you would see and somebody every now and then you oughta pause and just thank God that he's been faithful I don't know what he's doing with you but I know he's been faithful with me he did what he said he fulfilled his word does anybody know we serve a faithful God somebody holler he's faithful ok I got to go I got to go to the 11:30 crowd doesn't like you when we go late this crowd is entitled so they see his sovereignty they're comparing so they witnessed his faithfulness and here's the third problem with the 6 a.m. crowd and I pray I ain't talking about you right now the third problem that caused him to complain but they were flat-out ungrateful the 6 a.m. crowd lost sight of what the 5 p.m. crowd knew because remember when the owner goes and fires the 5 p.m. crowd he asked them a simple question why y'all still sitting here and this is their answer nobody chose us nobody saw anything in us worth wild people didn't see the value we could bring nobody believed we could work they looked at us and they rejected us we're sitting here because nobody's chosen us and so when the master chooses them and the master pays them this five o'clock crowd is off or happy because they remember where their life was a few hours ago they remember what it was like to be sitting and nobody knew their value they knew what it was like to be out there and everybody it rejected them they knew it was like for nobody would want to pay them nobody cared about them nobody had any use for them and when they saw that the master had chosen them because of grace all they can do is get happy and every now and then yo six o'clock self needs to have a five o'clock moment when you recognize that if God hadn't chosen me if the Lord hadn't blessed me if the Lord hadn't provided for me I wouldn't have anything at all I thank God for what I do have because if it had not been for the Lord on my side so watch watch what the master says I'm done thank you for saying Amen he sees that they're ungrateful so he reminds them he's generous but an artist he says are you really mad cuz I'm generous are you complaining because I'm gracious are you trippin cuz I'm not fair y'all I'm gonna tell you without a shadow of a doubt I'm absolutely certain I don't want God to be fair I'm almost 100% certain I don't want God to be fair you don't feel me let me break it down with a story that goes a little something like this in the fall of 1991 Kevin I I submitted an application for the orientation process for cap alphas on fraternity incorporated it was or orientation process and and I knew was gonna be arduous the brothers gave us together the ten of us that were going through the process and they said listen you got to be careful of the classes you take this semester while you're going through the orientation process because because Siobhan your evenings are gonna be preoccupied they may you you you won't be a little busy from midnight to 3:00 in the morning for quite some time and so from midnight to 3:00 in the morning for seven weeks six days 23 hours 37 minutes and 10 seconds yeah yeah uh-huh I was preoccupied in the evenings and so they told us listen don't take hard classes while you're going through the orientation process because your evenings are occupied if you won't have as much time to study that material as the other material you gonna have to learn so I decided to take some of the easy class and you know within every College there are some classes that everybody's told you these are the easy aids right the Duke we call them classes like cribs CRB because they're for babies there's just easy classes so I'm looking in my engineering major and I didn't find any crib plasm I did find one in the liberal arts school called Theatre of Africa and the Caribbean dr. Edward Hill was teaching theatre of don't that sound easy don't it that just that sound sound like he's a theatre of Africa and the Caribbean and he was a brother so I figured hey this is a good fit right Theatre of Africa in the crib room and so I went to him before the class started to listen dr. Hill I will let you know that that I'm gonna be low stress this semester I am I'm in the tation process of Kappa Psi Fraternity incorporated my evenings gonna be a little occupied but I'm so excited to take theater of Africa and the Caribbean ain't got nothing to do with my major but hey I'm taking theater of Africa in the Caribbean because it's a easy aid I went to that semester finished my orientation process and found out at the end of that semester the dr. hill had given me a b-minus and I'm furious about my b-minus I am NOT a b-minus student you can look at my academic resume and know that I'm not a b-minus student so tempore I set up a meeting to go talk to dr. hill and I wore my new jacket yes I did you know I had Kevin I wore that thing every day everywhere I went yeah I would I wanted him to know I'd finished my orientation process so I sat down with him and he's a brother so we're talking and I said dr. Hill listening you knew I was going through the orientation process and you knew I needed a good grade and you gave me a b-minus I don't think that's fair I said we need to talk about my grade he said Howard Jon you are correct the b-minus is not fair let's sit down and go over your grade so he pulled out the attendance huh he said mr. Wesley you have missed four classes that dropped agree to a be automatically I said this is not going the way I thought it was going to go he said there are three classes you slept in all the way through because your evenings are preoccupied so that drops our grade to a seed he said there was a paper due that you turned in late and miss the extension so that dropped it to a c-minus do you want me to keep being fair I said no you don't have to be fair you know what I'll just take my b-minus and get on out the way and every now and then I thank God that God is not fair if God was fair I'd be out of my mind if God was fair I'd be in a hospital somewhere I'm gonna take whatever God gave me and thank him for the life I live do me a favor nothing buddy Tom take your b-minus and keep on moving take I thank God that he's not fair but he is sovereign he is faithful and he is gracious so Lord I make a commitment to you in this space - stop complaining - stop comparing and to stop being frustrated because you really have been better to me than I deserve you didn't have to do it but you did and you've done what you said you were going to do you are faithful no God you're beyond gracious and I'm grateful that you're not fair in Jesus name amen listen this is a moment that we Revere in church where we extend an invitation for someone to come and say yes to Jesus Christ for someone to join our church family we don't believe that God just brought you here on accident to watch worship and have a good time but the God is doing something your life that starts today but it doesn't end today so if you're here and you desire to become a member of our church or even better to open your heart to the love and the lordship of Jesus this is your invitation to come to the altar

Channel: Alfred Street Baptist Church

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Keywords: Alfred Street Baptist Church, 2019, Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley, #asbc, #thestreet, #thealfredstreet, #pastorhjw, An Unfair God, #anunfairgod

Id: Aqq0p_XlfbA

Length: 41min 31sec (2491 seconds)

Published: Wed May 29 2019