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Monday, September 05, 2005

Hey... it's me again with sunday sermon stuff.. haha..

"Fair Wages"

Bible reading: Matthew 20:1-16



This passage is a parable of the Kingdom of God. i.e. It's an illustration of the right attitude we should have towards God and the Kingdom of heaven.(Parables were used to capture the attention of the people and bring about a change of behaviour.)



Background information:

1.There were 3 groups of people. The employers (land-owners), the slaves and those who had to wait to be employed daily. The last group of people had uncertain futures for they never knew from one day to the next if they would have work and money.

2.One working day was 12 hours.

3.1/2 of the people listening to the parable would be thinking: that's not fair! These were the people with certain futures. The other 1/2 would be thinking: thank God the land-owner is generous!



Misconceptions towards the kingdom of God:

1.it's for adults only

2.it's about/for the favoured and priviledged (the disciples were even "competing" to see who was the greatest!)

3.it's about who's in the in-crowd



This was the context that Jesus told the parable in (hopefully it helps you understand the parable better). Ok, so since there are so many misconceptions, what exactly is the Kingdom of God? It's a community of those who acknowledge God as king and live by His values. (Remember, only the king decides who belongs.)



So.. if we have the wrong attitude then we become jealous. (E.g. are we in it for gain? credit? status?)*We cannot impose out ideas of fairness and justice on God. To Him, there is no status.. He cares about all equally*



What then is the kingdom of God? It's about compassion, generosity and willing service.



Compassion: He meets all our needs. However, what we think we need is not always what God thinks we need.

Generosity: It's in His nature. (Do we become annoyed because of God's generosity and love towards those whom we don't feel "deserve" it?)

Willing service: To God, it's not about the amount of service. It's about the attitude and SPIRIT!



The attitude of those who were employed:

Those who were employed early in the day: It was a negotiated contract - they secured for themselves a reward. Reflect: Is this how we respond to God? "God I'll do this/obey if You..."

Those who were employed mid-day: They knew that they would get paid but not what. They left their wages in the hands of their employer.

Those who were employed at the end of the day: They were desperate and willing to go without question because they knew the generosity of the land-owner.



The twist: v15. Yet though the land-owners decision was surprising, the peoples' response was outrageous. Reflect: Are we like that? Do we dare argue about what God gives us? Remember that we don't deserve anything. Arguing about what we get is pride. We may not get what we want, but thank God that He doesn't give us what we deserve, for the wages of sin is death.


The only condition? Our attitude towards the master and His work.

Work done grudgingly: Servitude

Work done willingly: Service

Work done lovingly: Sacrement


We are to love others as Christ loves us.



Yups.. that's it.. haha sorry it's super long, but oh well. Hope you guys find it thought-provoking. :)

GodRawksOurWorld ;
9/05/2005 08:51:00 PM

______________________________

bout us...
[Our Cell Group]

Samantha 12 March
Cheryl 18 April
Ruijun 28 April
Lydia 19 May
Douglas 20 May
Elaine 18 August
Tammy 3 September
Cassandra 4 October
David Lim 27 October
Yurong 25 November
Joel 9 December
David Chan 11 December


We praise God because We are fearfully and wonderfully made; His works are wonderful, We know that full well.