I'd like to welcome you to our service. If you'd like to find your place in Matthew chapter 20, Matthew chapter 20. I'd like to welcome those that are joining us now at this time by the way of the internet. We thank God for your presence and just know that we're praying for you. For those of our folks that are traveling, listen to this message. You're on vacation and I want to thank you for listening. We're praying for you and hurry back. We miss you. But for those that are listening to this message, I want to thank you for your presence with us. And also, I just want you to know that we're praying for you. And Matthew chapter 20, the title of the message is Ready, Set, Go. The Olympics started a week or two ago in Paris, and countries from around the world have sent their best athletes to compete in various sports. Swimming, gymnastics, track and field, soccer, basketball, volleyball, and even some events that the Olympics may recognize as sporting events, but it's no sporting event in my eyes. Breakdancing. It's not a sporting event. you know, sport climbing and skateboarding and surfing and things like that. And all these things are, to me, they're kind of sketchy when it comes to an actual sport, but maybe it is for some. I'm surprised cornhole wasn't admitted to the games. I'm surprised pickleball didn't make it to the Olympic Games. They didn't meet the criteria, they said, for the sport. But in order to compete in the Olympics, an athlete has to qualify. Or there must be a selection committee. They have to be ready. The athlete must be fit for the sporting event. He or she has to be available. And they must be willing to put in the work that's required to represent their country. Some of the fastest sprinters in the world have gathered in Paris to compete against each other. The world record for the 100 meter dash, as far as my knowledge, best I can remember here, is held by Usain Bolt from Jamaica. And he ran it in 9.58 seconds. Boy, that's just amazing to be able to run that fast. But some of the fastest sprinters in the world, they've gathered to compete against each other. winning, trying to win the gold. But once the sprinters enter the stadium and they line up on the track, they get in the ready position. Then they'll set themselves on the line and when they hear the starter pistol, they go. You know, the Christian life is similar to a race, not a sprint or a hundred meter dash, but more like a race with hurdles and difficulties to overcome. And it resembles more a race of endurance like a marathon, 26.2 miles. But here in our passage, a householder is going to select a group of laborers who are going to agree for a set price to go and work for the householder in his vineyard. They're going to agree to labor for an entire day for a certain amount of money. And Matthew 20 is not a passage about salvation. Let's make that clear. There's no labor required to be saved. Jesus did all that God required through his death on the cross and his resurrection to satisfy the demands of a holy God. In Ephesians 2 and verse 8, it says, For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." You see, once you get saved, God has a work for all to do. There's some people in our church that have been laboring in this church for 20 plus years, and we thank God for them. But there's many more that have come on board in the last two years, the last three years, four years, ten years. Hey, but there's a place of service for everyone in the work of God. Now, not everybody can be the pastor, not everybody can be a deacon, not everybody can be a Sunday school teacher or even a bus driver, a bus worker, but there's a place of service for every person, whether young or old. And God does not want anyone to stand by idol. You see, there's plenty of work for people to do. But right here's the problem, the laborers are few. In Matthew chapter 20 and verse 1, let's start reading. For the kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that is a householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. And said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. And again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle. And saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, that means the end of the work day, the lord of the vineyard said unto his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the 11th hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more. And they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the good man of the house, saying, these last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal. unto us which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong. Dost not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is and go thy way. I will give unto this last even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil because I am good? So the last shall be first and the first last for many be called, but few chosen. Number one, I want us to see this householder. This householder is a type or a representation of God. This householder has a vineyard. The fields and the vineyards, they're ripe unto harvest. The fruit is ripe and ready to be picked, but there must be laborers to bring in the harvest. God is always looking for laborers. Those who have separated themselves and made themselves available for service. Those that are fit and those that are ready and they've positioned themselves in such a place to be chosen by God. I wonder how many Christians are sitting idle in a church pew. I mean, they're there, they're literally there where they could be, but they just don't want to make themselves available to God. And you think service after service, Time after time, God moves and the Holy Spirit moves and he's asking that question, why are you sitting there idle? Why are you not doing anything? Why aren't you going forward for God? Why aren't you growing and why aren't you more involved? And the Holy Spirit is wooing them just like this householder addressed these people. God's always looking for laborers. In Acts 13, verse 1, it says, Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers, as Barnabas and Simeon, that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Mannan, which had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. And as they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, separate me, Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I have called them. These men were in the right place with the right people and ministering to the right person, the Lord. And you know what God did? God called them to a designated place of service. He said, separate me. I got a work for them to do and God called them into the vineyard of his fields. You know, just like an athlete is selected or qualifies for the Olympics, God selects and qualifies certain people for his service. Again, we're not talking about salvation. Matthew 20 is not about salvation, it's about service. being available, being ready, being fit to be used of God. All these men that I read about in Acts 13, they were already saved. They were already busy serving the Lord, making themselves available to God, and then God called them to a specific service for Him. They were ready, they were fit, they were prepared. They made themselves available to be called by God into his service. Number one, we see the householder. He's God. Number two, we see the place of service. It's the vineyard. God has a specific job for all to do and a specific place for all to serve. In Ephesians 2.10, it says, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them. You know, many Christians will never maximize or reach the full potential that God has for them simply because they will fail to make themselves available for service. They're too busy just living for self, pursuing vanity, and they will fail to be all they can be for God. People will spend hours in their hobbies, but they won't give God more than one or two hours a week to work in their heart, and some people even less than that. Many Christians will not spend more than five minutes a day in meditation of the Word of God. They rarely pray more than five minutes a day, and unfortunately, they'll never reach God's full potential for their life. How many people have grown up dreaming maybe to be an Olympian or a professional athlete, but they're simply not willing and not ready to separate themselves and to sacrifice themselves and to put in the work that's required to be that person they want to be so that they could be available for someone to select them and use them in that field? God will save whosoever will. Whosoever will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, God will save. But I wonder how many Christians, how many Christians will invest in the work of God and make themselves available to be called of God into his field of service. Number three, we see the laborers are selected. Look in verse 1. For the kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that is in householder which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. These laborers agreed to work in the vineyard for one penny a day. That's a day's wage. Now, there was still plenty of room in this vineyard for others to work, so the householder went to the marketplace where people gathered to be selected to go and work, and he found more people. But notice the difference. Notice the difference with how he's dealing with these people in verse 3. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. place, and said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way." Did you notice there's no negotiations here? There's no dollar amount agreed upon. The householder simply tells them that whatsoever is right I will give you, and they agreed to that. They were fully relying on the fact that this householder would treat them fairly and give them what was right. Now again, the householder went out another time. As a matter of fact, he goes out three different times and each time he found those who had made themselves available to be hired. Well, I like the fact that he just keeps coming. They are in the same place as the others were who had been hired before. They were ready and available. So the householder hires them for the day and tells them he will give them what is right. And they all went and worked. In our passage, the end of the day comes and the householder, he tells his steward to pay everybody. And he starts with the last, the ones that got hired in the 11th hour, the ones that only worked one hour that day. He said, I want you to start by paying them first. And gives them the same thing that he gave the people that had been there the longest. But what happens? The ones who agreed to work for the penny got jealous of the ones that got paid the same thing they did. Now they had agreed, the householder did exactly what he said he would do, but they became ungrateful. They got what they bargained for, but yet they said it was not fair. The others never, they were never told what they were going to get, but they simply trusted that the householder would do what was right. They had no complaints. You know, if we're not careful, as Christians, as those that are laboring Christians. It's real easy to develop the same attitude as those that are mentioned here. You know, God is faithful to meet all our needs and to take good care of us, but we can develop a bitter spirit toward God and others who seem to get a better shake at things than we do. We can develop that it's not fair attitude. And when that happens, it's like a little child that just folds his arms and says, not fair. I didn't get this. I didn't get that. Hey, the day you got saved, you and I got way more than what we deserved. We deserved hell, but God in his mercy and love sent Jesus to die for us and gave us everlasting life. And every one of us got more than we deserve. We should not get jealous or develop a bitter attitude or bitter spirit toward others who don't seem to have the same struggles that we have, or maybe the bad health that we have, or more of these world's goods than we have. Why? Because God promised that he'd take care of us. God said that he'd meet our needs, and we ought to be glad when we see new Christians or new members who get in. and they show loyalty, and they make themselves available to be used of God, and God gives them a place to serve. You know, in church, I've never seen anybody fight over a broom or a mop, but there's been many a people fight over and jockey over a position of preeminence. I've seen some good disagreements in Baptist churches, but it was never over who should be a servant and not Many want to be up front. Many want the role to make decisions or think they run something. But in reality, we should all be glad when God brings in more laborers. And those of us who have been on board a long time ought to encourage them and cheer them on. Why? Because they're the relief. We're all co-laborers with God. And God will give us what reward is right. The disciples were always jockeying for position. Jesus had just told them, I think it was Mark 10, and he had just told them of his death, his burial, his resurrection, his suffering, and the disciples getting a tiff over James and John wanting to be on his right and left side when he was in glory. I say there's plenty of work for all of us to do, but here's the message. Are we ready? Are we set? Are we ready to go? Have we made ourselves available to be chosen to go in the fields? Have we made ourselves fit for his service? Have we given God the option to choose us? This passage is not about salvation. You cannot earn salvation. This passage is about not being idle. but being involved in the work of the Lord. Maybe you've been saved and serving God a long time. Well, can I encourage you just to keep on working? Maybe you've only been saved a year or two, then just keep working. The end of the day has not yet come. The even is not here yet. Payday's coming one day, but it's not yet. Jesus said in John 9, 4, I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day. The night cometh when no man can work.