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Singing that hymn, I hope we 
can all testify that it does indeed reflect biblical truth. 
I was just considering this month is our official 18th year from 
when we constituted the church in 1998. It was January of 1998 
we had that formal constitution service. My 19th year begins 
here in June. And as my head has grown more 
hairy or hoary, not more hairy, more hoary, I have seen the faithfulness 
and the kindness and the goodness of God. It has truly been a blessing 
and a challenge, to say the least, to be in the midst of this assembly. There's no place I'd rather be, 
and I thank the Lord for each of you. Well, in our studies 
this morning, we're going to look at the second part of the 
parable of the vineyard. Specifically, our focus is on 
Matthew 21, verses 40 to 46, but I do want to begin reading 
from verse 28. But what do you think? A man 
had two sons, and he came to the first and said, Son, go work 
today in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will 
not. But afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to 
the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, 
sir. but he did not go. Which of the two did the will 
of his father? They said to him, the first. 
Jesus said to them, assuredly I say to you that tax collectors 
and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came 
to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, 
but tax collectors and harlots believed him. And when you saw 
it, you did not afterward relent and believe him. Here another 
parable. There was a certain landowner 
who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a wine 
press in it, and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers 
and went into a far country. Now, when vintage time drew near, 
he sent his servants to the vinedressers that they might receive its fruit. 
And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, 
and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants, 
more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then last 
of all, he sent his son to them, saying, they will respect my 
son. But when the vinedresser saw 
the son, they said among themselves, this is the heir. Come, let us 
kill him and seize his inheritance. So they took him and cast him 
out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore, when the owner 
of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers? 
They said to him, he will destroy those wicked men miserably and 
lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits 
in their seasons. Jesus said to them, have you 
never read in the scriptures the stone which the builders 
rejected has become the chief cornerstone? This was the Lord's 
doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore I say to 
you, The kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to 
a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this 
stone will be broken, but on whomever it falls, it will grind 
him to powder." Now, when the chief priests and Pharisees heard 
his parables, they perceived that he was speaking of them, 
but when they sought to lay hands on him, They feared the multitudes 
because they took Him for a prophet. Amen. Let us pray. Father, we 
come to consider a passage that is most important to our understanding 
of other passages in Holy Scripture. We pray for Your Spirit to guide 
us and to lead us now. Again, we confess our sin and 
anything that would darken our understanding. Help us to receive 
with thanksgiving the Word of God. And again, may we see underscored 
in this passage the reality of God's judgment, the reality of 
God's vengeance against those who do not obey God, against 
those who do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. We ask our 
Father that these things would strike terror into hearts by 
the power of your Holy Spirit and that you would draw them 
to see the glory of Christ as the one who can save. How we 
thank you for the forgiveness of sins that we have through 
Christ How we thank you for the righteousness that you give to 
us. It's not something we earned, it's not something we perform, 
but it's given to us freely and received by faith alone. So we 
pray, our God, that you would do this work in our midst. Do 
this work in other churches here in Chilliwack. And God, cause 
the word of God to run swiftly and be glorified throughout the 
earth today. And we pray these things through Jesus Christ, 
our Lord. Amen. Well, last week we considered 
verses 33 to 39 and the giving of the parable. This morning 
we'll take up the question concerning the parable in verses 40 and 
41, then the implications drawn from the parable in verses 42 
to 44, and then the response to the parable in verses 45 to 46. Now, the gist of the giving of 
the parable, just by way of reminder, is essentially the history of 
Israel as we find it in the Old Testament. Of course, in this 
particular parable, in this particular story, there was a certain landowner. This represents God. He owns 
a particular vineyard, this represents Israel, and it comes time for 
the vine dressers and the tenant farmers to pay to the owner what 
is due. They are to produce fruit. God 
doesn't just give them privileges and confer benefits upon them 
so they can just sit there stagnant, not only not do anything good 
for Him, but actually defy Him and break His law. So it comes 
payment time, so the Lord sends His servants. These are the prophets. And when the prophets of God 
come to the nation of Israel, instead of receiving them and 
repenting as they are instructed, rather they beat them, they kill 
them, and they stone them. And so the landowner sends more 
prophets, he sends more servants, more than what he had originally 
sent. And instead of receiving these 
prophets, the same thing is done. They do likewise. They beat them, 
they kill them, they stone them. And then the landowner says, 
I know, I'll send my son. Certainly they'll respect him. 
Certainly they will have a heart to yield fruit to him. But instead, 
they conspire with one another. They say, this is the heir. It's 
better for us to seize him. It's better for us to kill him. 
And it's better for us to take the inheritance for ourselves. If you cannot see in this the 
history of Israel, then you're not reading the parable properly. 
Because even these Pharisees, even these scribes, even these 
religious leaders, understood that Jesus was talking about 
them. It is most crucial for our help 
and for our understanding, when we get to some later chapters 
in Matthew's Gospel, that we understand what is going on in 
this particular section. So in the first place, let's 
look at the question concerning the parable. Notice in verse 
40, after giving the parable, Jesus says, therefore when the 
owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers? This is a fair question, isn't 
it? And it underscores something that I tried to point out last 
week. If, as we've said, the landowner in the parable represents 
God, one of the obvious lessons we took away from that last week 
is that God is very patient. God is indeed long-suffering. Imagine for a moment if you were 
God for a day and persons rejected your servants. Persons rejected 
your servants after having sent them wave after wave after wave. 
Instead of receiving them, they beat them, kill them, and stone 
them. Would you still engage in that long-suffering practice? 
Would you still send others? Would you then send your only 
son, your only begotten son? Probably not. This parable underscores 
something unique concerning our God. He is a God of great patience. But Jesus' question here assumes 
that patience does run out. And if you are living this morning, 
benefiting from the patience or long-suffering of God, and 
it has yet to have led you to repentance, as Paul says it should 
in Romans 2.4, may I beg you and implore you to come to the 
Savior. Because there is a day and a 
time when that patience will run out. God is full of long-suffering, 
but there is a day coming when he will call you to payment, 
call you to produce fruit consistent in your life. And if you have 
not, if you are not in Christ, if you've not been clothed with 
that righteousness of another, it is going to be a horrific 
day. All that we read of in Revelation chapter 18 with the fall of Babylon. All that we read in the Old Testament 
concerning the fall of the nation of Israel or the tribe of Judah. All that we see in the various 
world empires rising up against each other and taking prisoners. 
and slaying men outright. All of that is nothing, or it's 
just a small speck compared to what the wrath and fury and judgment 
of God's going to be on that day. Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 
1 that Jesus will take vengeance on those who know not God, on 
those who do not obey the gospel. You are testing, you are trying 
the very patience of God himself by not coming to the Savior. 
You may be outside or in this place right now as an unbeliever. Yet another instance of God's 
patience with you. The fact that you got up this 
morning. The fact that you could come and hear where the Word 
of God is read and preached. The fact that once again you 
are witness to and privy to the very patience of God. Well, may 
it have that effect that Paul says it ought to in Romans 2.4. 
Bring you to repentance. Come to that place where you 
say, God has been patient with me. God has exercised great long-suffering, 
because I do deserve His wrath and His curse, both in this life 
and that which is to come. I have offended God. I have violated 
God. I look at that table, or that 
law of God, and I have violated the first table, and I have violated 
the second table. We tend to only think a second 
table in fractions. We think about the reality that 
we've been murderers, if not physically, at least spiritually, 
we've aided people in our hearts. We think about adultery and whether 
we've committed the actual act or we've lusted upon a woman 
or a man in our hearts, we have broken the commandment. We think 
about theft and about lying and about covetousness. We think 
about insubordination of parents. We think of that second table, 
but what of the first? If you are an unbeliever, you 
have other gods before him. It's probably you. If you are 
an unbeliever, you are an idolater. You worship you, or Baal, or 
Asherah, or the state, or your family, or your job, or whatever 
it may be. But you are given religious homage 
and worship to something that is not God. You are a blasphemer. You are a Sabbath-breaker. Those 
are the realities. And all the while, God has been 
patient. God has exercised long-suffering. God hasn't called you to account 
for these sins. But it's going to happen. that 
patience does run out. There is a day coming when the 
Lord Jesus Christ will return and He will do what Paul says, 
He will take vengeance on you if you do not obey the gospel, 
if you are not a knower of God in the experiential sense, by 
faith or by grace through faith in Christ. Jesus' words ought 
to alarm us, they ought to scare us, they ought to terrify us, 
that indeed the patience of the landowner does most certainly 
run out. So Jesus says, when the owner 
of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers? 
Now notice their answer. They said to him, he will destroy 
those wicked men miserably, those wretched men wretchedly, and 
lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits 
in their seasons. Now, these particular religious 
leaders were ungodly men. They were impious men, but they 
were not foolish men. They understood all too well 
the teaching of the parable. They understood that the landowner 
was due these fruits. And when the landowner did not 
get those fruits, it was right and legit and just for the landowner 
to come and to exact punishment upon them. They acknowledge that 
he will destroy the wicked vinedressers. They understand the seriousness 
of the situation. The landowner's not going to 
return and say, well, you know, you did the best you could. The 
landowner's not going to come and say, I know you stoned them, 
I know you killed them, and I know you beat them, but kumbaya. He 
doesn't say, I know that you've rejected my son and delivered 
him up to the cross, but you know all is well. No, they understand 
something of the seriousness of the situation. As well, they 
understand the righteousness of God's judgment. Again, everybody 
reading this parable would say the landowner is due these fruits. And when the landowner has not 
rendered these fruits, it is legit, it is just, it is righteous 
for the landowner to bring judgment to bear upon them. The same is 
true with our God. Don't nod to the parable like 
these men do and neglect the meaning of it altogether. You 
can see the righteousness of God inflicted upon Israel in 
the first century. But can you see the righteousness 
of God inflicted upon you? Or the judgment of God inflicted 
upon you as being right and being good and being legit and consistent 
with His holy character? And it is intriguing because 
the religious leaders unwillingly prophesy their own destruction. 
Listen to what they say. Isn't that what they're doing? 
Isn't that what they're saying? Isn't that what they suggest? 
He will destroy those wicked men miserably and lease his vineyard 
to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their 
seasons. So they recognize God's just 
judgment. They recognize the fact that 
these wretched men will be destroyed wretchedly. And they also understand 
and they recognize the legitimacy of this landowner taking this 
vineyard from them and giving it to a group of people that 
are going to produce fruit. I mean, this is just good business, 
isn't it? Good economics, but as well it is good covenant. 
It is good theology. It is the way the Lord God operates 
and that purpose to operate in the unfolding of His redemptive 
plan. Now notice the implications drawn 
by Jesus from this parable to these particular men. I have 
three. The first place we ought to consider 
the witness of the Old Testament. Second, the disposition of the 
kingdom. And thirdly, the promise of judgment. These are implications. They 
have answered correctly. I mean, they got it, right? It 
was obvious, just like in the parable of the two sons. Which 
one did the will of the father? Well, obviously the one who actually 
complied with his instructions. They were dim-bulbed spiritually, 
but at least intellectually they were able to appreciate Jesus' 
clear meaning in these parables. So Jesus knows that they are 
tracking, and so Jesus brings some implication or application, 
if you will, to bear upon them concerning this parable. Note 
first the witness of the Old Testament. Jesus says in verse 
42, have you never read in the scriptures? This is one of Jesus' 
sort of little digs at them. And this wasn't the full Sanhedrin. 
This wasn't the highest religious council conceived, but it was 
certainly elements of it. Probably enough to be an official 
representation of it. It was the religious leaders 
of Israel. So for Jesus to say, have you 
never read? Would be akin to me coming to 
your place of employment. Say you're a mechanic and I said 
something like, have you never used a screwdriver? You would 
look at me like I was nuts. Especially me. You'd say, do 
you know what a screwdriver is? Yeah, I actually do. My wife 
tells me what it is and then I utilize it properly. I can 
actually do things as long as she tells me what to do. It's 
just the figuring it out, that's where I have the mechanical challenges. But the actual implementation, 
I do alright. That sounds proud. I do miserably. 
She oversees the whole thing to make sure it gets done. But 
you would look at me like I was bananas. What do you mean? Have 
I never used a screwdriver? Have you never read in the scriptures? Of course they'd read Psalm 118. Of course they had gone through 
those halal psalms. Of course they sang them, and 
they chanted them, and they recited them. The point that Christ makes 
is that they didn't understand it. They didn't get it. And as they're now starting to 
track with the parable, they understand that the landowner 
is going to destroy those wretched men wretchedly. Jesus starts 
to tease out these implications. Have you never read in the scriptures? 
Notice the particular citation, the stone which the builders 
rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's 
doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. 
It's intriguing because when Jesus comes into the city of 
Jerusalem, back in chapter 21 at verse 9, the persons praise 
Jesus from the same psalm, Hosanna to the son of David. We see Christ 
is fulfilling the very Psalter as he moves about in his work. But we ought to appreciate that 
in Psalm 118, I'm going to ask you to think with me this morning. 
I'm going to ask you to pay attention this morning. I'm going to probably 
introduce some things that you've never heard or thought of. And 
if you've never heard or thought of them, then I would encourage 
you to hear them and think through them. But in the first place, 
Psalm 118 refers probably to the king speaking on behalf of 
the nation Israel. Israel was despised among the 
peoples. They were despised among the 
nations. And in its original context, Psalm 118, probably 
the king speaking on behalf of the nation. But what does the 
king speaking on behalf of the nation say? That that one who 
is despised, that one who is rejected, that one who is marginalized 
will be the chief cornerstone. It will be preeminent among the 
nations. It will be supreme among the 
nations. Now note that Jesus applies this 
to himself. Very intriguing, isn't it? I 
think that Matthew wants us to see in Matthew's gospel sort 
of this link between Israel and the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember 
in Matthew chapter 2, Jesus with his parents goes into Egypt and 
out of Egypt I have called my firstborn son. The prophet Hosea 
chapter 11 is quoted there in Matthew's gospel. It's referring 
to our Lord Jesus functioning in a similar manner to what Israel 
did. Matthew chapter 3, the Lord Jesus 
is baptized. He goes through water. And out 
of the water he then goes into the wilderness. Matthew wants 
you to think of what happened in the Old Testament. Israel 
passed through the waters of the Red Sea. They went out into 
the wilderness. There they were tried. There 
they were tested. There they failed. But when Jesus 
goes into the wilderness in Matthew 4, there he's tried, there he's 
tested by the devil himself, but he passes. He is successful. I think throughout Matthew's 
Gospel, and I think throughout the New Testament, we're not 
only supposed to see Jesus as a fulfillment of what Adam was 
supposed to do, but what Israel was supposed to do. So Jesus 
here uniquely links himself with Israel in this particular passage. And that brings out a few things 
that we ought to consider. It does demonstrate this Israel-Jesus 
identification. It demonstrates that. What was 
spoken concerning Israel in Psalm 118 is true and applied to Jesus 
in Matthew 21. Brethren, in a moment I'm going 
to argue that dispensationalism is wrong. I'm going to argue 
that an idea where the church replaces the nation of Israel 
is not necessarily the case. What we find is fruition and 
fulfillment that focuses in on and centers on Jesus. And that's 
why we need to appreciate the way that Matthew presents Jesus 
to us as Israel. As the one in whom all the promises 
of God are yea and amen. Such that Gentiles now, you and 
I, believing on Jesus are counted a part of Israel, aren't we? Isn't this what the New Testament 
scriptures evidence and demonstrate and declare? Who's a true Jew 
according to Romans chapter 2? One who is circumcised inwardly. Who is the true circumcision 
using the new American standard rendering in Philippians 3.3? 
A true circumcised person is someone who worships God in the 
Spirit, who boasts in the Lord Jesus Christ. How does Paul end 
his letter to the Galatians in Galatians 6.16? He refers to 
the Israel of God. You see, what we have in this 
passage isn't strictly ethnic. It's not that the kingdom is 
taken from Jews and given to Gentiles. No. Because in the 
New Covenant expression of the kingdom, there's both Jew and 
Gentile. The idea is that God's kingdom 
on earth was visibly expressed and represented by Old Covenant 
Israel. And that in the New Covenant, 
God's kingdom on earth is visibly represented and expressed by 
the Church. That's the nation of verse 43. The kingdom is taken from ethnic 
Israel. It's given to the church, which 
is made up of Jew and Gentile. The common bond is Christ. It is faith in Jesus. He is the 
unifying theme between the covenants. He is the reason why we are called 
the Israel of God. It's not because we have taken 
on the characteristics of Middle Eastern persons. It's because 
our Christ is that Prince of Yahweh. He is that Israel of 
God. He is the one in whom these promises 
find fulfillment. When Jesus speaks of the transfer 
of the kingdom in verse 43, it is not strictly a Jew to Gentile 
trajectory. The transfer of the kingdom is 
to the church, which is made up of Gentiles and Jews, and 
is also identified as the Israel of God. As well, believers, whether 
Jew or Gentile, are spiritual Jews if they have undergone the 
circumcision of the heart. Paul can even speak to a predominantly 
Gentile church and say, we are the circumcision, Philippians 
3.3. Finally, in Galatians 3.26-29, 
it identifies the seed of Abraham, not as ethnic Jews, but as those 
who have faith in Jesus. As my dear brother Richard Barcello 
says, the Jew Gentile church is the eschatological Israel 
of Old Testament prophecy. So it's not replacement, it's 
not removal, it's not putting something on hold, grafting in 
the Gentile church and then returning to this kingdom of God element. 
What we find in Jesus is unity. What we find in Jesus is consistency. What we find is the promise given 
to Abraham in Genesis 12 and ratified or reaffirmed in Genesis 
17 and told even in 15. and 22 and 13 is that the promise 
made to Abraham is that all of the nation shall be blessed in 
him. Well, that finds its terminus 
in Christ. He is the seed of Abraham that 
fulfills all that was given to him. And he therefore unifies 
Jew and Gentile, brings them together, as Paul says in Ephesians 
chapter 2. And he makes one new man. And 
that new man is called the church. Christ is speaking about the 
new covenant realities. He is speaking about fulfillment 
and in many respects what he says in verse 43 prophesies concerning 
things that are to come. So it demonstrates, the citation 
of Psalm 118 demonstrates the Israel-Jesus identification. 
As well it demonstrates that the rejection of Christ was prophesied. In other words, Jesus is saying 
here, no one should be surprised that this is happening. Notice, 
the stone which the builders rejected. What does the prophet 
Isaiah say concerning Jesus? He was a man of sorrows and acquainted 
with grief. We hid, as it were, our eyes 
from him. What does John say in John 1? 
He came to his own and his own what? They received him not. Christ is not surprised at this 
current of events, or this trajectory of events. Christ is not caught 
unawares. Christ is not saying, wow, I 
can't believe that you've rejected me. Jesus says this is precisely 
what was prophesied. The rejection of the Messiah 
himself. As well, it demonstrates that 
the vindication of Christ follows his rejection. Notice in the psalm. The stone 
which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. You see that? It may just be 
a hint, and it may not be as clear as Jesus saying, you know, 
after you take the son out of the city and you kill him, he's 
going to raise from the dead, he's going to ascend on high, 
he's going to leave captivity captive, and he's going to give 
gifts to men. He doesn't say it in quite that 
detailed way, but what he cites from the psalm indicates it all 
the same. The stone which the builders rejected has become 
what? The chief cornerstone. It is 
exalted. It is vindicated. It is raised 
up. It is made something most blessed 
and most excellent. As well, the citation of the 
psalm demonstrates that this is all according to the plan 
of God Most High. Isn't that what it says? This 
was Yahweh's doing. This was the predetermined plan 
of God Most High. This was what was decreed in 
the manner in which God would save His people. Yes, He would 
send prophets. Yes, He would send more prophets. 
Then He would send His Son. They wouldn't receive the Son. 
They wouldn't bow to the Son. They wouldn't kiss the Son. They 
wouldn't confess the Son. They would take Him out of the 
city. They would crucify Him. And that was God's purpose. That 
was God's plan. Because without the shedding 
of blood, there is no remission for sin. And the bulls and the 
goats and the lambs and the sacrifices back in the Old Covenant could 
never take away the sin of the world. It had to be the Lamb 
of God, even Jesus Christ our Lord. If the Father doesn't send 
the Son, if the Son doesn't willingly submit to the Father, if all 
of these things are not carried out at Golgotha, then we die 
in our sins. This was the Lord's doing. You see, I mentioned last week 
that persons look at the Old Testament and they say, oh, it's 
so filled with wrath and judgment and curse. And I argue that no, 
it's filled with a long-suffering and a patient God who sends wave 
after wave after wave of prophet. And then he sends his only beloved 
son to this recalcitrant, rebellious nature. Do you know what else 
we learn? What other thing we observe? 
In this reference that this was the Lord's doing, it demonstrates 
His heart to saving sinners. He sends His Son to be rejected, 
to be scorned, to be mocked, to be spat upon as we follow 
in the rest of this Gospel. We will see them take a crown 
of thorns and bury it in the Savior's head. We will see wicked 
men slapping the Son of God. We will see wicked men spitting 
on the Son of God. We will see wicked men say, away 
with him, away with him, crucify him. Give us Barabbas. Give us 
this political insurrectionist. Give us this revolutionary. Give 
us this terrorist, is what they say. And yet Jesus dies for sinners. Don't ever wonder, does God so 
love the world? God so loves the world that He 
gave His only begotten Son. This was the Lord's doing. The 
way for us to get to heaven is not through our doing. The way 
for you to get to heaven today is not for you to go home and 
get rid of all your pornography. It's not to go home and stop 
smoking crack. It's not to go home and fix your 
marriage. Now those are all good things 
and I certainly recommend them, but the way to go to heaven is 
God's doing. He comes through the Son of His 
love. It comes through 2 Corinthians 5.21. God made Him, Christ, who 
knew no sin, to be sin for us. And when Christ was sin for us, 
what does the Father do? The Father punishes Him. The 
Father pours out wrath upon Him, that wrath that we deserve, that 
wrath that we should have. The Father does this when the 
Son is made sin. And what is the benefit from 
all of this? We are forgiven. We are cleansed. Our punishment was paid for by 
the Lord Jesus Christ in His bloodshedding. Do you understand 
that? Imagine if you were on your way to the gas chamber and 
somebody said, no, I'll take your place. And they went in 
and they died for you. That's what it is. That's what 
happened. Our sin is forgiven because of 
what Christ has done. But once our sin is forgiven, 
God doesn't leave it at that. He not only forgives that sin, 
but as Paul continues in 2 Corinthians 5.21, that we might become the 
righteousness of God in Him. God takes our sin, heaps it upon 
His Son, punishes His Son in our stead, and then takes the 
righteousness that Jesus had accomplished in His life of obedience 
to the Father, and He gives that to us. Isn't that beautiful? Isn't that glorious? Isn't that 
gospel? That's why it's such a terrible 
thing for men to stand before congregations and say, your best 
life now. No, the gospel's about the best 
life ever. The Lord Christ Almighty and 
all those who look will live. They'll be cleansed from their 
sins. They'll receive a righteousness that avails with God. That's 
the way to heaven today. Again, don't go home and continue 
with your porn. Don't go home and continue with 
your crack. But you can stop that and still end up in hell. 
You need to believe on the Lord Jesus. You need to come in faith. You need to look and live. And 
then get rid of all that garbage and glorify God in your body, 
which was purchased by the Lord Christ. See, that's what Jesus 
says, this was the Lord's doing. And notice the citation from 
Psalm 118 tells us, and this was marvelous in our eyes. When 
we hear this rehearsed, when we consider again the Gospel, 
when we think through what we have here in the last chapters 
of Matthew's Gospel, there may be tears at times, there may 
be sorrows at times, there may be that conscious reality that, 
you know, had I been there, I would have done the same thing. I would 
have said, away with him, away with him, crucify him. I would 
have been engaged in that same manner of rebellion. But there 
is a joy, there is a marvel, there is a rejoicing at what 
we see played out in the life of the Savior. This is marvelous. in our eyes. It is marvelous 
to consider that the Father chose us in Him before the foundation 
of the world. It is marvelous to consider that 
in Him we have redemption through His blood. It is marvelous to 
consider the work of the Holy Spirit in sealing and in guaranteeing 
us. Isn't that marvelous? I often 
cite Psalm 112 as a reason persons ought to study theology because 
the psalmist says, great are the works of the Lord. They are 
studied by all that pleasure in them. Well, Psalm 118 is a 
reason to study theology too. This is marvelous in the believer's 
eyes. This is glorious when we ponder 
it. This is wondrous when we consider it. Our Savior hung 
on that cross for our sins. Our Savior buried and then on 
the third day risen from the dead. Our Savior ascended on 
high. Our Savior exalted at the right 
hand of the Father. Our Savior, we know, will come 
again in glory to judge the living and the dead. This is the impetus 
to get you out of bed on a Monday morning, isn't it? I mean, you 
look at this present condition, you look at this current situation, 
you look at the world about us, it is depressing, isn't it? We 
see that sin renders men not only ethically foolish, but intellectually 
foolish. I mean, people just do the most 
foolish things. Why should you get out of bed 
tomorrow? Because it was marvelous in our eyes. Notice, Jesus then 
speaks concerning the disposition of the kingdom. Verse 43 begins 
with a therefore. This is the grand implication 
in this particular section, witnessed, as I've said, by the Old Testament. Notice what he says. Therefore, 
I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and 
given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. This means that 
the kingdom of God would be removed from ethnic Israel. The kingdom 
of God is presently and currently, at the time that Jesus is speaking 
to them, the possession of Israel. Now, we need to understand kingdom. 
Israel does not exhaust the kingdom of God, nor does the church exhaust 
the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is comprehensive. It includes everything. But the 
Church in the New Covenant is that visible representation, 
that expression of the Kingdom of God. When we ask, what does 
the Kingdom of God look like? Hopefully we're able to say, 
it looks like the Church. They subscribe to the King, they 
worship and honor the King, they go according to His Word. Well, 
you've got to go back in the Old Covenant to see that that 
was true of Israel. They were the kingdom of God, 
such that when Solomon assumes the throne in 1 Chronicles 29, 
23, it says, then Solomon sat on the throne of Yahweh. He sat 
on the throne of Yahweh. Do you understand what that means? 
Yahweh's throne is in Jerusalem, at least in that old covenant 
situation. It goes on to say, he sat on 
the throne of Yahweh as king instead of David, his father, 
and prospered. Now the nation of Israel had 
been privileged, hadn't it? Just like in the parable. The 
landowner picks this particular land. It's his vineyard. He gives 
it to these vine dressers or these tenant farmers and he tells 
them to be profitable, to be fruitful. That's what we find 
in Old Covenant Israel. The landowner bears long with 
them. The landowner wants the fruit. 
He wants to yield. He wants to reap what these tenant 
farmers are supposed to produce. But instead, they reject, they 
kill not only prophets, but the Messiah as well. So Jesus says, 
I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you. It's not gonna be yours anymore. 
These are the religious leaders of Israel, remember? And those 
who follow these religious leaders are guilty too. But he doesn't 
stop there. will be taken from you and given 
to a nation bearing the fruits of it." The kingdom of God will 
be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of 
it. In an interesting passage in 1 Peter chapter 2, the Apostle 
cites Exodus chapter 19. Verses 5 and 6, why my new King 
James does not indicate that it's a quote, I believe reflects 
a dispensational understanding of the text. You may say, well, 
that's harsh, but it is what it is. Notice in verse 9 of 1 
Peter 2, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood. 
holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim 
the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his 
marvelous light." Several other times in this particular chapter, 
when there is a quotation from the Old Testament, it is set 
off in italics. It indicates that this is a quotation. It tells me that this is a quotation, 
but not here in verse 9. But if you compare with Exodus 
19, 5 and 6, it is. What does Exodus 19.5 and 6 say? It says to Israel, I'm going 
to make you a kingdom of priests, a royal nation. What is Peter doing? He's applying 
that language to the church. Again, not replacement, not just 
based on ethnicity, but it is fulfillment. Because of Jesus 
as the Israel of God, all the promises of God are yea and amen 
in Him. That then brings together Jew 
and Gentile as one new man under Christ, which is the church, 
the eschatological Israel of Old Testament prophecy. So you 
see, brethren, the nation that is in view in this particular 
section, the kingdom of God, will be taken from you and given 
to a nation bearing the fruits of it is the church of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, made up of Jew and Gentile. Notice the supposition 
involved in the text. Will be taken from you and given 
to a nation bearing the fruits of it. I mentioned this last 
week as well. What are we supposed to learn 
from this as a church? We're to be fruitful. were to 
be fruitful and were to multiply. Calvin says we ought to learn 
from this passage that the gospel is not preached in order that 
it may lie barren and inoperative, but that it may yield fruit. 
You see, Jesus' assumption, I'm gonna take the kingdom from you, 
I'm gonna hand it to the church, and it's going to bear fruits. 
It's going to do what it's supposed to do. It's going to yield those 
things to the owner in time as they are purposed to do. Now, the historical fulfillment 
of verse 23, I think, takes place in the first place at the death 
and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. This is my blood of the 
new covenant, Jesus says, doesn't he? In Matthew 26, when he sheds 
his blood, he inaugurates the new covenant. But its historical 
demonstration, if you will, takes place in the destruction of Jerusalem 
in A.D. 70. You have to appreciate this 
reality, that the kingdom of God, as I've said, was located 
present, visibly located in the nation of Israel, preeminently 
in Jerusalem. So when that city is sacked and 
their temple falls, this is a public demonstration of what Christ 
has spoken of. The kingdom has been taken from 
you and it will be given to a nation that bears fruits consistent 
with it. So I think these men prophesy their own destruction 
in verse 41. He will destroy those wicked 
men miserably and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will 
render to him the fruits in their seasons. And I believe that Jesus 
is speaking to that same eventuality in verse 43. I say to you the 
kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation 
bearing the fruits of it." Now, some persons might stumble that 
I said it takes place in sort of two phases, the death and 
resurrection of Jesus and then the destruction of the city. 
I think this is what the apostle does in Hebrews 8. You can turn 
to Hebrews 8, specifically in verse 13. The context of Hebrews 
7 and 8 is that we are now under a better covenant. The idea being 
the old covenant has ceased. The old covenant is obsolete. 
The old covenant is over. We are now under the new covenant 
which is a better covenant founded on better promises because we 
have the surety that is Jesus Christ and it all affords a better 
hope. Now note the language in Hebrews 
8. In that he says a new covenant, he has made the first obsolete. When does God make the first 
obsolete? It's at the death and the resurrection 
of Jesus. It is in the inauguration of 
the new covenant which comes through his blood. But notice 
what the apostle goes on to say, now what is becoming obsolete 
and growing old is ready to vanish away. He just said it's obsolete 
and now he says it's becoming obsolete. How do we make heads 
or tails of that? Remember that in the first century, 
before AD 70, Jerusalem was standing. Before AD 70, there was a temple 
in Jerusalem. Before AD 70, there was a sacrificial 
system. There was a Levitical priesthood. 
So much of the book of Hebrews takes up with the superiority 
of the high priesthood of Jesus Christ. Why? Because the priesthood, 
the Levitical priesthood, was still in place in Jerusalem. 
The whole point, or the thrust, or the emphasis, or the stress 
in the book of Hebrews is upon Jewish Christians being pressured 
to go back to that old covenant system, being pressured to go 
to the temple, being pressured to subscribe to the Levitical 
priesthood, to take their bull, or their bullock, or their lamb, 
or their pigeons back to the temple. And the point of the 
apostle is, don't go back. That's apostasy in that particular 
context. To defect from Jesus Christ, 
who is the high priest and the surety of a better covenant, 
to turn your back on him and go back to the Levitical priesthood, 
is to apostatize. So as the author is writing here, 
he says that the new covenant has rendered the first obsolete, 
the death and resurrection of Jesus. Now what is becoming obsolete, 
this sacrificial system, these Levitical priests, this temple 
compound, now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready 
to vanish away. When? When Jerusalem is surrounded 
by armies. When the city is destroyed. When 
the temple is sacked, when the priests are gone, the sacrifice 
is over, and the nation of Israel, that once great nation, has filled 
up the measure of their wrath, and God's judgment comes upon 
them. And in accordance with Deuteronomy 
28, they are then scattered as exiles in the world. That's the 
point. That's this transfer of the kingdom. That's what Jesus is talking 
about. And then Jesus speaks of the 
promise of judgment in verse 44. And whoever falls on this 
stone will be broken. There's a couple of passages 
that work behind the scenes here. We don't have time to develop 
this. I don't want to keep you all day. Not that I could keep 
you all day. Certainly have to end sometime. 
But there are several passages behind the scenes in verse 44. 
Whoever falls on this stone. Probably a reference to Isaiah 
8, 14 and 15. And in that particular context, Yahweh is the stone. 
And whoever falls on that stone will be broken. Isn't that intriguing? Jesus now applies this language 
to himself. Christology in here is truly 
amazing as well. That could be a study all on 
its own. But Isaiah 8, 14, and 15. Yahweh says to Israel, you 
stumble on this stone and you will be broken. Jesus says that 
to his then current audience. Whoever falls on this stone will 
be broken. Notice what he goes on to say. 
But on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder. And 
many believe, and I think they're right, that Daniel 2 is in view. 
Remember in Daniel 2, there's this image, this big image that 
is built up of several composite metals, all these various kingdoms 
represented by this image, and there's this one small stone 
that then falls the image. There is this one small stone 
which is representative of the kingdom of Jesus Christ, our 
Lord, which brings to an end these earthly empires and powers. So Christ says, whoever falls 
on this stone, through their unbelief in the ministry of Jesus 
Christ, will be broken. But on whomever it falls, when 
he comes in the wrath and fury and the glory and the majesty 
of his judgment, it will be crushed to powder. The city you love, 
the temple you boast in, the sacrifices you have prostituted, 
they are going to be crushed to powder because you have violated 
the covenant of God most Osborne makes this observation, this 
is taken, this on whomever it falls will grind them to powder. 
This is taken from Daniel 2 in which Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's 
dream of the enormous statue shattered by the rock. Now the 
leaders and the nation of Israel at Jesus' time will share Babylon's 
judgment. They will reject and kill the 
Messiah, but the Messiah will utterly destroy them. Now notice the response to the 
parable. They understood its application, 
didn't they? Not just this parable, the word 
is plural. They understood both parables. 
They understood that they were the son that said, yes Lord, 
I will do it, and didn't do it. And they understood that in the 
second parable, that of the vineyard, they were the men that had rejected, 
that had beaten, killed, and stoned the prophets, and that 
would indeed seize the sign and get rid of him as well. They 
understood that. It's intriguing, isn't it? Now, 
when the chief priests and Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived 
that he was speaking of them. And then, amazingly, they went 
out and fulfilled it. Jesus just told them this is 
what these men do to the son. They conspire together, they 
lay their hands on him, they take him out of the city, and 
they crucify him. Isn't that exactly what they 
do here? Again, these are not right bulbs. These are not smart 
men. Jesus just told them. It must 
still be ringing in their ears what the conduct of these vinedressers 
would be toward the landowner's son. And they do it, verse 46, 
but when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitudes 
because they took him for a prophet. Just like in the parable, verses 
38 and 39. And just like with John the Baptist, 
they feared the multitudes. Because the multitude saw Jesus 
as a prophet. The multitude saw John the Baptist 
as a prophet. And for these men to come along 
and exterminate them, they would lose favor in the eyes of the 
multitudes. But do you see the tragic irony? 
As Carson says, they are fulfilling the very parable that Jesus has 
just spoken to them right before our eyes. Well, brethren, by 
way of conclusion, just a couple of observations. I mentioned 
that this verse 41 slash verse 43 occurs at AD 70. The religious leaders prophesied 
their own destruction. The religious leaders highlight 
the righteousness of God's judgment upon them, and Jesus affirms 
this by citing the Old Testament. Jesus then says declaratively 
that the kingdom would be taken from them and given to another 
nation. A nation that will bear fruits 
consistent with it. This has to be kept in mind as 
we approach Olivet. Remember the Olivet Discourse 
takes place on Tuesday evening. All this is happening during 
Tuesday day. So that when Jesus speaks of 
this generation in Matthew 23 and in Matthew 24, what generation 
are we logically to conclude? The generation whom he'd been 
speaking to previously that day, not some distant generation from 
Jesus' time. Here's what Ryle and Spurgeon 
say concerning Matthew 21, verse 43, Ryle says, a time came when 
the long-suffering of God towards the Jews had an end. Forty years 
after our Lord's death, the cup of their iniquity was at length 
full, and they received a heavy chastisement for their many sins. 
Their holy city, Jerusalem, was destroyed. Their temple was burned. They themselves were scattered 
over the face of the earth. The kingdom of God was taken 
from them and given to a nation, bringing forth the fruits thereof. 
Spurgeon said, as a class, the religious leaders of the Jews 
were guilty of the blood of a long line of prophets, and they were 
about to crown their long career of crime by the murder of the 
Son of God himself. In the destruction of Jerusalem, 
the God of heaven visited them and dealt out just punishment 
to them. The siege of the city and the 
massacre of the inhabitants was a terrible avenging of the innocent 
blood which the people and their rulers had shed. I cite Spurgeon 
and Ryle for this reason. First, so that you know that 
I'm not just bringing something brand new. Secondly, though, 
I know there's quotes from people that differ with this, and that's 
fine. There will be a differing of 
understandings about precise applications of particular verses. 
I believe the weight of Matthew's Gospel presses us to the conclusion 
that Matthew 21 and what Jesus says here is what Jesus prophesies 
concerning in Matthew 24. But I realize that good men understand 
it differently. And on finer details concerning 
eschatology, we may differ, and that's okay. So I'm not citing 
it to say Spurgeon and Ryle said it, so you better believe it. 
No, I'm just saying, I'm not a wingnut. My interpretation is consistent 
with the history of the church. And I realize that other interpretations 
are consistent with the history of the church. All that to say 
this, we are not saved by our attention to eschatological details. We are saved by grace alone, 
through faith alone, in Christ alone. And if you take anything 
from this study, understand this reality, as I've already tried 
to press on you, that if you try and test and abuse the patience 
of God, it will run out. God, the just judge of all the 
earth, always does what's right. And when he comes in glory and 
in power and in majesty to crush, to powder those who continue 
to reject his kingdom, it is righteous, it is just, it is 
legit. The only way to escape that judgment 
promised, the only way to stop from being broken presently or 
being crushed in the future is to come to the Savior. Many respects, 
brethren, what Jesus does here in many respects is an extension 
of the grace and the mercy and the long-suffering of the landowner 
himself. This is Tuesday day. He then 
prophesies Tuesday night. There he laments, oh Jerusalem, 
Jerusalem. How often I wanted to gather 
you under my arms the way that a hen gathers its chicks, but 
you were not willing. You see, even here, even then, 
these men could have said, we're going to stop. We're going to 
desist. We're not going to defy the landowner. We're not going 
to reject the son. We're not going to forsake this. 
I'm speaking as a man, obviously. The plan of God is without change, 
to be sure. But in terms of the heart of 
the Lord Jesus Christ, He goes through these controversies, 
He prophesies in the evening, He laments over the very city 
in which all the prophets die, and then He goes to the cross. Truly, an amazing Christ that 
we witness in this particular section. And one final thought 
before we move on, before we move to lunch. You know, today 
is Sanctity of Life Sunday. I typically preach on abortion 
or on some such thing from the law of God, and I think that 
is fitting, and I think that is legitimate. Because of current 
events and situations, it literally jumped out of my head, but I 
think there is an application to be seen in this passage concerning 
the sin of murder. Not just abortion is murder, 
not just euthanasia is murder, but any unlawful act of taking 
the life of another person. Murder certainly consistent with 
the conduct of Israel as we see it in that parable of the vineyard. Religious murder. They murdered 
the prophets. They murdered the Messiah. But 
you know what's very intriguing is that when Peter preaches to 
Jerusalem sinners in the book of Acts, chapter 2, he says there 
is forgiveness for even murderers. It's really amazing. Notice in 
Acts chapter 2, specifically at verse 23. Well, verse 22. Men of Israel, hear these words. 
Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, 
and signs, which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves 
also know, him being delivered by the determined purpose and 
foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have 
crucified and put to death. That's the sin of murder, isn't 
it? It's the crime of murder. You know what the best message 
is for us on Sanctity of Life Sunday? Yes, the law condemns 
murder, but the gospel brings healing to murderers. You may 
have blood on your hands, Jerusalem sinners, but look at what Jesus, 
or Peter, says in Acts 2 at verse 38. Repent and let every one 
of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission 
of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 
But Peter, you're speaking to Jerusalem sinners. You're speaking 
to sinners that crucified our Lord. Yes, because the Gospel 
is that powerful. Because the Gospel is that glorious. Because the blood of Jesus Christ, 
His Son, does cleanse us from all sin. And then know what Peter 
goes on to say in verse 39, which unfortunately has become a polemic 
for paedo-baptism. But I submit to you that something 
different is in the mind and heart of Peter, verse 39, for 
the promises to you and to your children and to all who are far 
off as many as the Lord our God will call. These are Jerusalem 
sinners who pronounced an imprecation upon their children in Matthew 
27. When they stand before Caesar, 
they say, May his blood be upon us and our Peter says, the promise 
is for you, Jerusalem sinners. The promise is for your children, 
Jerusalem sinners. Those ones you imprecated God's 
wrath upon in Matthew's gospel in chapter 27. The answer for 
sinners, the answer for murderers. the answer for abortionists, 
the answer for parents that have undertaken that activity, the 
answer for those who practice euthanasia, whether the actual 
activity or the conspiracy to murder, the answer for the drive-by 
murder, the answer for the drug murders, the answer for the sophisticated 
murders, is the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son. That's what 
Peter says to Jerusalem sinners on the day of Pentecost. That's 
how he addresses a group of murderers. Repent and be baptized in the 
name of Jesus Christ for what? For the remission of sins. The 
blood of Jesus doesn't just cleanse you from these sort of low shelf 
sins. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses 
us from all sin. That's the good news of the gospel 
that we have to apply to Sanctity of Life Sunday. The law condemns 
murder. The law speaks, thou shalt not 
The gospel offers hope, it offers peace, it offers remedy and forgiveness 
through the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for the Word of God and we thank you 
for the things spoken by our Lord Jesus in this passage. Help 
us to understand these things, help us to see the long-suffering 
and the patience of God that ought to lead us to repentance, 
and as well, help us to see that long-suffering and patience will 
one day run out. I pray this would be terrifying 
in the thought of anyone here this morning that is not a Christian, 
and that by your grace they would believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. 
They would come to that one in whom there is safety and forgiveness 
and refuge. And we ask this through Christ 
our Lord. Amen. We'll have a brief time of meditation, 
then I'll come back up and thank the Lord for the food, and then 
we'll be dismissed to go eat.