Laborers In the Vineyard

"FOR the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder,

which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard."

(Matt. 20:1.)

The Master used so many commonplace things to teach spiritual lessons.

This householder went out to hire laborers. He offered an incentive to get

men to work in his vineyard. He did not try to scare men into the vineyard. A

scared man would be a poor workman. We should not try to scare men into

the church. They would get over their scare, and then be all but worthless.

This householder did not try to force men into his vineyard. Neither should

we try to force men into the church. The Lord is callingfor volunteers. He drafts no one into his army. Every Christian is one because

he wants to be.

This householder agreed with the laborers to give them a decent wage if

they would work in his vineyard. What does Jesus offer us to get us into his

vineyard? Listen: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and

I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. and learn of me: for I am meek

and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy,

and my burden is light." (Matt. 11:28-30.) What greater inducement could he

offer? We can find rest unto our souls. There is no rest now or hereafter for

the souls that are out of Christ. "Blessed are they that do his commandments,

that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates

into the city.'' (Rev. 22:14.) To get into the vineyard of the Master we must do

his commandments, and to get into heaven we must continue to do his

commandments.

We would like to emphasize the fact that this householder went out to

hire laborers. He did not want loafers and shirkers. He wanted men who

would work. There is no place for a lazy 'man in the kingdom of Christ. When

we are baptized into Christ, we promise to work. The Lord himself set us the

example of hard work "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is

day: the night cometh, when no man can work." (John 9:4.) The night of death

will soon overtake each of us. We must work now. The opportunity to work

will be gone before long.

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always

abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is

not in vain in the Lord." (1 Cor. 15:58.) We may do much work on this earth

in vain, but we never do any work for the Master in vain. The most lowly act

that we perform because we are disciples is recognized by him. Giving a glass

of water because we are disciples will bring its reward. There is no place in the

life of a Christian for discouragement We must remember for whom we are

working."Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence

only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with

fear and trembling." (Phil. 2:12.) This was written to Christians. Christians are

not eternally saved yet, but they are busy working out their salvation with fear

and trembling. You cannot loaf it out. but you can work it out. You cannot

shirk it out. but you can work it out.

"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and

have not works? can faith save him?" (James 2:14.) No, we cannot be saved by

faith only. "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."' (James

2:17.) There is a lot of dead faith. ''For as the body without the spirit is dead,

so faith without works is dead also." (James 2:26.) We know how dead a body

is when the spirit has gone out. and that is just how dead faith is without

works.

This householder went out to hire laborers into his vineyard. It does make

a difference where the work is done. The work must be done in the right

vineyard. Many are doing a lot of good work, but they are doing it in the

wrong place. Some seem to have the idea that just so they work, it does not

make much difference where they work. If you were a farmer and hired a man

to work on your farm, you would not think you owed him anything if he

worked on your neighbor's farm. He may have done some mighty fine work,

but he did it in the wrong place. We must look to the one for whom we work

for the pay. If you are expecting a reward from Jesus Christ, you must work

where he tells you to work, and that place is in the church.

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord

Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." (Col. 3:17.) What we do

in word or deed is just about all that we do. is it not? To do a thing in the

name of the Lord Jesus is to do it by his authority. My reader, if you are doing

things that you cannot do in the name of the Lord, you had better quit doing

those things. We can do everything that the Lord wants us to do in his name."Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages,

world without end. Amen." (Eph. 3:21.) We render glory to God in the

church, not in something else.

Men went to work in this vineyard of the householder at different hours

of the day. Some went early in the morning, while some others did not go

until late evening; but all went at the first opportunity. They went at the first

call. They did not turn down the invitation. If you have heard the gospel once,

but turned it down, you did not act as these men acted. Sometimes when

someone comes into the church late in life, some are heard to say that he came

in at the "eleventh hour." This does not necessarily follow. He came in at the

"eleventh hour" if he had never had an opportunity of coming in before: but

if he had heard the gospel time after time and turned it down, he is not an

"eleventh hour'' man. This is not written to discourage any old person in

obeying the gospel, but it is written to encourage every one. both young and

old, to accept the Master's call at the very first opportunity. Many have been

taught the way of the Lord, know what they must do to be saved, but have

refused to come into the church. There will be many such souls in hell. They

fully intended to go to work at some time in the vineyard, but they just

postponed their obedience until it was eternally too late.

Let us remember these four great lessons: (1) The householder went out

to hire laborers: (2) he went out to hire laborers; (3) he went out to hire

laborers into his vineyard: (4) the laborers went at the first opportunity.