hidden page for editing transcript

A blessed Christmas to every one of you. Today the world celebrates Christmas, whether they understand the meaning of Christmas or not. Christmas is a time whereby people remember the birth of the Savior of the world. No one knows for sure when Jesus was born. Christmas is a day the early Christians have set aside to commemorate the great reality that God became a man. The word Christmas is made up of two words: Christ and Mass. The word Christ means the Anointed One or the Messiah, a reference to Jesus. The word Mass is a Latin word which was used to refer to the Eucharist, a special service to remember the body and blood of Jesus.

So on this special occasion known as Christmas, the early Christians would gather together, just as we have gathered together, to remember the body and sacrifice of Christ, how He became a man to come into this world, ultimately to die on the cross of Calvary, shedding His precious blood to save His people from their sins. Sometimes people use the short form Xmas, and it does not necessarily take Christ out of Christmas because the first letter of the Greek word for Christ is X. But sadly today, the world is desperately trying to remove Christ from Christmas, replacing Him with Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and worldly celebrations.

In most worship services during this Christmas season, churches all over the world preach messages about Christ's birth. And what better way to be reminded of Christ's birth than to hear the story being told by Jesus Himself? Therefore, I have chosen a text spoken by our Lord Jesus, known as the Parable of the Wicked Tenants, taken from Matthew 21:33-46. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.

The title of our message is "God Sent His Son." This morning we want to learn how the story of Christ's birth is applied to our lives. There are four points in our message, and our first point is the story. Notice Jesus began in verse 33 by saying, “Hear another parable.” In the original Greek, there are different terms for the word “another.” It can be “another of the same kind” or “another of a different kind.” For example, the Apostle Paul spoke about the false teachers who preach “another gospel,” which is of a different kind. Here it is “another parable of the same kind” because, in the preceding verses, Jesus spoke a parable which was the Parable of the Two Sons. In other words, the Parable of the Wicked Tenants was just like the Parable of the Two Sons. It was “another parable of the same kind.” There is this connection between these two parables: the Parable of the Two Sons and the Parable of the Wicked Tenants, or Husbandmen—you can call them farmers. Both parables have to do with the vineyard, but more importantly, both parables have to do with judgment.

There is a progression from the first parable to the second. In the first parable, the fault of the second son was his hypocrisy. He gave the impression that he was obedient, he was religious, he loved his father, but in reality, he did not. In this second parable, it was more than just hypocrisy; it was wickedness. You see, Jesus was speaking to the religious leaders at the time, and their hearts were so hardened with evil that He went beyond hypocrisy into wickedness. They murdered the landowner’s son, who was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is a very simple parable. The householder is God, the son is Jesus, the servants are the prophets, the husbandmen are the Jews, all the religious leaders. The vineyard is God’s Kingdom. It is an easy, self-explanatory parable. The question is, how can we apply this parable to our lives? This is what we want to learn from this morning's message.

Let us hear how Jesus shared this story. “There was a certain householder which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.” In those days, it was common for a landowner or householder to take a portion of his land and rent it out to tenants. This particular landowner had invested a great deal into his land. He planted a vineyard and protected it against wild animals and robbers by building a hedge around it. He built a winepress for all the grapes to be crushed into juice and a tower for the tenants to watch for intruders as well as to store their goods. In a sense, this landowner had blessed the tenants with great resources, provisions, and protection.

Therefore, it was only right and proper for the landowner to expect to receive a certain portion of the fruits that were produced from the land. That was precisely what he did. “And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.” The only right thing for the tenants to do was to give him a certain portion of the crops, and they could keep the remainder for themselves. Not a very difficult thing to do, but they did not do that.

Verse 35 tells us, “And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.” Again, he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did unto them likewise. That was a very wicked thing to do. But notice the progression of the wickedness. Initially, they started by beating the servants, then they killed. The word “killed” there means to kill instantly and immediately, and finally, they stoned, which implies a very slow and painful death.

This is exactly how sin works. It always starts small and gradually escalates into other wickedness. At the beginning, people will try to play hide and seek with their sins. They will feel ashamed of the things they are doing; they will try to hide their sins. But then they will grow much bolder and will not attempt to hide their sins anymore. Finally, they will not only sin blatantly but will also boast about their sins. That is why the only way to deal with sin is to nip it in the bud. Do not even let it start; otherwise, it will surely grow.

But the landowner was very gracious. He continuously sent servant after servant. Throughout Old Testament history, we have read how God sent prophets after prophets to preach to the Israelites. They not only rejected those prophets, but they also killed those prophets. Traditionally, it was believed that the people took the prophet Isaiah and cut him in half with a wooden saw. They took the prophet Jeremiah, threw him into a pit, and stoned him. They rejected Ezekiel, Amos had to run for his life, Zechariah was stoned, and Micah was smashed in the face. The list goes on and on.

That was why Jesus said in Luke 11:51, “From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zechariah, which perished between the altar and the temple.” Before the temple was built, the offerings were sacrificed on the altar. So, between the altar and the temple was a long period of time. During this long period, there were so many prophets that they had killed and stoned to death. And Jesus went on to say, “Verily I say unto you, it shall be required of this generation.” Because this would be the generation during Christ’s time who would kill the only begotten Son.

Some people may ask, “Is it truly unbelievable why the landowner or householder would do that, allowing his servants to be killed one after another?” Well, this is how gracious, merciful, and patient our God is. Remember 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” That is our God’s desire: that people will repent of their sins and come to believe in Jesus for salvation.

“But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, ‘They will reverence my son.’” Finally, the landowner said, “I’m going to send my son.” The word “reverence” means to turn around. Surely the people will feel so ashamed of what they are doing, and they will turn around. Surely they will respect my son. They will turn around when they see my son. Do you really think so?

Look on to verse 38. “But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize upon his inheritance.’” And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. In other words, they knew exactly who he was. This was the landowner’s son. They planned the murder; it was premeditated. In our modern language, we would say it is first-degree murder. That was exactly what the Jews and the religious leaders did to our Lord Jesus.

But let us pause for a moment and be reminded of this fact: When Jesus was telling this parable, in two days’ time, they would crucify Him on the cross. Isn’t it amazing that just prior to Christ’s death, two days before His death, He said this? He not only knew that the Jews had killed the prophets of old, but He also knew that they would ultimately kill Him. And yet, He was still willing to come. This is the supreme love of our God. Jesus Christ came for this very purpose. He knew that ultimately He would be killed. Without His death and the shedding of His blood, none of us can be saved. He came for this very purpose.

Maybe we are tempted to think that this

parable only applies to the religious leaders, to the Jews during those days. This parable is not only applicable to them; it is just as applicable to us as well. If Jesus were to speak to us today, what would He say to us? Think about it. Has God not blessed us like the Israelites were blessed with the land? Has God not protected us and our families like the way He built a hedge around the vineyard? Has God not provided for all our needs like the way He watered and cared for the land? Is it not right and proper for God to expect to receive fruits from us, as in spiritual fruits: the fruits of repentance, the fruits of righteousness, and so forth?

Has God not sent preachers of the preachers to minister to us? Preachers leave; they die. Other preachers will be raised up, and they will minister the word of God to us. We may not have physically killed the preachers like the Jews who have killed the prophets of old, but have we not treated God’s preachers with little respect? Have we not listened to those messages and walked away, not obeying those words? Have we not ignored those messages? Some would even attack the messengers verbally. We may not have been faithful any more than the Israelites were. It is very true. That is why this parable would apply to us today.

What do you think God would do to those people who take His grace, mercy, and blessings for granted? That was the question Jesus asked those who were listening to this parable. He could have answered or given the answer Himself, but yet He turned to those people whom He was accusing and asked them, “What will the landowner do when he returns?”

This brings us to our second point: the response. Look at verse 40. “When the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?” They say unto Him, “He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.” They were correct, 100 percent. In fact, that was the only answer anyone could give. However, they did not realize that in giving the right answer, they were pronouncing their own condemnation. Notice there were two things that the Lord or the landowner would do. Two things: firstly, there would be a judgment; He will miserably destroy those wicked men. Secondly, there would be a replacement; He will let out His vineyard unto other husbandmen.

Take note of these two things; we'll come back to that. So there will be a judgment and a replacement. This will be our third and fourth points.

Verse 42: “Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner; this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” It is like a slap to the face of the religious leaders. You say you know the scriptures; you are knowledgeable of the scriptures. Do you not know this one, this one that is written in Psalm 118:22-23? Did you miss out this one? In those days, the builders, as they built a building, needed a cornerstone. It was the most important stone in the entire building. It was the foundation. Once the foundation was laid, it would set the angles for the walls, and it would also draw the line for the entire building: where it would be built, which direction it would face, how it would be shaped. So the cornerstone was very important.

This cornerstone was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter, when he preached in the city of Jerusalem in Acts 4:10-11, said this: “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by Him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.” The cornerstone which the Jews had rejected will be restored to be the head of the corner.

What does it mean? The rejected cornerstone was the crucified Christ. The response cornerstone is the resurrected Christ, whom God had raised from the grave. All this is the Lord’s doing, and when we hear this, it is so marvelous to our eyes, to our ears.

Please do not think that Jesus was surprised or caught off guard when He was despised, rejected, crucified, and raised from the grave. Most certainly not. Jesus Himself said this, “No man taketh it from me. I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (John 10:18).

So what happened when the Jews rejected Christ? There would be the judgment. Verse 44: “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; and on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” In other words, Jesus was telling the people, “You could have been part of my kingdom and grow in me and be a blessing on this earth, but you stood against me, you rejected me, and you will be broken. You will be crushed to powder.” All God needed to do was simply to take away the hedge of protection. Remember, as He built this vineyard, He also built the hedge to protect it. All God needed to do was just to remove His hand of protection. When God did that, the enemies would flood in and crush the Israelites. That was precisely what happened in A.D. 70, when God’s hand of protection was removed. Roman General Titus came into Jerusalem and destroyed the entire city, including the temple. The people were killed, and the rest were dispersed throughout the whole world for nearly 2,000 years.

But what happened after the judgment of the Israelites? Remember, there was a judgment and there was a replacement. Look at verse 43: “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” What nation is this?

1 Peter 2:9 gives us the answer: “But ye, the believers, the church, are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

My friends, this is where you and I have a part to play if we are true believers. The church is the holy nation. They will bring forth praises of God. The church will bring forth the fruits of repentance, the fruit of righteousness, and all other spiritual fruits that the Jews had failed to produce.

You know, this is the wisdom of God. The rejection of the Jews has turned into the salvation of the Gentiles, for you and for me today. When we trace the roots of our salvation, take a moment and think about it—how we were once aliens and strangers to the Almighty God. Our forefathers were either worshippers of false gods or pagans. We were outside the kingdom of God.

How was it possible for us to believe in Jesus Christ? It is all the Lord's doing. He has turned the rejection and judgment of the Jews into the salvation of the Gentiles. But the day will come, according to Romans chapters 9 to 11, when the last Gentile has come into God's kingdom. All Israel will be saved. They will repent and they will cry out to the one whom they have pierced, and they will call out to Him as the Savior of the world.

But until then, the Gentiles will continue to come into God's kingdom. In other words, Jesus was saying to the Jews: "You have been blessed with the knowledge. You have been blessed with my protection, my provision. You have seen my miracles, heard my teachings, experienced my goodness, and yet you still do not believe me. You have lost the right to be in my kingdom, to be put into this place of blessing. I will pluck you out and I will give my kingdom to a people who were once not my people—the Gentiles—and they will produce the spiritual fruits that you have failed to produce."

Let us not think for a moment that, as believers, we do not care about the way we live our lives. There are some people who think that as long as they are saved, they can live any way they want. Listen carefully to what Jesus said: "My kingdom will be given to a nation or a people bringing forth the fruits thereof." This means it is expected of you and me to produce spiritual fruits.

If we do not produce spiritual fruits in our lives, there are only two possibilities. Firstly, we may not be believers in the first place. We may be like the Israelites who have deceived ourselves. True believers will and must produce fruits. Secondly, perhaps we may be true believers, but we are rebellious and disobedient. God the Father will chastise us so that we will produce fruit. Remember Jesus said in John 15 about the branches attached to the vine that the Father would purge the branches. The Father would prune the branches so that they would produce fruit. When the Father purges us, it can be very painful, but it is necessary so that you and I will produce fruit.

So, my friends, let us not play the fool with God's grace. When we are given the opportunity to be part of God's kingdom, it is a privilege. And with this privilege comes responsibility. When we are given the opportunity to serve God, when we are put into a place of blessing, when we have become a part of the church, if we do not understand this awesome responsibility and if we take God's grace for granted, what will happen? It will be removed from us. When that happens, it will be most tragic.

I'm not saying that we will lose our salvation. If we are true believers, we will not lose our salvation. But we will lose the blessings and the joy of our salvation. Sometimes, when we think about those people who walk away from the church or the ministry, we tend to think of them giving up on their own accord or because of some situations that may force them to give up. We say, "So and so is not happy, so he is no longer serving."

But has it ever dawned upon you? Has it ever occurred to you that it could be God Himself who says, "Enough is enough. You have lost the right to be in this place of blessing. I will pluck you out and replace you with someone else"? We must always bear in mind that it is a privilege to serve God, never a sacrifice, never a burden. No one is really irreplaceable in the Lord's ministry—no one, not the pastor, not the elder, nor the deacons, or any other fellowship leaders. God removes, He replaces.

The sad reality is that some people will never understand. Like the religious leaders, they knew that Jesus was talking about them. As verse 45 says, "And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard His parables, they perceived that He spake of them." They knew He was referring to them. He was so clear. Did they repent? No. Their hearts were so hardened that verse 46 tells us, "But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitude, because they took Him for a prophet." They were more afraid of the people than of God Himself.

What about you, my friends? Are you fearful of the people more than you are fearful of God? You know this is the truth, this is the Word of God. This is the right thing to do. But if you obey and do it, you will lose your friends, you will lose your popularity, you will lose the support of the people. Will you still stand for the truth, or are you fearful of no man but only God alone?

Well, my friends, this is the Christmas story, told by our Lord Jesus. Can you see how your life and my life are related to it? God sent prophets to preach to the people in the Old Testament. They rejected those prophets, killed them, and stoned them to death. Finally, God sent His only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. And true enough, they not only rejected Him but crucified Him on the cross of Calvary. Because of their rejection, they were judged. They lost their right to be in God's kingdom. They were set aside for a period of time, and the kingdom of God was opened to the Gentiles, which include you and me.

Those who respond to the preaching of the gospel, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, are brought into His kingdom. And if we have truly been saved, if we are truly in the kingdom of God, then we must produce fruits in our lives—be it the fruits of repentance, the fruits of righteousness, and all other spiritual fruits. There must be fruits produced out of our lives.

Perhaps you are still an unbeliever lingering outside the kingdom of God. You have celebrated many Christmases, you have heard the story of Christ's birth again and again and again, and you have always been rejecting the message. You will be miserably destroyed; you will be crushed into powder like the people of old. Because without the Savior, the day will come when you die in your sins, and the wages of sin is death—not just physical death, but eternal death. For a million upon a million years, you will be in the lake of fire forever and ever.

Today is the day of salvation. Turn to the Lord Jesus and call out to Him: "Lord Jesus, I’m a sinner. I am totally lost. I cannot save myself. Only You alone can save me. It is only through Your death and the shedding of Your precious blood that I can be washed away from all my sins. Come, Lord Jesus, save me and come into my life as my only Lord and my only Savior." Jesus will say to you, "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."

Remember, even at the last moment of His time on this earth, when our Lord Jesus was hanging on the cross, the thief turned to Him and said, "Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom." Jesus said to him, "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." Even as our Lord was about to draw His last breath, He still reached out and saved a lost soul. When that happens, this will be the greatest Christmas you will ever celebrate in your entire life. The gift of salvation is the most precious gift. Let us pray.