Laborers in the Field

Good afternoon, and happy Sabbath to all. And greetings again to those who are visiting over the webcast and joining in. We hope you're also having a very fine Sabbath day. Well, brethren, last Sabbath, as we know, we had a church social after the PM service. It was an enjoyable occasion for those of us who were here. Its purpose was to help the congregation get acquainted with the ABC class of 2025, and also for the ABC class to get acquainted with the congregations. It was also to recognize those among us who have been baptized for 50 or more years. Also, those baptized for 50 or more years, they were called a Jubilee Club if you were baptized for 50 or more years. It also reminded me of a parable in the Bible. I don't know if it reminded any of you of a parable, but it reminded me of a parable in the Bible, which I'll address a little bit later. But I will give a hint and say that it's one of the parables of Jesus Christ. But, brethren, regardless of how long we've been in the church, how long we've been believing and been in the church, we all have some things that are in common. One of the things in common is that we've been individually called by God. Another is we are all called to obey God, as was mentioned in the opening prayer. God tells us over and over, obey Him, and it will be well with us. In Deuteronomy, it says that we should obey God for our good. There are blessings for obedience, and of course there are problems if you choose to do something else. God expects His children to obey, regardless of how long He's been in the church. I know that's a no-brainer, but it's always good to state some things from time to time. The parable that I was reminded of is found in Matthew 20. It's a long parable, verses 1-16. Just to give you the shorthand version, this is about the workers in the vineyards. This is a parable that I was reminded of as far as the social last week, and I'm going to read through it all. Matthew 20, verse 1, it says, For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Now when he had agreed with the laborers for it nearest a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and he saw others standing, idle in the marketplace, who went out about nine in the morning, saw others, and he said to them, You also, go into the vineyard, whatever is right, I will give you. And they went. Again, he went out about the sixth hour, which is noon, and the ninth hour, 3 p.m., and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour, five o'clock in the afternoon, most of the day was well spent, about the eleventh hour, he went out and found others standing idle and said to them, Why have you been standing here all day? They said to him, Because no one has hired us. He said to them, You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right, you will receive. So an evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to a steward, Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first. And when those came who were hired, about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.

But when the first came, they supposed they would receive more, because they had labored all day long, that they would receive more, and likewise, they also received a denarius.

And when they had received it, they murmured against the landowner saying, These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.

But he answered one of them and said, Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give this last man the same as to you. Verse 15, Is it not lawful for me to do with what I wish with my own things? Or is your I evil, because I am good?

So the last will be first, and the first will be last. Many are called, but few are chosen. Some have been laboring a long time. Back then, some now have been laboring a long time, been in the church a long time. He is calling some now. He has called some a while ago. And God will still be calling more in the future. Those called years ago, so-called part of the Jubilee Club, those called years ago are likened to those who began work at the beginning of the day.

They were out there all day long laboring. They were likened to those who were on the beginning of the day and the parable. Those called later are likened to those that were called throughout history, leading up to the return of Jesus Christ. Now again, I'm not setting any dates here, likening those who begin to work early in the day, or those who are part of this Jubilee Club, or those who are Ambassador Bible College students. I'm not setting any dates. When Christ returns, there will be some who have been laboring a long time in the church.

There will also be some who have been called pretty close to the return of Jesus Christ and not have many years of service. Some will be older, and some will be younger. All the laborers in the parable receive the same amount, whether they labored a long time or not. God does not have a seniority system. We, too, whether we've been in the church a long time or not, and we're going to be part of the family of God. All will be part of the children of God.

Our years in the church are a blessing, but of itself, our years in the church is not any claim for spiritual superiority. Again, God does not have a seniority system. We are not compensated by our time that we put in the church. We are called to do something, just as the people in the parable were called to do something. We are called to do something, that something is to bear much good fruit. Back in the parable, they were working. We, too, need to be working.

We need to be doing something, and one of the things we need to be doing is we should obey. We are currently going through the book of Deuteronomy as a churchwide reading program. One of the instructions stated repeatedly in Deuteronomy is, obey God and it will be well with you. It is repeated several times for importance, for an interest. For example, let's take a look at a few examples for instance. Turn back to Deuteronomy 5, and I'll start reading in verse 16. We're going to take a look at a few instances, a few examples where it says, obey for our good.

Deuteronomy 5 and 16, it says, honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, that it may be well with you. Dropping down to verse 29, it says, oh, that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear me and always keep all my commandments, that it might be well with them. And then dropping down to verse 33, you shall walk in the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may be well with you.

Continuing on in chapter 6, verse 1, it says, now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, that you may fear the Lord your God, and keep his statutes and commandments which I command you, and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that all your days may be prolonged.

Therefore, hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you. And then dropping down to verse 17, it says, you shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, his testimonies and statutes which he has commanded you, and you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you, and that you may go into the promised land.

So it's repeated several times. I've mentioned a few instances here. It's listed as far as my count is concerned roughly 11 times in the book of Deuteronomy, something to the words that you, the effect, you do well, and God will bless you for that. All will be better with you. It's listed as say 11 times. Now when God repeats himself, first of all, when God says himself, when he says something himself, we need to pay attention to listen up. When he repeats what he says, we also need to pay closer attention because it has more importance.

And here, as I said, it's mentioned many, many times in the book of Deuteronomy. We need to pay attention to what God is saying. So an example of being obedient is the Feast of Tabernacles. Now we may not normally think of it as being obedient, but yes, we were told to go and to keep the Feast. Many years ago, and I mean many, many years ago back in the 1950s, 1960s, many years ago, the Church was growing rapidly. Most of the members were at that time what we would call first-generation Christians.

There weren't many veterans around back then. Obedience was emphasized at that time. As it is today, back in the 1950s and 1960s or so, about one every three attendees at the Feast of Tabernacles, they were attending the Feast for the very first time. As I said, they were mostly first-generation Christians at that time. And if you had kept three or more Feast of Tabernacles back at that time, well, you were really, really special. There just weren't many veterans around at that time. It's hard when we look around today, it's hard to think about that, but that's the way it was, I'll say, way back when.

The Feast of Tabernacles then was a new experience for most of us. It was a different culture. So basically, in the July-August timeframe as leading up to the Feast, I recall messages in various sermons. A few of them, a few that I recall, know why you are going to the Feast of Tabernacles. Another one is, the Feast of Tabernacles is not a vacation.

Another, when does the Feast begin? And I'll just put it up in today's terminology. Obviously, we know the Feast begins at sundown on October 16th, a Wednesday for this particular year. Another theme that we heard preached at that time was, we're not going to a place, but to an event. Now, obviously, we do travel. We were going to a place, but the point of it is, we were going to the Feast.

We were not going to the beach, we're not going to the mountains, we're not going to the lakes. We are going to the Feast of Tabernacles. And again, the same messages from back then still apply to us today. So, brethren, whether older or younger in the Church, we all have the same goal, to be part of the family of God, to be happy and spiritually healthy children.

God wants a happy family, a family that knows the right way to live, a family that obeys God and knows it's for their own good.