Matthew 2024
Sermons in series
- 1 How to impress Jesus
- 2 The hunchback, a mother-in-law and Jesus.
- 3 Does Your Christian Profile Match Your Person?
- 4 A Sure View of the Storm
- 5 This is a message for Tony Adams
- 6 The Good Doctor
- 7 Follow Signs in the Stars
- 8 You sack of old wine
- 9 The Merciful Doctor
- 10 The Great Commission
- 11 What Jesus saw when he looked at a crowd
- 12 Continuing Jesus’ ministry
- 13 Surviving in the forest-fire world
- 14 Acknowledge to be acknowledged
- 15 Who is the greatest preacher? Steven Furtick or Mrs Bunch?
- 16 Great rest for those in the Great Fatigue
- 17 Are you content with the Lord Jesus?
- 18 Behold - my servant
- 19 Beelzebub and Blasphemy
- 20 A greater sign
- 21 Blood is Thicker than Water
- 22 Beware the birds of unbelief
- 23 Great Needs, Greatly Provided For
- 24 True Religion
- 25 All You Need is a Crumb-y Faith
- 26 Christ’s grand design
- 27 Brat summer
- 28 Look, listen, follow
- 29 Why we lose the battles we should be winning
- 30 Fish fee
- 31 Littleness, in all its glory
- 32 A guide to being little
- 33 Jesus answers questions about marriage and divorce
- 34 Rich young ruler
-
Outrageous grace
- 36 Will you drink from the cup?
- 37 What do you really want?
- 38 Praise Jesus the King!
- 39 Who does he think he is!?
- 40 Are you a talker, or a do-er?
- 41 The God of the living
- 42 I fought the law and the love won
- 43 Taking the religious mask off
- 44 Birth pains of the Messiah
- 45 Are you ready to meet with Jesus?
- 46 Just top up on oil
- 47 Kingston’s got Talents
- 48 Come or go
- 49 What’s your price on Christ?
Outrageous grace
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Sermon 35 of 49
Outrageous grace
Tom Smith, Matthew 20:1-16, 13 July 2025
As we continue our series in Matthew’s gospel, Tom Smith preaches to us from Matthew 20:1-16. In this passage we see Jesus tell his disciples a parable about a landowner who brings in various people from the streets to work in his vineyard, some coming in the morning, some in the evening - but all receive the same pay! The ones who worked for longer grumbled, but Jesus’ next words are astounding. As Tom unpacks this section of God’s word, in light of the previous passage about the rich young man, we see Jesus’s generosity to all people, the true position of man before a Holy God, and what it all means for us today.
Matthew 20:1-16
20:1 “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.”
(ESV)