Post by Rev. Jim Cunningham on Nov 19, 2008 2:44:17 GMT -5
Thus saith the Lord....
Jesus saith unto them, "What think ye? A certain 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 repented and went. And he came to the second [son] and said likewise. And he answered and said, "I go, sir," and went not. Which of these two did the will of his father?"
They answerd [Jesus] and said, "The first."
Jesus saith unto them, "Verily I say unto you that the publicans and the harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you. For John [the Baptist] came unto you in the way of righteousness and ye believed him not; but the publicans and the harlots believed him! An ye, when ye had SEEN it, repented not, that ye might believe!"
- Matthew 21:28-32
In this parable, Jesus was addressing the hypocritical religious people of His day. Here they were, acting holier-than-thou, as though they were better than everyone else. They denied that John the Baptist was "one of them", that he was a man of God as they claimed to be. So conceited were they that they denied John even when they saw that the sinners were turned to God by him. And Jesus flatly tells them that those same sinners will enter God's kingdom before they do, because the sinners heard the Word of God and obeyed it, but they, the "holy ones", did not.
To be brutally honest with you, not only am I tired of the hypocrites in the church, I'm tired of hearing everyone else complain about them.
What has happened is this. You see, we - you and I, the homosexual "publicans and harlots" - received quite a compliment here from Jesus for believing and acting upon the Word of God that came to us when we were sinners in the world. When the Prince of Heaven went to bring treasure to His Bride - His People - He passed by us on his great white steed and saw us laying filthy and hungry and naked in the mud, with blood, not only upon our faces from receiving abuse, but also upon our hands for being abusers. He stepped down and lifted us up, cleaned us, dressed our wounds, and, from out of the very treasures He brought for His own People, he set a crown on our head, gold around our neck and rings upon our fingers. He anointed our heads and faces with the precious and scented ointment of priests and kings. He put a white and clean garment upon our backs, and said, "I love you. Come and dwell with Me, for My own people have turned from Me. I have rescued you from death, now come and hear My Word and do it and you shall live." And it happened just like that, and we heard His Word, we do His Word and we live by His Word.
However, instead of taking that compliment with great humility, instead of weeping that we who were utterly unworthy were chosen because His own people turned from him, instead of greiving for the orginal branches that had to be plucked out so that we could be grafted in to the vine, instead of remembering that the gift was FIRST to them before us and instead of blessing them when they deny that the Prince of Heaven collected us from the streets and made us part of His kingdom, we've turned instead to our religious tormentors, shot them a raspberry with our tongues, and have said, "Yeah, you're all just a bunch of hypocrites! Jesus is gonna get you!" We have let the hypocrites turn us into hypocrites. This ought not to be!
They were the brother who told the Lord that they would go and work in His vineyard but did not go; rather, they go about gloating to everyone that their father is the owner of the vineyard, bragging that their father sends them forth to work in it to bring forth its fruits, telling one and all that (we) their brother is worthless and lazy and sinful and so therefore their father sent them instead because they are so good and faithful - but they never go to that work and they never bear forth any fruit. We, on the other hand, must not do the same. We must be that son who, though at first resists our Father's word, but who then thinks better of it and goes to do the work He commanded us, bringing in much fruit.
Let us not stand at the edge of that vineyard to watch and berate our brother who should be at work with us. Let us not mock him for being a hypocrite. Instead, let us be about our Father's business, so that, when our Father comes back into His vineyard He will see us faithfully attending it. And those of us whom He finds working faithfully in that vineyard will be rewarded with blessings when the day has ended. But the rebellious and self willed brother, who is out and about, doing his own pleasure and slandering his own brother, and who neglected the vineyard and brought in no fruit, will come to the house of his Father and brother in the middle of the night, and will knock. But the Father and His son will now be at rest within, and the door will not be opened.
Be warned by these words of the Lord: "Not the hearers of the Law are justified, but the doers of the Law."
Brethren, be brave, be steadfast, be faithful in all things, be as wise as a serpent but as gentle as a dove, touch nothing of the heathen's, condemn none, have mercy on all, condescend to hear and help those lower than you, touch the untouchables, be at peace with your neighbor, honor your employer and promote his industry, be contented with your wages (for it is God alone who gives you power to get wealth), be good and faithful to your mate whom God has given you, keep yourself from fornication and the unclean things, go that extra mile, do good deeds but do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, fear not, hate not, despise not, do not talk back, answer an angry response with soft words, and be the child of your Father in heaven.
Loving you,
Rev. Jim Cunningham
Jesus saith unto them, "What think ye? A certain 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 repented and went. And he came to the second [son] and said likewise. And he answered and said, "I go, sir," and went not. Which of these two did the will of his father?"
They answerd [Jesus] and said, "The first."
Jesus saith unto them, "Verily I say unto you that the publicans and the harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you. For John [the Baptist] came unto you in the way of righteousness and ye believed him not; but the publicans and the harlots believed him! An ye, when ye had SEEN it, repented not, that ye might believe!"
- Matthew 21:28-32
In this parable, Jesus was addressing the hypocritical religious people of His day. Here they were, acting holier-than-thou, as though they were better than everyone else. They denied that John the Baptist was "one of them", that he was a man of God as they claimed to be. So conceited were they that they denied John even when they saw that the sinners were turned to God by him. And Jesus flatly tells them that those same sinners will enter God's kingdom before they do, because the sinners heard the Word of God and obeyed it, but they, the "holy ones", did not.
To be brutally honest with you, not only am I tired of the hypocrites in the church, I'm tired of hearing everyone else complain about them.
What has happened is this. You see, we - you and I, the homosexual "publicans and harlots" - received quite a compliment here from Jesus for believing and acting upon the Word of God that came to us when we were sinners in the world. When the Prince of Heaven went to bring treasure to His Bride - His People - He passed by us on his great white steed and saw us laying filthy and hungry and naked in the mud, with blood, not only upon our faces from receiving abuse, but also upon our hands for being abusers. He stepped down and lifted us up, cleaned us, dressed our wounds, and, from out of the very treasures He brought for His own People, he set a crown on our head, gold around our neck and rings upon our fingers. He anointed our heads and faces with the precious and scented ointment of priests and kings. He put a white and clean garment upon our backs, and said, "I love you. Come and dwell with Me, for My own people have turned from Me. I have rescued you from death, now come and hear My Word and do it and you shall live." And it happened just like that, and we heard His Word, we do His Word and we live by His Word.
However, instead of taking that compliment with great humility, instead of weeping that we who were utterly unworthy were chosen because His own people turned from him, instead of greiving for the orginal branches that had to be plucked out so that we could be grafted in to the vine, instead of remembering that the gift was FIRST to them before us and instead of blessing them when they deny that the Prince of Heaven collected us from the streets and made us part of His kingdom, we've turned instead to our religious tormentors, shot them a raspberry with our tongues, and have said, "Yeah, you're all just a bunch of hypocrites! Jesus is gonna get you!" We have let the hypocrites turn us into hypocrites. This ought not to be!
They were the brother who told the Lord that they would go and work in His vineyard but did not go; rather, they go about gloating to everyone that their father is the owner of the vineyard, bragging that their father sends them forth to work in it to bring forth its fruits, telling one and all that (we) their brother is worthless and lazy and sinful and so therefore their father sent them instead because they are so good and faithful - but they never go to that work and they never bear forth any fruit. We, on the other hand, must not do the same. We must be that son who, though at first resists our Father's word, but who then thinks better of it and goes to do the work He commanded us, bringing in much fruit.
Let us not stand at the edge of that vineyard to watch and berate our brother who should be at work with us. Let us not mock him for being a hypocrite. Instead, let us be about our Father's business, so that, when our Father comes back into His vineyard He will see us faithfully attending it. And those of us whom He finds working faithfully in that vineyard will be rewarded with blessings when the day has ended. But the rebellious and self willed brother, who is out and about, doing his own pleasure and slandering his own brother, and who neglected the vineyard and brought in no fruit, will come to the house of his Father and brother in the middle of the night, and will knock. But the Father and His son will now be at rest within, and the door will not be opened.
Be warned by these words of the Lord: "Not the hearers of the Law are justified, but the doers of the Law."
Brethren, be brave, be steadfast, be faithful in all things, be as wise as a serpent but as gentle as a dove, touch nothing of the heathen's, condemn none, have mercy on all, condescend to hear and help those lower than you, touch the untouchables, be at peace with your neighbor, honor your employer and promote his industry, be contented with your wages (for it is God alone who gives you power to get wealth), be good and faithful to your mate whom God has given you, keep yourself from fornication and the unclean things, go that extra mile, do good deeds but do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, fear not, hate not, despise not, do not talk back, answer an angry response with soft words, and be the child of your Father in heaven.
Loving you,
Rev. Jim Cunningham