MidTree Church
The sermon audio of MidTree Church in Harris County, Ga. BEHOLD // BELIEVE // BECOME
MidTree Church
Exploring Authority and Hope Through Faith | Pastor Will Hawk | January 26th, 2025
Authority and hope intersect in our latest discussion about the delicate balance between following God’s will and grappling with human authority. We encourage listeners to explore their feelings about authority while reflecting on the importance of recognizing God’s sovereignty in all aspects of life.
• Exploring personal experiences with authority figures
• Navigating the current perception of authority in society
• Questioning the stability of hope in changing times
• Analyzing Jesus' parable of the tenants and the vineyard
• Understanding reactions to authority: acceptance versus rebellion
• Reflecting on the grace offered to those who wrestle with authority
• Calling for a personal assessment of one’s own authority structures
If you want to learn more about the MidTree story or connect with us, go to our website HERE or text us at 812-MID-TREE.
Good morning Midtree. Please turn your Bibles to Luke 20, 1-13, which is on page 879 in your Pew Bibles. I'll give you guys a second to get there. That's Luke 20, 1-13. Through 13. Follow along as I read God's word.
Speaker 1:One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes, with the elders, came up and said to him tell us by what authority you do these things or who it is that gave you this authority. He answered them. I also will ask you a question Now tell me, was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? And they discussed it with one another, saying if we say from heaven, he will say why did you not believe him? But if we say from man, all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet. So they answered that they did not know where it came from. And Jesus said to them Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. And he began to tell the people this parable A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while.
Speaker 1:When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants so that they would give him some fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed and he sent him another servant. This is the word of the vineyard said what shall I do? This is the word of the Lord.
Speaker 2:Anna, thanks for reading, much appreciated. When I was a kid, the very first memories I have of authority would be my mom and my dad. I don't know how you could pick anything else of authority would be my mom and my dad. I don't know how you could pick anything else, but outside of my mom and my dad, there's one person that stands out in the early days as somebody who had authority over my life in a way that I did not particularly appreciate. Take a moment. You don't have to share this with anybody Outside of mom and dad.
Speaker 2:Who is the earliest authority you can remember in your life Could be aunt, uncle, grandma, teacher, coach. Who was it that spoke into your life, maybe in ways you liked, but occasionally in ways you did not? The first one I can remember was Miss Lee. Miss Lee was my kindergarten teacher and she would read books to us, and many of you will not be able to appreciate this. I was a public school guy growing up, and so we had these flip books, and the books didn't flip like this. You rolled the book in on a rail and it had these big. Do you really remember that, tiffany? I feel so young. You're nodding with me. You're just engaging with me, aren't you? Okay, all right, okay, cool. It had these big metal loops on it and you would have the title, because we didn't have digital stuff back then. You couldn't zoom, so if you wanted the whole class to see it, you had to make it big and she would read a page, and then I will never forget this motion, this, and that's when you would see the next page. So we would read a book, we would have lunch, and then Miss Lee would say children, it's nap time. This was the part of authority that Will did not particularly like, and we would walk across the room, we would get our nap mats, which were things that we used to have, and we would lay them out on the floor in the classroom. And Miss Lee said children, you can do one of two things, but only two things. You can take a nap or you can play. Does anybody know? You can play, okay, possum. That's what she would tell us. You can either take a nap or play possum. And she never explained to us what that was supposed to mean. It was years later when I was like oh, a possum plays dead. She was telling us either to be quiet or act dead. Those were the only like. That was all. I have no clue what Miss Lee did while we were playing dead or napping, but that is the first thing that I can think of when I think of an authority speaking into my life.
Speaker 2:Let me tell you why I bring that up, because right now in America, all of us, in some capacity, are dealing with our feelings toward authority. By the way, this next question is rhetorical. I don't want you to answer this out loud. This is not a town hall. I do not want your political thoughts in this forum. However, regardless of what you were feeling in November, it is without a doubt that in the past seven days or so, our nation has shifted direction in a lot of different ways. Top-down authority, I think more executive orders in one week than had ever been done. Regardless of your feelings on that and I'll be happy to talk to you about it this is in the context.
Speaker 2:Here is a reality. Everyone in America who has picked up a newspaper, opened an app or done anything to be in the news probably has a thought toward authority. How is it being used? Is it being used wisely? Is it being used poorly? And when you look at that, here is my question to you has your hope increased or decreased in the past week? Don't answer out loud. Has your hope increased or decreased?
Speaker 2:Follow-up question Should a Christian's hope ever increase or decrease? Now I am intentionally wanting to put you on the defensive. I'm intentionally wanting you to say no, there are reasons I should be more hopeful today or less hopeful today than I used to. I want you to feel that okay, but I still want you to wrestle with this question Should a Bible believing in the sovereign authority of God over all things, all places, all people in all time, should that person's hope ever move one way or the other? The reason I want you to feel slightly defensive right now is because what we're about to read everybody's defensive, everybody's defensive. The people are defensive, the religious leaders are defensive. Jesus is defensive, albeit in a non-sinful, righteous way. Welcome to a very defensive Sunday at church in Luke, chapter 20.
Speaker 2:Martin Luther, as we think about authority, would remind us of this. The question of authority is the battle of every age. That is no different now than it was three months ago, 30 years ago or 300 years ago or 3,000 years ago. The question of authority is the battle of every age. When Christ speaks, which, at Midtree, we believe is left-covered or right-covered Scripture. His word alone stands. The challenge is not whether his authority exists, but whether our hearts are willing to bow to it.
Speaker 2:Now, everything that Anna read to you came from somewhere. We haven't been in the book of Luke for a while, and so I wanted to show you how is it that we exactly got here. This is Luke, chapter 19 that I have on the screen. I know you can't read it, but this is what Luke 19 would have walked us through. We would have seen Jesus and Zacchaeus. We would have seen this rich man say money and power has been my authority, but now, christ, you and you alone are. He would have wrestled with people who put their trust in the things of this world in the parable of the 10 minus.
Speaker 2:And then, historically, we have the triumphal entry Jesus comes into Jerusalem. Hosanna, hosanna praises in the highest. Throw down your coats, throw down palm branches. The king has come. Don't miss this. The very next thing Jesus talks about is authority, as days before this is so cool. Days before, everybody looked at Jesus and said you are the authority, you are king over all, and moments later they would turn and they would yell crucify him. So somehow, between the triumphal entry, jesus weeping over the fact that what's coming out of their mouths is not what's written on their heart, and then proving it to them by kicking over tables at church which would be the best coloring sheet you could ever have in kids' ministry Jesus begins this teaching.
Speaker 2:Now, he doesn't just begin this teaching. Luke points to it as just another day, one day. Now. This one day lives between palm branches and arms being spread out. That's where this one normal day lives, and in this one normal day, jesus was teaching the people in the temple. He was preaching something. Now, I don't want you to miss this, because it's what every Christian is called to preach. Whether you ever stand behind one of these things, whether you ever stand behind a music, stand, stand in front of it. If you are a Christian, this is what you are called to preach the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. And while he's there, three groups of people walk up to him chief priests, scribes and elders. By the way, these three things would be the leaders of the entire synagogue and church. This would be the group of people that are in charge. They define worship and they deliver worship. This is what they do. And Jesus shows up and starts preaching the gospel and they have a couple of questions. Hey, let's talk about authority. How are you doing these things? Who gave you the authority? Let's talk about this authority. Who do you think you are? Is basically what they are saying. First thing that we see is that Jesus preached the gospel.
Speaker 2:Thomas is not wrong. I tell you guys to use your phones all the time. It might be because, as a teenager and a young adult, I was not allowed to use my phone in church and I sat there saying, but it's such a good resource, I'm not about to do something sinful at church. That's the stuff you do outside of church, right? So I always like, wanted to be able to enjoy and use technology. Here's what I'd like for you guys to do Grab your phones and the reason I. You can type in this website, twowaystolivecom, or you can scan the QR code. I'm about to pull it up on the screen for you. I'm deviating for a moment from Luke 20. And let me tell you why you, why Every Christian, no excuse, no exception.
Speaker 2:Every Christian needs to be able to tell the gospel to people. Gospel simply means good news. Every Christian needs to be able to say can I tell you the good news of Jesus? Can I tell you what he has done in my life? Are there people that are going to be more gifted at it than others? Yes. Are there people that are going to be more gifted at it than others? Yes. Are there people that are going to be more personable and warmer, less whatever, rigid, frigid, whatever? Yes, but please don't buy into the lie. The enemy would love for you to believe that you know what you're just not the gospel sharing type. Every Christian is expected by God's word to be able to do this. So let me show you this is the website, if you guys went there, and what you'll see two ways to live. This is my favorite way to share the gospel with folks.
Speaker 2:If I pull something out, and this is what Jesus would have been teaching at church that day, he would have been teaching that God is the good ruler and creator of all things. Now I want you to follow this crown and all of the images that follow. God is the good ruler and creator. He created all things, but we rebelled against God. We ignored his authority. This is why I'm pointing to this and why Jesus was probably preaching the gospel this day, knowing the conversation that was about to follow. And yet we looked at the rule of God and we decided you know what, your crown may be bigger, you may be wiser, you may see more, but, honestly, I know better for my life what I need, what I want, what I desire. And we fashioned crowns for ourselves. Those were crowns of sin, rebellion, pride and arrogance, that we knew how to navigate a world we never created in bodies, we never designed in minds, we did not knit together.
Speaker 2:And yet God is just. He still remains king, whether we accept it or see it or not. And for that reason, god, to be just, must bring about justice. And there were two ways that he could do it. He could place that justice on you for your sin, which would be eternal separation and damnation from him, or he could provide a substitute he could send his own son to die. He would put his own son under his own authority, under his own punishment, under his own wrath, to die for us. Why? So that Jesus would pay the penalty and in so doing he would rise from the dead?
Speaker 2:Why, to put on display that his sacrifice was accepted, to show that he's got the receipts for his payment, that death cannot hold him the punishment of sin, and he becomes the risen ruler and savior, which then gives every person that ever has, is or will live one of two ways to live Are you going to carry the little crown that you have given yourself, or will you take it off for the one who put a very different crown on himself than he deserved, so that you can receive a love, mercy and grace that you did not? This is what Jesus would have been preaching, but instead of pointing this way, he would have been pointing this way, and the only individual who ever had the right to do so. This would be the gospel that Jesus was preaching, and as he was doing this, I would just remind you who was there Every single religious leader. They were the ones who were in control, and they have questions. Pause for a minute. It's not an unfair question, sort of and that sort of should be underlined, highlighted and italicized.
Speaker 2:If somebody walks in that door and they say, hey, will, I don't know you, you don't know me, but I've got a Bible and I've got a word Would it be appropriate for me to put someone I have no clue who they are what they believe, how they understand the gospel, what they believe about God's word in front of you and say go. Would that be appropriate or wise for me to do? No, it wouldn't okay. Does that mean the Holy Spirit could never do that and make it very apparent that needed to happen? Absolutely, holy Spirit can do what he wants to do. These guys are looking at Jesus, they're in charge and he walks in and he's about to teach and they basically say who do you think you are and what gives you the right? Now, the reason I said sort of is because we're in Luke 20. We're not in Luke 2.
Speaker 2:Jesus is not an unknown entity. He's been teaching for years and if he wanted to give them his credentials, he could. He could say my credentials, oh, that's easy. Yeah, I was there before you ever existed. I am the one who speaks and dead people come back to life. That's the authority that I have. I'm the one that, when you're swimming across the Lake of Galilee, walks right on top of it and tells storms they need to calm down. I'm the one who feeds thousands of people with a handful of loaves and a couple of small fish. I'm the one who heals the blind and the lame and the mute. I am the son of God. That is who I am and that is what I come with.
Speaker 2:But if you are in this room and you have ever been skeptical of God, of his goodness, of his word and whether or not it is really true, can I just tell you what you are about to read is an incredible grace. When they questioned Jesus, do you know how easy it would have been for him to say who am I? And they opened their mouths and no words come out. Who am I? Quiet, and their ears stop working. Who am I? You're done. And they fall down.
Speaker 2:By the way, this happens in Acts, and it's one of my favorite stories Dead. He's like we need to carry these dead people out, not appropriate to be here. Jesus could have made this very. Why does Jesus allow people to question him? Because you're allowed to. I want you to question the things of God. I want you to question your own beliefs, but I want you to end up in the right place when you do. And so Jesus is kind enough, god's word is kind enough to walk us through this. So does he answer them? Does he teach them? Well, yeah, sort of. By what authority do you do these things? Matthew gives us a little bit more that just before this, when Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought Remember, I just pointed this to you. This is right before what's happening next, probably days before the blind and the lame had come to him and he had healed them. So, hey, what authority do you have to do these things? What things, all of these incredible things? They knew who Jesus was.
Speaker 2:Jesus refuses to answer their question because they refuse to answer his. His question was not evasive, but revealing. It was showing that their rejection of him was rooted not in a lack of evidence they had seen these things but in a willful refusal to believe. So what does this mean to the skeptic? It means God is saying I can handle your questions, bring them. Can you handle my answers? Is what Jesus would be putting on display here. God knows what you think, he knows what you believe to be true, he knows what you have been fooled by, he knows what you hold tightly to and he knows what holds tightly to you. And in this one simple answer, tell us by what authority do you do these things? Who gave it? He answers them with a question. Hey, I've got a question for you. Here's my answer Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Was John special or was he normal?
Speaker 2:And in this one little question, that one simple response, jesus isn't just questioning their authority, he absolutely decimates it. Because instead of answering a simple question with a simple answer, well, john obviously was of God. He lived a life so different than everyone else, constantly pointing to the goodness of God, pushing against sin, living in the wilderness, spurring the life of comfort. This was a man who was a prophet. Absolutely, they couldn't say it. You want to know why they didn't like john the baptist. This is not terribly different than politics nowadays. If I don't like the guy, he's not going to get my vote, he's not going to get my encouragement. I can't give him a positive thing publicly in front of folks. But what jesus was doing was this. He said you want to ask me about my authority. Hey, aren't you guys in charge of church? We are, aren't you in charge of worship? We are Teaching and doctrine. Yes, jesus, absolutely. Then tell me about John the Baptist. Thumbs up or thumbs down, and they know. If they say yes, he was from God, their own authority would be ruined because that is not what they had been saying so far. But if they say John's just some Joe Schmo, they're about to have to start ducking rocks, because everybody loved John the Baptist.
Speaker 2:If you ever wonder if you are skating around a reality that you simply don't like, you will find it when someone asks you a simple question and you refuse to give a simple answer. When you begin giving gymnastic logical. Someone asks you a simple question and you refuse to give a simple answer, when you begin giving gymnastic logical. And, by the way, if you ever need to see this hang out with a teenager, that's all you have to do, and I'm not making fun of teenagers. This is the appropriate stage of life to question everything. What a gift that we're still with our children when they're questioning everything.
Speaker 2:Parents enter into this. Let them feel like they are right. I didn't realize how wrong I was until I was 30, and I'm still realizing how wrong I was when I was 30. The thing that happens as we age is we realize how smart we are until we realize how dumb we've been this whole time. Like that. How smart we are until we realize how dumb we've been this whole time. Like that. Let them enjoy the mountain, but do it the way Christ does.
Speaker 2:Ask them simple questions. One of my favorites at my house is what is your bedtime? I love this question. It is black and white, it is very simple. It is written down on my mirror in my bathroom and when I hear homework chores, shower, I'm like gymnastics, my friend, you know, and you are dancing. This is what Jesus has done. He has caused them to begin dancing.
Speaker 2:For us, this is the question, and I would hope that you don't dance around it Does God have the authority in your life that he ought? Now? I told you today was a defensive feeling day. Let me alleviate a little bit of that. I'm not assuming the answer to this is no, I'm not. I know many of you well enough to look at this and want to walk through the pews, high-fiving people. I do. I recognize that for many of you, god has appropriate authority in so many vast, deep parts of your life.
Speaker 2:I'm not sure what you guys did with your snow days. We, like, lived it up, absolutely lived it up. As soon as it began to snow, my wife thanked God that her prayers had been answered. My children definitely thanked God that schools were just closing down. You have never seen somebody so convinced about the thermal properties of snow and its inability to quickly melt than a child who is hoping that the ice will still be there the next day. Please one more day. Thursday, are you kidding me? I get Friday too. Glory of glories, this is the triumphal entry.
Speaker 2:What we did was I went and I grabbed a pair of skis that I'd bought 20 years ago and I put them them on my kids, and our cars wouldn't drive. It was too icy. So I hooked a tow strap to the back of a tractor and I started driving them through our woods, and can I just tell you it worked. Oh my goodness, it was amazing. Like, not only was I pulling them, they were able to like, edge and carve, so that even the next day I was able to drive through the neighborhood and they would cut against me like a skier in a boat and just go on the grass in our neighborhood, ruining who knows how many people's yards. But whatever, we were having a blast. You got to live the thing up.
Speaker 2:However, there was one piece of authority that was spoken to my children. One of the rules in the hawk house is safety. Third, I'm not joking when I tell you that, if you know me at all, I've been saying it since long before I had children honoring God, making memories and being safe. In that order, that's how we do it. So Ames had a helmet on, which was a good thing, because we were skiing at night in the dark, because that's when the snow was the best and I had a couple of lights on the tractor and I take a hard left and I watch him hold and then he disappears into the darkness, gone, gone forever. I got two more sons and one more daughter, so I had backups. But he's gone into the darkness and I can't just be like like I'm on snow, I'm on ice, so I have to drive, I gotta turn around. It's hard to turn around. I got a toe strap behind me. I don't want to get it caught up in the wheels. So I finally turn around and I begin to see the silhouette of my child ski still on, coming out of the woods like this, and I'm like hey, bud, you okay. First thing he said glad I wore the helmet, why I just ran into a tree pretty hard, dad. I was like all right, you'll be fine, get back on the rope and I towed him out.
Speaker 2:I am not assuming you are always saying no to the authority of God. I don't believe it. Can I give you an evidence? Hey, you're here right now. You are obeying God to not forsake the gathering together, as is the habit of some. Obeying God to not forsake the gathering together, as is the habit of some. You're here, I also know this.
Speaker 2:I think of the Tagami family who have numerous children and have fostered often and how Mama, sue, sue Raleigh will drive down from Michigan just to be a grandmother who is nearby. What is that? That is taking off the crown of saying I'm in my retirement, it's my time to enjoy, I wanna use my expenses for myself and instead saying I'm gonna go through the trouble, I'm gonna go through the travel and when I get there I'm gonna be a grandmother to all of these young knee biters. This is somebody who's saying God, you have authority in my life, not my own comfort. I think of you teachers, I think of you coaches. I have a prayer request that comes through these little cards at least twice a month of a little girl in the church praying that God would help her navigate the difficulty of losing her coach who passed away a couple of years ago, who spoke good things and kindness into her life. We have tennis coaches, we have football coaches, soccer coaches, baseball coaches.
Speaker 2:In this room we have teachers in every type of sector and administrators who are looking at the authority of God and wanting to see Christ reign in the huddle, on the field and in the classroom. I'm not assuming your answer is no, but dig for a moment. Are there any thoughts, feelings, any ideas, hopes or fears that you are giving more authority than you ought? Put your finger on the pulse of your own soul. Where does your hope go up and down? And I will tell you where you have given authority, where you ought not to. And the beauty of this. As much as we want to be important or be in control or be happy and we think we will be that if we get to wear the crown of making decisions where I go, whom I'm with, who I date, what I do, how much I make, where I'm successful Jesus is teaching this in the shadow of the cross, knowing what is coming.
Speaker 2:So, to make life easier for us, jesus tells a story and I had Anna read the beginning, but I wanted her to stop halfway. Typically, if I was teaching this, I would read through it and then backfill who all of the people are. But I think you'll get more out of it if you can just trust me and let me predefine all of the roles. They're in the top right corner, so as I'm reading it, you can sort of supplant that word into this parable that Jesus is telling the man. The owner is going to be God. That should be a given. The tenants who are in charge of what God has created would be the religious leaders those three people I squared at the beginning of this story. He's gonna send servants three of them and they're gonna be referring to the Old Testament prophets, and ultimately he will send his son. Should be easy to know who that is it is Jesus.
Speaker 2:So here is the story. He began to tell the people a parable. A man God planted a vineyard and he let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. When the time came, he sent a servant. He sent a prophet to the religious leaders so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants, who had some authority over what God had created, beat him and sent him away empty handed and he sent another servant, but they also beat and treated him shamefully. He sent him away empty-handed and he sent another servant, but they also beat and treated him shamefully. He sent him away empty-handed and he sent yet a third. This one they also wounded and cast out.
Speaker 2:Then the owner of the vineyard, god, said what shall I do? I will send my beloved son, my beloved son. Perhaps they will respect him. But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves this is the heir. Let us kill him in the hopes that something would happen.
Speaker 2:Now I don't know if you can sense it. I have the advantage of looking at you. When I read this, the whole tone of the room changes. Let me tell you why the tone of the room changes. Because we just went from Jesus preaching the gospel to Jesus preaching the gospel. You came up for air while I was talking about authority and helmets and ice and snow, and then, all of a sudden, we look at this and we're like this is the history of humanity. This is a good God who created an incredible world. He made it beautiful to produce incredible fruit and wonders for the one who created it, and he trusted this group of people the tenants, these religious leaders to oversee this beautiful world that he had made in the people that he had created in his own image and filled it with.
Speaker 2:And when he finally came to them and said I want some of the blessing, I want some of the fruit, he's not saying I need their money. God doesn't need your money. He owns a cattle on a thousand hill. His wallet has never been empty. His bank account has never been red or negative. What he's saying is hey, tenants, hey religious leaders, you're the ones who are trying to get devotion from people. You're trying to get faith from them to you. It isn't good. They need to have devotion to me, love for me, faith towards me. So I'm coming to you and I'm saying my people need to worship and honor me, and this is not selfish. This is selfless, because if they will honor me and you won't try to build your own little kingdoms, all of you will be in blessing and wisdom and happiness. But they didn't give anything to him. So God sent his prophets.
Speaker 2:I do wonder when the second prophet shows up in this story and it says they treated him shamefully. If Jesus is thinking of someone in particular. He sent Isaiah, sent Elijah, sent Jeremiah, sent Hosea, and what did they do? They beat him and ignored him, the very one the creator sent. They show up and they say quit acting like you're in charge. You're not God's in charge. Give him authority, give him praise. Why act like you're in charge when God is so? They mistreat him, send him away. And God says this what shall I do Now?
Speaker 2:I want you to know in the text there's a better rendition of that. If you want to be more literal to the text, god's not looking at it, saying man, come on, created this whole place. It's awesome. The only bad stuff is because of them. And I've sent my prophets. I've sent my prophets, sent my prophets thousands of years.
Speaker 2:What am I supposed to do? God doesn't have anybody to ask that question because he knows everything. A good rendition of this would be God saying what more can I do? I created it everything, created them, gave them ownership in it so they weren't just attenders of it. I sent my prophets to remind them and point them to myself. What more can I do? Parents, you have felt this before. Bedtime is 930. What more can I do? Why do you only want to talk about deep stuff at 9.35? Why? Why, all of a sudden, do you need a shower now? Why, when I want to hang out with my wife and watch a show, do we need to have some deep, meaningful conversation? These can't happen at 8.45?. What's the story on that? Why is it that my kid won't just keep their diaper on? What more am I supposed to do? I've already used the little Velcro straps. I'm about to get a ratchet strap and just wrap the thing around and tighten it, because every time he runs down the house he just leaves little gifts all the way. What more can I do? I'm trying to get you to grow healthy, kid. I'm trying to get you to have some strength and some wisdom, but all you will eat is Skittles. What am I supposed to? What more am I going to do? Sprinkle them into your broccoli.
Speaker 2:The beauty of what you're reading is God's invitation for him to say do you want to know what it's like to be me? Do you want to know what it's like to have 8 billion children who are constantly running away from you, when all you want for them is their best and when you specially gift people so that they would have ears to hear and eyes to see how they keep spitting on them and beating them and pushing them down. So I'm going to send the best shot I've got. I'll send my own beloved son. And they see this gift of God. And as soon as the palm branches hit and as soon as the hosannas are set and they realize they don't get to wear their little crowns, they make him a different one. What more am I supposed to do?
Speaker 2:And the foolishness of these people God puts on display. They say we're going to kill him. Why we're going to kill him? So that the inheritance may be ours. Do you know how dumb you have to be to think that a father is going to give you his estate because you killed his kid? Do you know how dumb you've got to be to show up to the hawk house and kill three boys and a girl and think that tractor sounded pretty nice? I'm sure that I can tell you that is not how it will play out. You will be followed to the full letter of the law and beyond it. If the Holy Spirit isn't actively working in me powerfully, what more can I do? God says. And yet, nonetheless, they throw him out of the world he created and they kill him.
Speaker 2:And Jesus ends this parable. He looks at the religious leaders and he looks at the people and he says now here's the real question what do you think the owner is going to do to those folks? What do you think he would do? Thibodean Abouile writer pastor said this what father do you know who will give his wealth to his son's murderers? We'll come back to this in a moment. But Jesus answers the questions what will the owner do? He will come. You can read about that in Revelation. He will destroy those who are given the responsibility to care for things. That's not just, by the way. Pastors. All of you are given responsibilities to care for in your life and he will find others who will appreciate the kingdom that he has built.
Speaker 2:But the craziest part of the whole story is Jesus isn't just talking to the religious leaders at church. There's a congregation of people listening and when it says, they hear you've got to go back to verse nine to see this in your Bibles it's talking about the whole gathered assembly. They hear this logic and they say surely not. This is how deceived they are. What father is going to give all of his inheritance to the murderer of his son? I'll tell you what he's going to do. He will come and destroy them. And all of the people looking at the tenants, their religious leaders, say God would never do that For them. It may be because we are God's chosen people. You may say, surely not, because I grew up in the church and my dad was a pastor. You may say surely not because I'm not as bad as this person. I haven't committed those kinds of heinous sins. Surely not. And this surely not concept is the most dangerous thing in the entire text. Surely not. Surely not Fruit in a garden. I wouldn't have taken a bite. A snake was talking to her. Surely not Crucify him. I would never say that. Surely not. And every one of us would have lifted our voices Crucify him, crucify him.
Speaker 2:My wife was pulling a trailer while we were going through a drive-through. We'd picked up a couple of tables for some of the rooms while we were up in Atlanta at a doctor's appointment and she had to pull through this really narrow passage and I said why don't you drive? I'll hop out and I'll give directions. We're in the suburban so it's a little hard to see over the very front. And here is what I'm doing. Y'all can tell me if I didn't give clear directions or not. I felt like it was pretty clear Windows down. I'm telling her, I'm pointing this way, she's this way. I'm just saying, hey, turn the wheel, baby, just turn the wheel. She's in that car going. Surely not? Surely not, I'm going to hit that wall.
Speaker 2:And in that moment I was like surely not, I'm going to hit that wall. And in that moment I was like Luke 20. It's Luke 20. I can see the whole thing. I can see the wall, I can see the trailer, I can see the headlight. All you can see is a dashboard. And you're sitting there saying surely not Turn the wheel more longer, keep going, surely not? And in that moment she put on display by the way, I told her I was going to do this. She's like throw me under whatever buses if it'll save people. And I'm like great, as soon as this happens, I'm like this is us. This is us sitting in the car feeling like we're in control, while God is saying turn the wheel. And we, in all of our divine wisdom, believe that we can see more than the one who created it all.
Speaker 2:So Jesus says let me just prove to you that I know what I'm talking about. What, then, is this that is written. You want to talk about authority? You want to say surely not? You want to tell the son of God, who knows the end from the beginning which, by the way, we just sang you want to tell him that you shouldn't build your life on what he says? You can see this better? Then let me do a little bit of quoting for you. Let's quote a little bit of Isaiah Y'all loved him. Let's quote the Psalms King David, whom you love, did he not say the stone that the builders rejected would become the cornerstone? Did he not promise that you were going to throw away the most valuable thing, the thing that you're supposed to build your life on top of? You're going to push to the side like one of the three little pigs building with sticks. You are going to look at the one who knows all things and say surely not, when the Spirit of God tells you to turn or to remain, or to speed up or to slow down, will you build your life on the cornerstone or are you going to build it on a life of your own making? And he ends by saying this and I just want you.
Speaker 2:Somebody came up to me while we were praying on the wings. You guys are always welcome to come and pray and they wanted to talk for a minute and they said well, I just don't get verse 18. So who's the winner here? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces and when it falls on anyone, it will crush them. She said it doesn't seem like anybody comes out a winner in this text and I said that's because they didn't. This story, which is also a history, is written to you as a cautionary tale and I'll be honest, I'm not the smartest guy and I haven't seen a lot of commentators write on verse 18, but I'll tell you what I think it's pointing to Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces.
Speaker 2:Everyone who has heard this gospel message so many times, they can see it clearly. They can see Jesus, they know who he is, they know what authority he has, they know what he wants from their life. And he simply says will you build your life on me? Take off your silly little tarnished crown from Burger King and let me lead you. Will you? And they see that and instead of standing on top of it and building their life on Christ, they trip on it and their life and their soul shatters.
Speaker 2:Second group of people which most of you would probably not fall into are a group of people who don't necessarily see it coming. They grew up in a place where they didn't hear the gospel. Very often, all they know is a brokenness and a sin in them. And, by the way, this is why missionaries and church planners exist, so that this first option can even exist. And yet even they, if this truth of God and his Savior do not capture their heart, will be crushed by this Will. There is no upside. I can think of one, that's a really good one. What father do you know who will give his wealth to his son's murderers? I can think of one. I can think of one father who will look at the murderers of his son and say what more can I do? I will still show you grace, I will still love you, I will still adopt you into my family. I will rewrite on your heart and on your mind a new law and a new operating system to love me and serve me as king and authority which, by the way, as much as you hate putting on the helmet, is going to create for you a long, more blessed life. I can think of one.
Speaker 2:For while we were still weak, at the right time, christ died, not for the good, but for the ungodly. You cannot out-send the grace of God If you're sitting in this room and you're like my mess is too big. False, because I believe this word more than your experience. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if, while we were enemies, god reconciled us to God by the death of his son, how much more, now that we're reconciled, are we gonna be saved by his life?
Speaker 2:And then he says let's build even bigger than that. If you're gonna build your life on Christ, it's not just that your sin is well known, it's that my love is even more well known. And when my love is well known that you have been saved by the life of my son, we rejoice in God. This is how one answer to this impossible question changes everything in the heart of a believer.
Speaker 2:And if you are not a believer today, my prayer, my hope is that you would question and question and question this has the crown on your head actually paid off? I've yet to meet the person who can say yes to that for very long. But this crown that Christ put on himself guarantees that if you will make him the authority of your life put on himself, guarantees that if you will make him the authority of your life, if you will confess your sins, if you will turn your life and begin walking in a different direction and follow Christ, you will find goodness and blessing and a hope that doesn't move up or down. So we are able to rejoice that we can build our lives on something way bigger and better than we ever would have come up with ourself. So do that now. We'll stand up and we'll sing. We'll have a couple of people on the wings to pray, to talk with you, to encourage you. Let's sing and let's glorify the one who created all things and loved us when we spurred him.