Beautiful Grace
Audio Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Tim Chang
Sermon Series: Parables of the Kingdom in the Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 20:1-16 (ESV)
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”
Sermon Outline
The beauty of grace (v. 1-7)
The offense of grace (v. 8-12)
The power of grace (v. 13-16)
Prayer of Confession
Our Heavenly Father, grace is central to you and to your kingdom. There is utter beauty in your grace towards us. We do not deserve it. But we struggle to live by grace. Rather, we trust a merit-based life. We find our worth in our accomplishments, we measure ourselves against others, we seek recognition for what we do. May your Spirit help us to trust in grace-based living; that grace is the way to freedom and salvation. Thank you for the grace that is found in Jesus, where you made us equal to him. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
What connected with you from the sermon or the passage?
Describe the character of the owner. What is notable? What is surprising?
In what ways might you relate with the workers who were hired in the last hour? How might you struggle with imposter syndrome?
Why do you think the first set of workers felt wronged? In what ways do you relate to them?
How does this parable challenge the idea that we can “earn” God’s favor?
If the kingdom of heaven truly has no rankings, how might that change how we live?
How have you experienced the power of grace in your life?
What do you sense God calling you to do from this passage?