They Don't Respect God's Son

Mark 12:1-11 ESV

 

And Jesus Christ began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.

 

“He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this Scripture:

 

“‘The stone that the builders rejected

    has become the cornerstone;

this was the Lord's doing,

    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

 

Jesus Christ addressed this parable to the Jewish people of his day, but this writing (devotional) today is going to be looking at this from the perspective of the church in our present day, in particular in America where I live, but not limited only to my nation, but to wherever this applies. So, this would be as if Jesus was speaking to the church today instead of to the Jews of his day, but the application will largely be the same, in principle.

 

The church, the body of Christ, is a spiritual nation of those who believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives. But their gatherings include many who make false confessions of faith in Jesus Christ, many who are not living the faith that they profess, many who have wandered from their pure devotion to Christ and who have returned to being like the world around them, and those of the world who make no profession of faith in Christ.

 

As those who belong to the Lord, in truth, we are to be those who are bearing fruit in keeping with repentance and for the kingdom of God, which is in accord with the teachings of Christ, and with those of his NT apostles, and with God’s instructions and encouragements to his church, the body of Christ. So we should be those who revere God, who are walking in his ways, and in truth, and who are obeying our Lord and his commandments (New Covenant), who are living holy lives, pleasing to God, and no longer in sin.

 

For this was God the Father’s plan and purpose for our lives in sending Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who is God, to the earth to die on that cross for our sins. For Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, that we might now live for him and no longer for self, and that we might follow him in death to sin and be raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. This is his plan of salvation!

 

[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 4:17-24]

 

The prophets of old prophesied as to the coming of Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah of Israel. And the New Testament apostles taught how Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of that promise, for he is the promised seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16). But the Jews, as a physical nation, rejected Jesus Christ as their Lord and Messiah, though many individual Jews have believed in Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior, but perhaps not all in truth, just as there are many non-Jews who profess Christ as Lord, but not in truth.

 

So, although there may be many people professing faith in Jesus Christ, not all of them, or not many of them are following him in obedience and walking in his ways and living holy lives, pleasing to God, who are not living in sin. But many, it seems, are making professions of faith in Jesus Christ absent of obedience to him and to his commands (New Covenant), absent of genuine repentance, and absent of submission to him as Lord. For many are convinced that nothing is required of them other than some obscure faith.

 

And down through the years, even though there have been and there still are, though small in number, those who are still teaching the truth of the gospel as Jesus taught it and as the NT apostles taught it, the masses professing faith in Jesus Christ appear to be largely rejecting the truth, and they are following after a half-truth diluted and altered gospel message which is granting them permission to not have to bow to God, and to not have to repent, and to not have to obey God, but still end up in heaven.

 

And so many of them are living not much different from those who make no profession of faith in Christ, or worse. Many professers of faith live just like the ungodly, living in self-indulgence, who are lovers of intoxication (addiction) to particular sins, especially in the area of sexual immorality. And they are living immoral, indecent, dishonest, dishonorable, and wicked and sinful lives, in practice. But many of them will claim Jesus as Savior and heaven as their destiny, while using God’s grace as a coverup for sin.

 

For they are altering the gospel message, or they are following after an altered gospel message and an altered and different Jesus which/who makes no demands for them to submit to Christ and to forsake their sins and to obey our Lord’s commandments (New Covenant) and to live holy lives, pleasing to God. And they are being convinced that they can continue to live in sin but still go to heaven when they die. And this is the life they are living which gives them a false sense of comfort and security and of a safe haven.

 

And this is the predominant “gospel” which is being spread across America and in the vast majority of gatherings of what is called “church.” As I have mentioned before, this cheapened and diluted gospel is everywhere now – in church gatherings, in small groups, on social media, in videos and movies and cartoons and TV shows and in preacher’s sermons and in “Christian” books, and in “Christian” music lyrics, etc. And those who are believing this lie are denying Jesus Christ and are putting him and his gospel to death.

 

But God has a day of judgment in mind when he will reward all of us according to our deeds. So if we sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap corruption and death. But if we sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life. For if sin is what we practice, it will end in death. But if, by the grace of God, and in the power of God, we put sin to death and we walk in the ways of the Lord in holiness and in righteousness, then we have the promise and the hope of eternal life with God.

 

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

 

Pray, Pray, Pray 

 

An Original Work / September 6, 2012

Based off Various Scriptures

 

Pray that eyes may enlightened be,

So they may know Christ.

Pray that they may Him better know,

Strengthened by His pow’r.

Pray that they may grasp

How wide and long

And high and deep

Is Christ’s love.

Pray that they may be filled

To the fullness of God’s love.

Pray with thanksgiving.

 

Pray for an open door for me,

So I may share Christ.

Pray when the gospel is proclaimed –

Shared with clarity.

Pray words are given me so

I declare the gospel fearlessly.

I pray for you to be active

Sharing your faith, too.

Pray continually.

 

We oft not know for what to pray,

So we ask for help.

The Spirit intercedes for us –

Words cannot express.

Just keep on praying for the saints

With all kinds of requests to God.

Pray they may have faith to

Please their God in ev’ry way.

Pray with joyfulness.

 

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