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And they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Are you skeptical by nature? There’s nothing wrong with that, just don’t let that get in the way of following Jesus. He is not a dancing monkey doing tricks for us. He has already been so gracious to prove to humanity who he is… why do we demand even more? He is already the most attested to figure of ancient history, what else do we need? Do you find yourself believing there’s just not enough evidence? He doesn’t need you, you need him. Trust him today.

Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

Jesus didn’t come to make us safe. When you come to him, you’re given a great treasure. It is not something to be hidden away, it is meant to be shared. If you don’t share the faith, then you probably don’t really have it. Those who genuinely have Jesus now, will receive so much more when he returns. So too, those who are not his will have everything taken from them on That Day. Everyone has the same offer, follow Jesus, you’ll be glad you did!

Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Jesus loved children. It is in the innocence of a child that we see what heaven will be like, just as it was before Adam and Eve broke God’s command. We have to be innocent, just like those small children. But how can we do that? Jesus died on the cross to take away your sin. If you will follow him, you can be just like the little children.

“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?”

Jesus made it clear that “many will say to me on That [Judgment] Day ‘Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive our demons and in your name perform many miracles?” Being a Christian isn’t just saying that you believe in Jesus. It’s not even thinking that you believe in Jesus… it’s actually believing in Jesus, which always leads to acting as though you believe in Jesus. This Parable in Matthew 21 illustrates the point, who is a Christian, the one who says they are, or the one who does God’s will? Jesus paints a picture of those who do many many things in Jesus’ name. In our contest, this might be serving at a soup kitchen, collecting clothing for the poor, going on mission trips to foreign countries… all amazing and excellent things Christians should do… but not things that make you a Christian.On the other side, we have people who come and sit in church, perhaps only a few times per year, and they think that because of their attendance (even weekly) they are a Christian because they are around the Church, this is not the case.

I believe this is related to the whole “ask Jesus into your heart” controversy. The problem is not that people ask Jesus into their heart (without getting too into it… Paul uses such language in Ephesians 3 thus making it not “superstitious” to say it, and the SBC published a great resolution on this in 2012 which settles the issue). Praying a prayer, walking an aisle, making a pledge, signing a covenant, enrolling in a membership class, learning a catechism, or anything else you do doesn’t make you a Christian… repentance and belief in the Gospel does. God’s work is not all this ‘stuff’ we think we accomplish, “the work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent” that is Jesus. Do you believe in Jesus? That’s all it takes… but who really believes in Jesus, the one who says it, or the one who lives it?

Jesus is pretty clear… James is more direct: “a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” Even the Apostle Paul speaks about “the obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5; 16:26)

John Calvin put it this way “Faith alone justifies, but the faith which justifies is not alone” (The Principles of Theology, p. 61)

Walk the walk, don’t simply talk the talk. You say you’re a Christian? You claim to be an Evangelical? Very well, understand that means something. I can’t just claim to be a bird and make it so, if I jump off a roof and fall to my death, I’m fooling myself. Don’t fool yourself. Do you actually follow Jesus, or are you simply claiming to be a Christian?

Being a Christian isn’t complicated, put Jesus first as best you can, rely on His strength to do it, follow him, every day, every moment, step by step, for the rest of your life.

Who is doing God’s will? The one who believes… trust Him today.

Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’

We all struggle with entitlement. We look at those who have more material wealth than we do and we immediately think “they didn’t deserve that.” We begin to think it would be more “fair” if we all had closer to the same amount of stuff. Actually, that’s pretty much the complete opposite of “fair.” Jesus’ Parable of the Vineyard illustrates the spiritual truth that we all receive the same ‘riches’ (i.e. eternal life) because our reward isn’t based on our work.

At the same time, it also reveals the truth about tangible wealth as well. The master is the one who owns the wealth and he is free to pay whomever he wants whatever he wants. He is not unfair or a cheat, he agrees with them what he will pay in advance, and then he pays them. There is no external entity or group of individuals determining what is ‘fair’ other than the one who is paying for services and the one doing the work.

Christians shouldn’t act like this, not simply because it’s wrong, but because we’ve all been given so much in Christ. Do what you say, say what you’ll do, be a person of your word (Matt 5:37; James 5:12).