(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

We're not going to do anything odd with your info. We would just like a record of your attendance. We actually would like to send you a little gift, but we need your information to do that. So please take a moment to fill the card out. When we're done with the announcements, we're going to sing a song. And when we're done singing, we're going to receive the offering. And as the offering plate goes by, you can drop this card in the offering plate, or you can hand it to me after the service. I'll be standing at the main door greeting people on the way out. If you look at our bulletin there, we of course are a family integrated church. What that means is that children and infants are always welcomed in the church service. We do not separate children from their parents for any reason. We do have mother baby rooms and daddy rooms available for your convenience. So if you have a child that's being distracting during the service, or if you need some privacy, we would encourage you to use those rooms as needed. And of course, if you need to be baptized, please let us know. We'd love to baptize you. You can let us know on your communication card, and we will follow up with you and talk to you about baptism if you need that. If you look at the announcements and upcoming events, we are on a journey with the Lord Jesus Christ through the Gospel of Luke. We'll continue that tonight. This coming Sunday, we're not going to be in our Journey with Jesus series. We're going to have our worker appreciation Sunday. It's our worker appreciation weekend. And this is the weekend that we acknowledge all the volunteers and the workers here at our church. So make sure you are here for the worker appreciation Sunday. And then next Wednesday is our annual Pi Social. So that's Wednesday, November 23rd at 7 p.m. That's the Wednesday coming up. We'll be having the Pi Social, of course, in the fellowship hall after the midweek service. And we ask that you please bring or bake, bring a pie. You can buy it, you can bake it, whatever you'd like. But if you could bring a pie, that'd be great. And we'll have a cookie. And then the Turkey Bowl is on Thursday, November 24th at 7 a.m. That's, of course, Thanksgiving Day. And if there's guys that want to play football, they can sign up on the clipboard in the foyer there, and you can get put on a team for that. Music Ministry Dinner and Training is coming up on Friday, December 2nd at 6 p.m. We need all of the musicians to be at this training time. So if you're part of the orchestra, if you're a pianist, if you're a song leader, we need you to be at the Music Ministry Training. Then, of course, choir and children's choir, they're practicing on Sundays at 5 p.m. for the adults, 5.15 for the children. Homeschool group, they've got PE class on Thursday, December 1st. Upcoming cleaning crew, you can check for your name there. There's other things there for you to look at. Please don't forget to turn your cell phones off, or place them on silent during the service. They're not a distraction to anybody. If you look at the back of the bulletin, birthdays and anniversaries for the month of November. This week, we had Brother Shaw's birthday on November 13th. Jude and Isaiah both had a birthday on November 15th. Today is Amelia's birthday on the 16th. Everly has a birthday on the 17th. Brother Jose and Miss Michelle Cruz have an anniversary on the 17th. Weston has a birthday on the 17th. And Faith Santos has a birthday on the 18th. Praise Report, Money Matters, all those things are there for you to look at. And I do wanna remind you that if you'd like to sign up to bring a meal to the Vakulchek family, make sure you see my wife after the service. She has a sign-up sheet, and of course, they just had a baby, so praise the Lord for that. I think that's it for all of the announcements. So let's go ahead and take our songbooks, and we're gonna go to page number two in your hymn book. Page number two, and we'll sing Glory to His Name as we prepare to receive the offering this evening. Page number two, Glory to His Name. Down at the cross where my Savior died, sing it out on the first. Down at the cross where my Savior died. Down wherefore cleansing from sin I cried. There to my heart was the blood of life. Glory to His name. Glory to His name. Glory to His name. There to my heart was the blood of life. Glory to His name. Page number two, sing it out on the second. I am so wondrously saved from sin. Jesus so sweetly abides within. There at the cross where He took me in. Glory to His name. His name. Glory to His name. Glory to His name. There to my heart was the blood of life. Glory to His name. O precious fountain that saves from sin, I am so glad I have entered in. There Jesus saves me and keeps me clean. Glory to His name. Glory to His name. Glory to His name. There to my heart was the blood of life. Glory to His name. Good, sing it out on the last. Come to this fountain so rich and sweet. Cast thy poor soul at the Savior's feet. Plunge Him today and be made complete. Glory to His name. Glory to His name. Glory to His name. There to my heart was the blood of life. Glory to His name. Amen. Good, sing it. We'll have the guys come up and help us with the offering at this time. And let's go ahead and bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, Lord, we do thank you for allowing us to gather together tonight. Lord, we pray that you bless the offering, the gift, and the giver. We ask, Lord, that you'd meet with us as we take time to pray for our church family and then, of course, as we open up your words to another portion of scripture together. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. All right, well, let's take our prayer sheets tonight. And we'll go through our prayer list. If you did not receive a prayer sheet on your way in, just raise your hand, and one of our ushers can get one for you. If you need a prayer list, just put your hand up, and we'll get one for you. Of course, I want to remind you that the way you add a request to the prayer sheet is through your communication card. On the back of the card, there's a place for you to write down a request. Make sure to mark whether it's private or public. If it's private, only I will see it. If it's public, we'll put it on the prayer sheet. If you don't mark it, we'll do our best to figure it out. But we usually don't put those on there. Just keep your hand up if you need a prayer sheet. We'll get to you. And then, of course, the requests are added in the order that they are received, and they are removed after a couple of weeks. I would like you, if you would not mind, adding one request for Brother Fred Ramirez. And he's praying for his daughter's biopsy, which is tomorrow, that everything would go well and that she would receive favorable results. So if you would add Fred Ramirez praying for his daughter's biopsy tomorrow. And then, of course, I'd also like you to notice that Miss Karen Jimenez is added to the safe and healthy pregnancies there. And, of course, Miss Karen is my sister-in-law, so congratulations to my brother Abraham and Karen on expecting a baby. So please be in prayer for them. And let's take these requests to the Lord. I'll pray out loud as you follow along in your mind and your heart. And let's pray together. Heavenly Father, Lord, we come to you tonight asking for these requests from our church family, Lord. And we begin with these that are asking regarding their friends and their family. Miss Natalie praying for her husband, and Brother Matt Borello praying for Paul Boken as he's grieving the loss of his wife. Miss Ruth praying for her son, Matthew, and her nephew, Johnny, who are both struggling with alcohol and praying that they would get sober. And also, Brother Salvador praying for his family. And Lord, we ask for all these individuals. We pray that you would help them in the different areas, Lord, and that you would answer their prayers. We'll also pray for these that are praying for their family's salvation. Miss Natalie praying for her family's salvation. And Miss Ruth also praying for the salvation of her son, Matthew, and her nephew, Johnny. And Brother Ron praying for his mom and his family's salvation. Uretzi praying for the rest of her family's salvation. Brother Vladi and Miss Antonina praying for their family's salvation as well. And Miss Christine praying for her children and her grandchildren's salvation. Miss Dogma praying for her daughter and her family's salvation. Lord, we ask for all these individuals. We realize that these individuals are loved by people in our church and they want them to be saved. And we ask, Lord, that your Holy Spirit would help these individuals, help them to come to the place where they'd be willing to hear the gospel and that a soul winner would communicate the gospel clearly to them. We also pray for these that are praying for traveling mercies. Brother Aldo praying for traveling mercies as he goes to Belize on a mission strip. Also praying that he would be able to win many souls to Christ and that the mission strip would be successful. Lord, we ask that you would take care of him as he travels, bring him home safely. Also Miss Dogma praying for traveling mercies as she'll be traveling to Florida on November 22nd through December 10th and asking that you would take her there safely, bring her back safely as she goes to spend time with her daughter. And Lord, we also pray for these that are just praying for their personal walk with you. Brother Aldo praying for that the Lord will continue to work on him, help him to be content, help him to die to self, help him to live in your will. Miss Christine Ortiz praying for her faith, for the Salvadoran praying for his faith. Lord, we ask for all these individuals that you would help them, bless them, guide them. Also we pray for these that have health requests. Brother Fred Ramirez praying for his daughter's biopsy tomorrow. We ask that everything would go well, that she would receive favorable results, Lord, and that you would just help her to be okay. We pray for Miss Christine Ortiz's health and we do have a praise report that she doesn't have cancer. We're thankful for that. And Lord, we ask that you would continue to help her with her health and keep her strong and healthy. Lord, we pray for the Salvadoran for his health. Miss Dogma praying for her pain, that she'd be relieved of that. We pray for a little Uretzi that she would continue to be healthy and strong. Lord, we ask for all these individuals that you would give them strength and health and that you'd give wisdom to the doctors and the nurses dealing with them. We also pray for the ladies in our church that are expecting Miss Katie and Miss May, Miss Ajana, Miss Schuyler and Miss Karen asking that you give them all healthy pregnancies and healthy babies, no issues, no complications. Lord, we pray for these that have requests, financial requests. Brother Miss Christine Ortiz praying for her finances. Brother Salvador praying for his finances and work. Lord, I ask that you would take care of them and help them. We pray for these that have unspoken requests, Miss Natalie and Brother Aldo and Miss Kimmy Gessler, Miss Lindsey Johnson, Brother George LaQueen, all having unspoken requests. Also, Brother Salvador and Miss Docma having unspoken requests. Lord, you know what their petitions are. You know what they're asking for. We pray that you would answer according to your will. Lord, we pray for our church, for the prison ministry, that you'd continue to bless the ministry there as we reach hundreds of people in prison through these sermons, Lord, that go out every month. We pray that you'd continue to bless that and help that. We pray for our church here in Sacramento and for our church plants in Manila and in Pampanga and be cold, that you keep these locations going strong and being healthy. We thank you for Pampanga having their one year anniversary. We're here recently and they had a great success. And Lord, we just ask that you would bless these locations. We pray for our church here in Sacramento. We ask that you'd meet with us tonight, Lord, as we open up your word and study the Bible together. Help us to minimize distractions, Lord, and help us be ready to receive your word. We pray that we would learn from the Bible and that we would leave here different than we came. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Please open us to Luke chapter number 20. Luke chapter number 20. If you need a Bible, just put your hand up and I know you're gonna be able to bring your Bible. Luke chapter number 20. If you need a Bible, just keep your hand up and I'm sure you'll come by. Luke 20. We read the entire chapter as our custom. Luke 20 beginning in verse number one. And it came to pass that on one of those days, as they taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders and spake unto him saying, tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? Or who is he that gave thee this authority? And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing and answer me. The baptism of John, was it from heaven or of men? And they reasoned with themselves saying, if we shall say from heaven, he will say, why then believe thee him not? But if we say of men, all the people will stone us for they'd be persuaded that John was a prophet. And the answer that they could not tell whence it was. And Jesus said unto them, neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. Then began he to speak to the people this parable. A certain man planted a vineyard and led it forth to husband men and went to a far country for a long time. And at the season, he sent a servant to the husband men that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard. But the husband men beat him and sent him away empty. And again, he sent another servant and they beat him also. And then treated him shamefully and sent him away empty. And again, he sent a third and they wounded him also and cast him out. Then said the Lord of the vineyard, what shall I do? I will send my beloved son. It may be they will reverence him when they see him. But when the husband men saw him, they reasoned among themselves saying, this is the heir. Come, let us kill him. For the inheritance may be ours. So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. What therefore shall the Lord of the vineyard do unto them? He shall come and destroy these husband men and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. And he beheld them and said, what is this then that is written? The stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the head of the corner. Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And the chief priests and the scribes in the same hour sought to lay hands on him. And they feared the people for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. And they watched him and sent forth spies which had feigned themselves just men that they might take hold of his words. That's why they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. And they asked him saying, master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly. Neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly. Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar or no? But he perceived their craftiness and said unto them, why tempt thee me? Show me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's. And he said unto them, render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's and unto God the things which be God's. And they could not take hold of his words before the people and they marveled at his answer and held their peace. Then it came to him certain of the Sadducees which deny that there is any resurrection. And they asked him saying, master, Moses wrote unto us if any man's brother died having a wife and he died without children that his brother should take his wife and raise up seed unto his brother. There were therefore seven brethren and the first took a wife and died without children. And the second took to wife and he died childless. And the third took her and a like man of the seven also and they left no children and died. Last of all, the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection, whose wife of them is she? For seven had her to wife. And Jesus answering said unto them, the children of this world marry and are given in marriage but they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Neither can they die anymore for they are equal unto the angels and are the children of God being the children of the resurrection. Now that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, for he is not the God of the dead but of the living for all live unto him. Then certain of the scribes answering said, master thou hast well said. And after that they durst not ask him any question at all. And he said unto them, how say they that Christ is David's son? And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, the Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore calleth him Lord. How is he then his son? Then in the audience of all the people, he said unto his disciples, beware of the scribes which desire to walk in long robes and love greetings in the markets and the highest seats in the synagogues and the chief rooms at feasts, which devour widows houses and for a show make long prayers. The same shall receive greater damnation. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for this evening. God, I thank you for your word and for our church from this year. I ask you please give us all ten hearts of the message tonight. I ask you please be the pastor to strengthen him and from the earth's spirit. We love you and Jesus say and pray, amen. Amen. Right, we're there in the Gospel of Luke. Of course, we're making our way through the Gospel of Luke verse by verse, chapter by chapter. We've been on a journey with the Lord Jesus Christ and we find ourselves here in Luke chapter number 20. And tonight we are going to cover about half of this chapter and we'll leave the rest of the chapter for the next evening service on Sunday night. In Luke chapter 20, we have a portion of scripture in the beginning here in the first eight or so verses regarding questioning the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. And then from verse nine on through verse 19, we have a very well-known parable of the Lord Jesus Christ known as the parable of the vineyard. And this questioning and the parable are connected and I'll show you that as we study this and you'll see why it is that Jesus launches into this parable as a result of these questions. So if you're there in Luke chapter 20, notice we begin here in verse one. The Bible says, and it came to pass that on one of those days. And if you remember, as we've been studying Luke, we've seen that Jesus now entered into Jerusalem. We are in what's known as the Passion Week. This is the week in which the Lord Jesus Christ is going to die. This is the week between Palm Sunday and the resurrection. We know that he dies in between that week. And when it says that on one of those days, it's referring to the fact that it's literally one of the last days of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth before his death, the Bible says, as he taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders. Now I want you to notice that there's quite a delegation that shows up here. Jesus, the Bible tells us, is in the temple. He taught the people in the temple and he preached the gospel. And then we are told, and the last part there, verse one, that the chief priests and the scribes, which would be religious leaders of the Jews, and the Bible tells us they came upon him, referring to Jesus, with the elders. The elders would have been more like political leaders of the Jews and elders set above the people to be able to judge the people and administer to the people. So there's a delegation here and it's a delegation of Jewish leaders, of leaders of the southern part of Israel here, of Judea, and they are coming to Jesus to question him. Notice there in verse two, the Bible says, and spake unto him, saying, tell us. Notice the us there. The us is a reference to this group that is coming to Jesus, and I wanna emphasize that because you need to understand that when we get into the parable. They said, tell us who's the us. It's the chief priests, it's the scribes with the elders, this delegation of leadership of the Jewish community coming to Jesus, and they are asking, tell us by what authority doest thou these things? What is it that they're asking? What things are they referring to? Well, of course, we see here in verse one that he's in the temple teaching the people and preaching the gospel, and of course, they're referring to that. But more importantly, they are referring to the fact that Jesus, as we saw on Sunday night, just fulfilled a prophecy in Zechariah. He has came in to Jerusalem on a donkey, and he has proclaimed himself king. He has allowed the people to worship him as both deity and king. They said, Hosanna, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. And these people, this delegation of leaders is coming to Jesus and asking, tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? Who do you think you are, is what they're asking. Who has given you the authority to do these things, to allow these things, to act this way? Notice the last part of verse two there. He says, or who is he that gave thee this authority? So they said, by what authority doest thou these things? Or who is he that gave thee this authority? And I'm not gonna re-preach Sunday night sermon, but I just do wanna remind you of Sunday night sermon, that Jesus has been very strategic during his ministry regarding the things he says and the things he allows to be said of him, because he needs to die at a certain time, and he is not going to allow them to take his life from him. The Bible says that he lays down his life, and he's going to do it at the appointed time. So he wants to be careful to not allow them or to not really just upset them so much that they would push ahead of the agenda that has already been set by God the Father. So they ask the question here, and I want you to notice, it's a question that Jesus does not want to answer, not because he cannot answer or because he should not answer but because the timing is not right. He knows that the answer to this question, well, let me say it this way. He knows that the purpose of the question is to catch him in his words, that they might have something to accuse him with, and he is so close to the proper timing now that he wants to be very careful. So they ask Jesus a question that he does not want to answer. And it's interesting to me, in verse three the Bible says, and he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing, and answer me. The baptism of John, was it from heaven or of men? And let me just say a couple of things. I'm not preaching about this tonight necessarily, but it's always good to point these things out. First of all, let me just say this. One thing we learned from the Lord Jesus Christ is that you don't need to answer every question. We live in this society, this social media society that thinks that everybody needs to hear everything that's on your mind, and everybody needs to know every opinion you have about everything. But let me tell you what your parents failed to tell you, and it is this, nobody cares. And you don't have to answer every question. You don't have to give your opinion about everything. We live in this society. It used to be that people worked really hard to build an audience, to write books, or to have some sort of a system in order to get information and content out there. And now we have these very shallow value systems where people, they think that because they've got 7,000 friends on Facebook, that they've got something worthy to be said. But here's the thing, the only reason that you've got that many friends on Facebook is because you're their friend on Facebook. And the only reason that you think that what you're saying has something of value is because they like everything you like, and you like them back, and they like you back, and blah, blah, blah, and it's not real content. When you can actually create a following and people don't need to know you personally or have you heart every one of their comments and they still want to listen to you, that's a different story. But you don't have to give your opinion about every little thing. You don't have to tell everybody everything that's on your mind. Jesus is God in the flesh, and he doesn't feel the need to answer every question. So it's interesting to me that he doesn't answer their question, and he does something that requires a lot of people skills. And I want you to understand this. Sometimes it's best to not answer a question because of the response that you know that you're gonna get, because you know that the timing's not right, because you know that the location you're in is not the right location to have that conversation, and you say, oh, that makes you a liberal. Well, then you're calling Jesus a liberal because Jesus did not feel the need to answer this question. But what he does is he very tactfully answers the question with a question. Now let me just give you some disclaimers regarding this, because this is a very tactful way to deal with situations where you don't want to answer a question, or you don't feel like it's appropriate for you to answer the question at the time, is to answer a question with a question. But let me just help you out so I don't mess some of you guys up. This only works when dealing with peers, or in a situation where you're the authority. And here's what I mean by this. When you're the subordinate, when you're the one that's under somebody's leadership, don't answer a question with a question, okay? If your boss asks you a question, and you answer the question with a question, all you're gonna do is piss him off. If your parents ask you a question, and you answer the question with a question, all you're gonna do is get a spanking. Do you hear me, kids? So when they ask you, did you make your bed, don't respond, did you make your bed? You're gonna get a spanking, all right? It's rude to answer a question with a question when you're speaking to your leadership. You say, then why did Jesus do it? Because they were speaking to the leader. He was not under the authority of the chief priests. He was not under the authority of the scribes. He was not under the authority of the elders. If anything, and not if anything, we know this is true, they were under his authority. So he had no obligation to answer their questions. He had no obligation to play their games. He had no obligation to do any of that. But yet, he still used tact to get around this situation. They ask him a question he does not want to hear. By what authority doest thou these things, or what is he, or who is he that gave thee this authority? They ask him a question he doesn't want to answer, so he asks them a question they don't want to answer. He says, I will also ask you one thing, and answer me, the baptism of John. Remember that John, at this point, John the Baptist has been beheaded, he's dead. The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? Now it's important, it's interesting that Jesus asks this question, because baptism was something new that John brought in. It was not something that was practiced in the Old Testament. It was not something that was given in the Old Testament. John is the one that came on the scene, and he began to baptize people. The Bible is clear that he began to do that at the direction of God. So Jesus asks the Pharisees, the scribes, and the chief priests, and the elders, he says the baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? Notice verse five, and they reasoned with themselves, saying, if we shall say from heaven, he will say, why then, believe ye him not? So he says, look, well, let me ask you this, the baptism of John, where did he get the authority to do that? Where did he get the idea to do that? Was it from heaven, or did he come up with it on his own, or of men? And there, you can just imagine them, they get into this little huddle, and they're talking. The reasoning, the Bible says, with themselves, saying, if we shall say from heaven, if they said, well, it was from heaven, God told them to do it, then he's going to ask us, well, why didn't you get baptized? Why then, believe ye him not? But, and if we say, of men, which is what they believed, all the people will stone us, for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. Verse seven, and they answered, and they, that they could not tell from whence. The word whence means from where. The Bible says in verse seven, and they answered that they could not tell whence it was. So they asked the question, they asked Jesus, tell us by what authority doest thou these things, or who is he that gave thee this authority? Jesus says, you answer this question, the baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? They reasoned within themselves, they huddled, and they said, well, if we say that it's from heaven, then he's going to ask us, why then believe ye him not? If we say it's of men, then the people are going to stone us, because they believe that John was a prophet, and they answered that they could not tell from whence it was. Verse eight, and Jesus said unto them, neither tell I you, by what authority I do these things. They said, well, we can't answer, and he says, well, neither can I. Now, here's the interesting thing, and here's the funny thing. What Jesus is doing, and of course, we know that Jesus is the master teacher, the master instructor, he's God in the flesh, you're not gonna outsmart him. The interesting thing is that when Jesus asks this question of the scribes, and the chief priests, and the elders, when he asks the question, the baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men, what he's really doing is without saying it, he's revealing their hypocrisy, and the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, because both questions have the same answer. The answer to the question, by what authority doest thou these things, or who is he that gave thee this authority, and the answer to the question, the baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men, both questions have the same answer. The authority, the idea, the authority of the ministry of John, and the authority of the ministry of Christ, both came from heaven. They both came from God the Father, whose idea was it for John to baptize? God the Father, whose idea was it for Jesus to come to this earth? God the Father. The funny thing is that they ask a question to try to trap Jesus in his words, and he asks them a question, and they both know that both questions have the same answer. And they say, we're not willing to give that answer out loud. Jesus says, well then neither am I. So we see that he tactfully chooses to not answer. But then Jesus, as he is, I think can't keep himself from answering the question anyway. So he wants to answer the question without answering the question. You say, how does he do that? Well, he begins to tell the story. And he dives into the story called the parable of the vineyard, and what you really need to understand that the purpose of the parable of the vineyard is to show this delegation of Jewish leadership, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders, to show them something. That not only is the answer to the question who gave Jesus his authority to do what he was doing, and who gave John the Baptist the authority to perform baptism to do what he did, not only is the answer to those questions the same, but the answer to who is your authority, chief priests? Who is your authority, scribes? Who is your authority, elders? The answer to that question is also the same answer. Notice what he says. He jumps into this parable here, Luke chapter 20 and verse 9. He says, the Bible says, Then he began to speak to the people this parable. A certain man planted a vineyard. Now, if you like to take notes in your Bible, if you don't mind writing in your Bible, you can maybe write next to this little phrase, underline this little phrase, a vineyard, a vineyard. And you can write next to that statement there, a vineyard, write the nation of Israel. Or you can more accurately write the people of the covenant throughout the Bible. And keep in mind, he's telling the story to the chief priests, these are religious leaders, to the scribes, these are religious leaders, to the elders, they're political leaders, but in a very religious culture. And he says, let me tell you a story about a vineyard. And that should have immediately kicked off something for them. And they would have understood something that this parable has to do with the nation of Israel. Now, you're there in Luke chapter 20. Stay there, that's our text for this evening. But go with me, if you would, to the Old Testament book of Isaiah, the big book of Isaiah. Towards the end of the Old Testament, you've got the major prophets, they're all clustered together. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, those are the big books towards the end of the Old Testament. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel. And go to Isaiah chapter five. Do me a favor, put a ribbon or a bookmark or your bulletin there in Isaiah, because we're gonna leave it, and we're gonna come back to that part of the Bible, so I'd like you to be able to get there quickly. Isaiah chapter five. We could go to a lot of passages to show you this, but I'll just show it to you from Isaiah five. And what I'm showing you is this, that throughout the Bible, and especially in the Old Testament, a vineyard or the vineyard was a picture of the nation of Israel, the people of Israel, the people of the covenant. Here's just one proof text for you. 1 Peter 5.7, the Bible says, for the vineyard, notice the words, for the vineyard, the chief priests and the scribes, and the elders, they would've been very familiar with this passage in Isaiah 5.7. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel. And the men of Judah, they would've known that because specifically at this time in the first century, there really is no northern kingdom of Israel. The nation of Israel only really is the southern kingdom of Judah. And they would've been very aware of Isaiah 5.7, where the Bible says the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah, his pleasant plant. And he looked for judgment, but behold, oppression for righteousness, but behold, a cry. So the Bible, and there's other passages. We go to Ezekiel 15. We could go to Jeremiah, where the vineyard is used as a representation of the nation of Israel, or the people of Israel, or the house of Israel, or the men of Judah. And Jesus begins to give this parable. He says, a certain man planted a vineyard. Keep your place there in Isaiah. Go back to Luke 20. A certain man planted a vineyard. And as soon as he said that word vineyard, they would've known this is about us. This is about the nation of Israel. This is about the covenant people. So I want you to understand that the vineyard is the nation of Israel. But notice there's another character mentioned there in verse nine. Then began he to speak to the people of this parable. Before he mentions the planting of a vineyard, he says, a certain man. A certain man. And if you wanna underline that little phrase there, certain man, and write a little arrow, you can write this, God the Father. God the Father is the certain man that planted the vineyard. The certain man is God the Father. The vineyard is the nation of Israel, and the certain man is God the Father, who made a covenant with the nation of Israel. In the Old Testament, God made a covenant with the nation of Israel. Obviously we know he made a covenant with Abraham and he made a covenant with David. There's different covenants that are mentioned in the Bible. But the main one that we refer to when we refer to the Old Testament or the Old Covenant is the covenant that was made with Moses when God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and he made them into a nation and he made a covenant with them. So the certain man is God who made a covenant with Israel. Let's just run a couple of verses. Did you keep your place in Isaiah? From Isaiah, flip over to Jeremiah, Jeremiah 34. Let me just give you a proof text. Jeremiah 34, look at verse 13. Jeremiah 34, verse 13. You kept your place in Isaiah. Just flip over to Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 34 and verse 13. Notice what the Bible says. Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel. I'll wait a second because I want you to see it. Jeremiah 34, 13. Thus saith the Lord, you see the capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D. That's Jehovah God. Thus saith the Lord, the God, notice, of Israel. Notice what he says. I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying, and he goes on to talk about the covenant that he made. I want you to notice that the certain man who planted the vineyard is God, the Lord God, the God of Israel, who made a covenant with the children of Israel. He's the certain man that planted the vineyard. Go back to Luke chapter 20. Look at verse nine. Luke chapter 20 and verse nine. We saw the vineyard, what is it? The nation of Israel. We saw the certain man. Who does that represent? That's God, God the Father who made the covenant with the nation of Israel. Then in verse nine, the Bible also mentions this. Then began he to speak to the people, this parable. A certain man planted a vineyard, notice this little phrase, and led it forth to husbandmen. Led it forth to husbandmen. Who are these husbandmen? The husbandmen, when talking about a vineyard, would be the farmers who were employed or hired to take care of the vineyard. In the parable, the husbandmen would have been the people who were given the authority to lead that Old Testament covenant. Because God made a covenant with the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, specifically through Moses, on the day that he brought them out of the land of Egypt. What is it that Moses set up? Through his brother, Aaron. He set up the Levitical priesthood. He set up the systems of the priests. And of course, the temple rituals and the temple worship. You had the Levites connected to all of that. What the Old Covenant gave us through Moses, the covenant, the Old Testament that was given through Moses was given that entire system of the priests, the high priests, the priests, the Levites, the temple worship, the temple rituals, the sacrifices. That is what we are referring to. So when the Bible says here that a certain man, God the Father, planted a vineyard, the nation of Israel, and he led it forth to the husbandmen, the husbandmen would have been the people in charge of that Old Covenant. Now keep in mind, who is it that's in the crowd when Jesus is giving this parable? It is the chief priests, it is the scribes, and it is the elders of the people. You say, who are the husbandmen? The Jewish leaders. The ones that he's speaking to right now. The ones that were in charge of the covenant. The ones that were given the authority, the responsibility to keep the covenant and to have the covenant. These are the husbandmen. So we see there in verse nine. Then began he to speak to the people this parable. A certain man planted a vineyard and led it forth to the husbandmen and went into a far country for a long time. And at the season, you say, what is the season? The season when he would have expected fruit because the nation of Israel was not established so that they could look at each other and think about how wonderful they are. The nation of Israel was established that it might be a beacon, that it might be a light to other nations to bring the gospel to them. And when God the Father would have expected at the season to get some fruit, the Bible says he sent a servant. You say, well, who's the servant? I understand something. The servant is different than the husbandmen. The husbandmen are the ones in charge of the vineyard. They work in the vineyard. They have the responsibility of the vineyard. They're taking care of the vineyard. We're talking about the Old Testament. We're talking about the priests, the Levites, the Levitical priesthood, the priesthood of Aaron. But here in this story that Jesus is telling us, he says that at the season, he sent a servant to the husbandmen. Notice that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard, but, verse 10, the husbandmen, who are the husbandmen? The Jewish leaders, the priesthood, the scribes, the Levites. But the husbandmen beat him. They beat who? The servant and sent him away empty. Did he go away with fruit? No, he did not. He took a beating and they sent him away. Look at verse 11. And again, he sent another servant. And they beat him also and entreated him shamefully and sent him away empty. Look at verse 12. And again, he sent a third. He sent a third what? A third servant. And they wounded him also and cast him out. You say, who are these servants? Go to Luke 11. There in Luke chapter 20, just flip back to Luke chapter 11. Remember that Jesus is telling this parable to the delegation of Jewish leaders, the chief priests and the scribes, that came upon him with the elders. We saw that in Luke 20, verse one. And he says, you know, these husbandmen, the certain man, he sent a servant, and these husbandmen beat him and sent him away empty. He sent another servant and they beat him also. He sent a third and they wounded him also. You say, who are these servants? The servants are the prophets. The Old Testament prophets. Luke 11, notice verse 47, Jesus already brought this up in the Gospel of Luke. Luke chapter 11 and verse 47, Jesus says, woe unto you, talking to the Pharisees. Luke 11 is a sermon that Jesus is preaching to the Pharisees to the Jewish religious elite leadership. He says, woe unto you, for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets and your fathers, the husbandmen, kill them. Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your father for they indeed kill them and ye build their sepulchre. Therefore, also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles and some of them they shall slay and persecute. In verse 50, that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel. Literally, son of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis, that from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias. Chronologically, Jesus is referring to the first and the last prophet and just phonetically, you see from Abel to Zacharias. He's saying from A to Z. You guys killed all the prophets. From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple, verily I say unto you, it shall be required of this generation. See, God sent the prophets in the Old Testament. Why did he send them? Because he had laid, he had a vineyard that he had given to husbandmen. He had a covenant that he had given to priests and to scribes and to Levitical priests and a temple system and they were messing it all up. So he would send prophets to try to fix it, to try to get them to do it right, that they might produce fruit. But all they kept doing was killing the prophets. This is what Jesus is answering. See, they asked him a question. Who sent you? He says, well, let me tell you exactly who sent me. I'm not gonna answer the question because I can't answer the question right now because I'm not ready for what's going to happen. If I answer the question, but I'm gonna go ahead and answer the question for you anyway, I'll do it by way of a parable. He says there was a certain man. He's got the father who planted a vineyard, the nation of Israel, gave it over to husbandmen. Jesus says, that's you guys, the chief priests, the scribes, the elders. And he sent servants and they kept killing the servants and beating the servants and persecuting the servants. He says, those are the prophets. And I want you to notice, fourthly in this parable, verse 13, then said the Lord of the vineyard. Now the Lord of the vineyard is the same guy that we saw at the beginning of the parable. He's the certain man, it's God the Father. Then said the Lord of the vineyard, what shall I do? I keep sending my prophets, they keep killing my prophets. He said, I will send my beloved son. I'll give you one guess who that is. I will send my beloved son, it may be that they will reverence him when they see him. You need a proof text? Just give you the most famous verse in the Bible, you know it. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. And whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. So we see that the Lord of the vineyard is God the Father who sends his beloved son who is Jesus Christ. Notice verse 14. But when the husband men, who are the husband men? The Jewish leadership. The same people that put the servants, the prophets to death but when the husband men saw him, saw who? Jesus, the beloved son. Remember Jesus has already come into Jerusalem. Palm Sunday is already behind us. He is just a few days from being crucified and he is giving this parable and explaining to them when the husband men saw him, the beloved son, they reasoned among themselves saying, this is the heir, come, let us kill him that the inheritance, what's the inheritance? The vineyard. The nation of Israel, the covenant made with God that the inheritance may be ours. He says, you think that getting rid of the son will make it so that the son no longer leaves the inheritance and then if you can somehow get rid of the son then the inheritance may be ours. The covenant will be ours. The nation will be ours. Verse 15, so they, the Jewish leadership, cast him, the beloved son, out of the vineyard, notice the words, and killed him. This is Jesus explaining what's about to happen later on this week and then he says to them, what therefore shall the Lord of the vineyard do unto them? He said, you asked me about my authority. Who sent you? Who gave you the right? Who gave you the authority? Well, let me explain something to you. My father sent me. You might know him. He's the one that gave you the vineyard. You're the husband men. You've been beating down the servants. I'm the son. I was sent by the authority of the father but here's what you need to know about yourself. He's telling the Jews, you're going to kill me. You're going to put me to death because you're rebellious. Notice, if you go back to Luke 19, we already saw this last week but I just want you to see it again. Luke 19, remember we started Luke 20 with the question of the authority, right? The question of the authority here in Luke 20 is that as he taught the people, they came upon him and spake unto him and asked him by what authority doest thou these things or who gave thee this authority? But the reason for the question, if you look at Luke 19 verses 47 and 48, which is right at the end of the chapter there, the context of the question, and Luke, the questions in Luke 20 are in the context of Luke 19, 47, and he taught daily in the temple but the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people, aren't those the same people that came to ask the question? Delegation of Jewish leaders? But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him and could not find what they might do for all the people were very attentive to hear him. They were very upset, they were very envious, they wanted to kill Jesus, so they're asking these questions and he's giving them the answers. He says, the husbandmen who are you, he's saying, who are the Jewish leaders, killed the beloved son in this story and he says, that's what you're going to do to me because I'm the beloved son. And again, I just want you to understand the context because I think the context is just a beautiful thing when you understand this. Just like the authority of Jesus and the authority of John are the same, the authority of these religious leaders and the authority of Jesus are the same. It's God the Father. Who gave them the covenant? God did. Who gave them the vineyard? God did. Jesus says, you want to know about my authority? Let me tell you something about authority. The same person that sent me is the same person that gave you what you have and the same person that sent me is the same person that will take from you what you have. Look at verse 15, Luke 20, verse 15. Jesus is continuing in his story. So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. The husbandmen killed the beloved son. Jesus asked the question, what therefore shall the Lord of the vineyard do unto them? I like how Jesus answers the whole question. He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, Jewish leadership. But that's not the most impactful statement. Here's the most shocking statement that Jesus gives in this parable. He, the Lord of the vineyard, the certain man, shall come and destroy these husbandmen, the leadership of the old covenant, the high priest, the priest system, the Levite system, the temple system. He's gonna destroy it and shall give the vineyard to others. Now notice, when they heard this, the Bible says, and when they heard it, they said, here's their response, they said out loud, when he said, and shall give the vineyard to others, because they know what the vineyard represent, he says, and let me tell you something, he's gonna give the vineyard to others and they respond, they said, God forbid. They're like, no. He just shocks them in the story because he says, you know what? Because you're going to put the son to death, God's gonna take the vineyard from you and he's going to give the vineyard to others. Go to Matthew 21, Matthew 21. You go backwards, you have Mark, then Matthew, Matthew 21. In Matthew 21, we have the same parable, different gospel. I just want you to see how it's worded there in Matthew 21 by Matthew the writer, Matthew 21, 43. Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God, which is the vineyard, shall be taken from you and given to a nation, bringing forth the fruits thereof. Because remember, the father sent the servants because he wanted fruit. But every time they left empty handed, they never got the fruit, they never produced the fruit. So here he says, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation, bringing forth the fruits thereof. Go to 1 Peter, 1 Peter chapter two, if you would. Towards the end of the Old Testament there, you have the book of Revelation. Right after Revelation, you have Jude, then third second of 1 John, second of 1 Peter. Towards the end of the New Testament, Revelation, Jude, third second of 1 John, second of 1 Peter, excuse me. 1 Peter chapter two is where I want you to go. He says that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you. He says that the vineyard shall give the vineyard to others. I can't for the life of me understand how most of Christianity falls under a doctrine called dispensationalism, falls under a doctrine called Zionism. They'll look at us and say, oh, you're just uneducated, you're just some sort of heretic because you believe in replacement theology. You must not know what the Bible says to believe in replacement theology. Well, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation, bringing forth the fruits thereof, sounds like replacement. And then for the life of me understand how Christians today, they're like, oh no, those Jews over there in Israel who are anti-Christ, who deny Jesus, who believe that there is a Christ, but say it's not Jesus. Oh, they're the people of God. God hasn't replaced them. God, look, the whole point of the, right before Jesus dies, Jesus is telling those scribes, he's gonna take the vineyard from you. He's gonna give the vineyard to others. It shall be taken, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation. Here's the question I have. What nation? What nation was it taken, we know the nation was taken from the nation of Israel. What nation was it given to? And if you say America, you are so wrong, don't even say it out loud. I mean, if you say the US, you're just so not, you've never, I mean, have you ever opened up a Bible? 1 Peter 2 and verse 9, 1 Peter 2, 9. Notice what the Bible says. You say, what nation is this? Because the nation of Israel in the Old Testament was a nation of priests, it was a chosen nation, an elected people, people that were chosen by God, they're literally called the chosen people in the Old Testament. Remember, the Old Testament is not a reference to the second part of your Bible. It is a reference to the covenant made with those people. It's called the Old Testament because it is the books that tell us about the people that God made an old covenant with or an Old Testament. But Jesus said he's gonna take the vineyard and give it to another nation. What nation? 1 Peter 2, 9, but ye are a chosen generation. Keep in mind that Peter is writing to a bunch of Gentiles. If you go to 1 Peter 1 and verse 1, you'll get a list of all the Gentiles, the first part of the book there, all the Gentiles he's speaking to. He says to all these Gentiles, ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, not the Levitical priesthood, but the priesthood of Melchizedek. I'm a priest tonight. Jesus is our high priest. I don't need to go to a priest. I am a priest. I can go directly to God the Father through Jesus Christ his Son. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood. Notice, don't miss it, an holy nation, a peculiar people that ye should show forth the praise of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, verse 10, which in, notice, you say, well, what nation is it? Notice, which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God. See, the new nation, the new people, was not another nation he chose, but he chose people out of every nation, a people that in times past were not a people, but now they are the people of God. Which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. You say, what is Jesus talking about? What is Jesus teaching about? Go to Hebrews. You're there in 1 Peter, go past James, going backwards into the book of Hebrews. Hebrews, go to Hebrews chapter seven. And look, today people, this is what I can't stand about Christians. I'll tell you what I can't, there's lots of things I can't stand about Christians. One thing I can't stand about Christians is they're more loyal to their commentaries than they are to the Bible. They're more loyal to their Bible college education than they are to the Bible. You ask them a question, and they're like, whoa, you know, here's what the commentaries say. No, no, no, what does the Bible say? I thought we were Baptist, because they'll look at us and they'll say, you're a heretic, you believe in replacement theology, there's no such thing. God has not replaced the children of Israel. Okay, well Hebrews is not a Bible commentary, it's the Bible. It's not a book about the Bible, it is the Bible. Specifically, it's called the book of Hebrews, because it was written, notice it's in the New Testament, it was written to New Testament people that were of Hebrew descent, explaining to them how it is that the Old Covenant and the New Covenant have come about, and how a person who's a Jew or an Israelite can transition into the New Covenant. And today, the average evangelical Christian will say, there's no change, there's no replacement. No change. Okay, Hebrews 7, verse 12. For the priesthood being changed. There's no change. The priesthood being changed. That's not what it means. In the Hebrew it means that the priesthood not being changed. Well, I don't speak Hebrew, neither do you, but I'm reading the book of Hebrews, and it says the priesthood being changed. For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. The law hasn't changed. Oh really, well the Bible says it has. Nothing in the law has changed. Okay, verse 18. For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment. Disannull means some things no longer apply. Now look, you study this out and it's very clear. It's not talking about committing adultery, okay? That's still a sin. You say what no longer applies? The Levitical priesthood, the temple, the sacrifices, the washings, the keeping of the Sabbath. Those things were part of the old covenant and that old covenant has been done away and new covenant has been given to a new people. It's called the New Testament, the new covenant. Still don't believe me? Look at verse 22, Hebrews 7, verse 22. By so much was Jesus made a surety of, notice, not another covenant, but a better, a better, a better testament. Testament, covenant, it's the same thing. No, I don't believe in replacement theology. Okay, Hebrews 8, verse 6. But now have you obtained a more excellent ministry by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant which was established upon better promises? For if the first covenant, that's the Old Testament, had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. You say well, because there was a problem with the first one, there'll have to be a second. So what was the problem with the first one? Did God make a mistake? No, God didn't make a mistake, they made a mistake. You say who made the mistake? The delegation that came to ask Jesus a question and then put him to death a few days later. Look at verse 8, for finding fault, not with the covenant, for finding fault with them. He saith, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. You say what is that referring to? It's referring to the new covenant, it's a spiritual Israel. Hey, they are not all of Israel, who are of Israel. There's a spiritual Israel, there's a new Israel. Look at verse 10, for this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their mind and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people. This is what Jeremiah prophesied about. Look at verse 13, in that he saith, a new covenant hath he made the first old. Look at chapter nine and verse 10. Well, look at verse nine, chapter nine, verse nine, which was a figure for the time then present, that Old Testament, that old covenant, those rituals and all the sacrifices, all the things they did, was a figure for the time then present in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscience, which stood only in meat, you say, what was done away? Here's the only things that were done away. Meat and drinks and divers washings and cardinal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation. And that is not referring to Martin Luther. The reformation there is not a reference to John Calvin. He said, what was the time of reformation? Look, please don't miss this. You say, you guys believe that the Old Testament was replaced, yeah, it's a new covenant, it's a new people. And what will, do the laws apply? Look, all of God's laws apply, but some have been disannulled, primarily the ones that were a figure or a picture or a type of the time then present. And if you want to know which one's exactly, verse 10, which stood only in meats and drinks and divers washings and cardinal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation, all those things stood until the time of reformation. You say, what is the time of the reformation? Verse 11, but Christ being come, that's the time of reformation. But Christ being come and high priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle. See, we don't look for the tabernacle on earth, we look for the tabernacle in heaven. Look at Hebrews 10, one. For the law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the thing. Look at Hebrews 10 and verse nine. Then said, He lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first. We don't believe in replacement theology. He taketh away the first. We don't believe that it's been done away. He taketh away the first. He taketh away the first that he may establish the second. You say, what is that, replacement theology? I mean, look, the Bible is so clear about this. Go to Hebrews 12, look at verse 24. Hebrews 12, 24, and to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant. It's a new covenant. It's a better covenant. It's a new testament. It's a better testament. What is Jesus referring to here? Keep your place right there in Hebrews, okay? Keep your place right there. And go back to Luke chapter 20. What is it that Jesus is saying? He's telling these people that the Lord of the vineyard, which is his Father, God the Father, is going to give the vineyard to others, is going to take the covenant from them and give it to another nation, bringing the fruits thereof. It's called the New Testament. You say, who are the people of God today? You are. You're sitting in this local New Testament church. You're the people of God. We're the people of God on earth. It's a new covenant. It's a different covenant, a better covenant. Now look at Luke 20 and verse 17, because Jesus finishes his parable, then he delves into this. And again, he's bringing up stuff that they should be familiar with, that they would know. He brings up this idea of the cornerstone, the chief cornerstone, Luke 20, verse 17. Because remember, the context of this whole thing is authority. Who's your authority? He says, well, my Father's the authority. He's the one that planted the vineyard. He's the one that established the covenant. Luke 20, 17, and he beheld them and said, what is this then that is written? He's about to quote the Old Testament. And he's asking them, you've read this in the Old Testament. What is this about? What is this then that is written? The stone which the builders rejected. He said, what is that referring to? And this idea of the chief cornerstone or the stone is throughout the entire Bible. He said, who is the stone which the builders rejected? And here's the answer to the question. The stone that the builders rejected is Jesus. He came unto his own and his own received him not. But here's the thing about the stone which the builders rejected. The same is become the head of the corner. He said, what does that refer to? The head of the corner or the chief cornerstone. It is a reference to a rock upon which the weight of the entire structure rests upon. It is the stone, it would be the first stone representing the starting place when they would lay a foundation, they would dig a hole and they would bring in these big boulders and that first stone had to be a very precise and perfect stone, had to be a strong stone, why? Because on that stone would lay the weight of the rest of the foundation and on that stone would lay the weight of the rest of the building. And 1 Peter tells us that you and I are lively stones and we are built upon the foundation of the solid rock, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the stone which the builders rejected but he has become the head of the corner. And notice what he says to them. He says, he's telling them, I'm the stone which the builders rejected. I'm becoming the head of the corner, Luke 20, 18. He says to them, whosoever shall fall upon the stone shall be broken. He tells them, you know, there's this interesting thing about the stone and it's this, that if somebody falls upon the stone, they will be broken. He says in verse 18, but on whomsoever it, on whomsoever the stone shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And here's what he's saying. If you can make your way back to 1 Peter, we're almost done, we'll be done in a couple of minutes. 1 Peter chapter two, you're there in James. I'm sorry, you're in Hebrews. Go past James into 1 Peter, 1 Peter chapter two. Here's what he's saying. Jesus is the chief cornerstone. And that could be a good thing or that could be a bad thing. Because whosoever shall fall upon the stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. He says, you can fall upon the stone and be broken on the stone, or the stone can fall upon you and it will grind you to powder. Jesus being the chief cornerstone can be a good thing or it can be a bad thing. Now notice what Peter says, 1 Peter 2, six. Now remember, we just saw in 1 Peter 2, six that we are a holy nation, a peculiar people. Those that were not a people are now become the people of God, okay? This is the context that leads us to those verses we saw, 1 Peter 2, six. Wherefore also it is contained in the scriptures, behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, notice, and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. When he confounded, he's confused, perplexed. Whosoever believes on the cornerstone, on that chief cornerstone, he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. They're not gonna be disappointed. They're not gonna be let down. Notice verse seven, unto you therefore which believe he is precious. For those of us who believe in the chief cornerstone, hey, he's precious. But here's the interesting thing, in order for you and I to believe on the cornerstone, we have to fall and we have to break on it. Because you only come to God in a contrite heart. You only come to God in a humble state. You don't come to God saying, I'm self-righteous like the Pharisees. For the chief cornerstone to be precious to you, you gotta fall on it and be broken. But notice there verse seven, unto you therefore which believe he is precious, but, here's the contrast, unto them, those that don't believe, which be disobedient, they're disobedient to the word of God. We're about to see that in a second. But unto them which are disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, what does that mean? The stone which the builders rejected, what does that mean? He came unto his own, his own received them not. Those that rejected the stone, but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner. Notice verse eight, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, the word offense in our kingdom of the Bible means to trip you up, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, where unto also they were appointed. Here's what he's saying. Jesus will either be the one you believe on, and unto you therefore which believe he is precious, or he'll be the one that you stumble on, you get tripped up on, and he will grind you. He's a stone that'll save you, or he's a stone that'll condemn you. What you believe about Jesus, and where you stand regarding Jesus will determine everything about this life and the one to come. And by the way, let me just say this. Look at verse eight, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word. Say, why does it say that? Because Jesus is the word. Jesus is the word, he's the rock, he's God. But this applies to Christians as well, obviously not regarding salvation. But let me just say this. Look, when it comes to the word of God, you will either break yourself on it, or it will break you. There's no two ways about it. You either yield yourself to the word of God, or it's gonna break you. Say, well, how's it gonna break me? Here's what I'm telling you. You either yield yourself to the principles, the doctrines, the things that the Bible says, or those very things will destroy you. The only choice you got? Go back to Luke chapter 20. We'll finish up verse 19. They heard this, right? You would think after they heard this, they would say, man, we gotta get right. We gotta get saved. This is the son of God. You see how he answered their question without answering their question? Who's your authority? Let me tell you about my father. Let me tell you a story about a certain man who had a son, who planted a vineyard, who sent his servants, but there was these husband men. And here's how they respond in Luke 20, verse 19. And of course, this is all leading us to the cross. And the chief priests and the scribes, the same hour, sought to lay hands on him, and they feared the people, for they perceived. This is a smart bunch. They perceived that he, Jesus, had spoken this parable against them. And I would say, yeah. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for your word. Thank you for this parable and these stories, these concepts. And Lord, I pray if we don't take anything from this, just help us remember that God is the authority. And that chief cornerstone is Jesus Christ. It's the word of God. And we will either break ourselves on it, or it will break us. Help us to humble ourselves to the things written in this word. Thank you for sending your son to down the cross for our sins. In the matchless name of Christ, we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. All right, we're gonna have Brother Moses come up and lead us in a final song. Just wanna remind you, of course, that we have our worker appreciation Sunday, this Sunday morning coming up, so don't forget about that. And we're gonna be appreciating all of the volunteers and everyone that serves in our different ministries. If you got a text from us and you've not yet responded, please respond and help us out with that. We'd appreciate that. And we wanna, of course, invite you to invite someone, bring someone with you on Sunday. If there's anything we can do for you, please let us know. We'll have Brother Moses come up and lead us in a final song. Please enter song books, page number 270. We're gonna be singing Just As I Am. Page 270. Just As I Am. Let's sing it out on the first. Just as I am without one plea but that thy blood was shed for me and that thou bidst me come to thee O Lamb of God, I come, I come. Just as I am in waiting not to rid my soul of one dark plot to thee whose blood I am. But in cleanse each subtle lamp of God I come, I come. Just as I am brought thus about with many a conflict, many a doubt by dings and fears within, without O Lamb of God, I come, I come. Let's sing it out on the fourth. Just as I am for wretched minds and wretched minds, tight wretches yelling of the mind. Yea, all I need in thee to find O Lamb of God, I come, I come. Just as I am thou wilt receive with welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve because thy promise I believe O Lamb of God. O Lamb of God, I come, I come. O Lamb of God, I come, I come. Great singing. Can I please have Brother Josh Lunsford close us some more to prayer. Thank you for the sermon and the opportunity for us to all gather here tonight. Please help us to all put this on the line as it is repeated and to each other and to take the document and keep it here at the minute and hopefully hear some of the work and help us all to come back and take this on Saturday. Amen.