The sermon draws parallels between the biblical narrative of David's sin with Bathsheba and the parable of the evil tenants in Mark chapter 12. It highlights how Jesus uses parables as a form of judgment against the scribes, elders, and chief priests, similar to the judgment proclaimed in Isaiah chapter 5. The vineyard represents Israel, and the tenants represent the unfaithful leaders who fail to bear good fruit. Despite God's repeated sending of prophets, the leaders remain unrepentant, culminating in the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus, the beloved Son. The sermon underscores the authority of Jesus, who is identified as God, the true Israel, and the vine. It emphasizes the shift of God's blessings to the Gentiles and the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant through Jesus. The sermon calls for personal reflection, urging believers to repent, embrace Jesus' authority, and recognize the marvelous work of salvation He has accomplished.

David, he had committed adultery with Bathsheba. And then in an attempt to hide and cover up that adultery, David had Bathsheba's husband and His friend Uriah the Hittite killed. You remember this narrative, right? And in 2 Samuel chapter 12, the prophet Nathan tells David a story. There was a rich man, And there was a poor man.

The rich man had a great and bountiful flock. And the poor man had only one little lamb. And that poor man's little lamb grew up with his children. And it ate from his hand. And that little lamb, that little poor man's lamb was like a daughter to him, a sibling to his children, a great delight to his children.

And yet one day, This rich man, he had a guest. And so to feed his guest, the rich man, not wanting to take a lamb from his own flock, went and took this poor man's only lamb. And that rich man slaughtered this poor man's little lamb, his only lamb, in order to feed his guest. Do you remember that story? Do you remember what David did at the end of that story?

He was angry. That man deserves to die. And then, Nathan cried out to David, You are that man. You are that rich man who took the little lamb from the poor man. This morning in our passage, we have a very similar situation.

A very similar narrative. Jesus tells these men in Mark chapter 12, these temple leaders, these leaders of Israel, these chief priests, these elders, these scribes, he tells them a parable, a story. It's a story of unfaithful and evil tenants, evil vine growers. They're keeping a vineyard all to themselves. They are the rich man.

And they want to keep the vineyard so much to themselves that they will even kill the son of the vineyard owner so that they can claim the vineyard for themselves. And it is very clear in this parable, I don't think you have any confusion having just read it perhaps just for the first time this morning. It's very clear to these men listening, it's very clear to you reading it, that these men who are listening to this parable, these leaders of Israel, they are the evil men that he's talking about in verses one through 12. These temple leaders are those who stand condemned like David stood condemned. So I want you to see this morning that this passage is very much a you are the men kind of moment for these scribes, elders, and chief priests?

How will they respond? David responded in repentance. Will these men? Jesus, He had went and cleaned house in chapter 11. You remember that?

He went and cleansed the temple in Mark 11 and the next day these men show up with their perhaps their arms crossed confronting Jesus at the entrance of the temple. They will not accept the authority of Jesus that has been made plain from Mark chapter 1 all the way now through Mark chapter 11. And so looking at them, Our text tells us in verse 1 of chapter 12 that Jesus began to speak to them, to these leaders in Israel, in parables. It says that there in our text, He began to speak to them in parables. When you read in verse 1 that Jesus is speaking to them in parables, that should immediately draw you back to what Jesus said in Mark chapters 3 and Mark chapters 4.

Do You know why that should draw you back? Because that's when Jesus first started using parables in Mark's Gospel. And in Mark chapter 3, and really in Mark chapter 4, where Jesus begins to use parables, what did Jesus say about His reasoning for using parables? Do you remember what the reason was that Jesus gave why He was using parables? I think a lot of people believe that parables were ultimately a way for Christ to illustrate truth.

And yes, there are illustrations of truth when Jesus uses parables. But in Mark chapter 4, Jesus makes it plain. He is not using parables for the chief purpose of making things apparent. Let me remind you what Jesus says in Mark chapter 4 verses 11 and 12. Why is Jesus using parables?

Here's what he said. And he was saying to his followers, to you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God. But for those who are outside, which would be the scribes and the Pharisees, those who are outside the kingdom, they get everything in parables so that while seeing they may see and not perceive while hearing they may hear and yet not understand otherwise they might return and be forgiven what were the parables to those who belong to Christ to those who are a part of His Kingdom, yes, these parables are the very words of life. They do illustrate truth. To those whom God has opened the eyes of their hearts in regeneration, to the Christian, these parables are stories of victory, triumph, and hope.

But to those outside the kingdom, to those who have hardened their hearts, to those who have exchanged the truth about God for a lie. To those who are perishing, these parables are foolish to them. These parables are not an illustration of truth, but a concealing of truth. To those outside the kingdom, the parables are a form of judgment from God. For those who are perishing, for those outside the kingdom, the parables are foolish.

But to those of us who are being saved, they're the opposite of foolish. There's very power of God in the parables. But these men are being told a parable. They've been told parables since chapter 4, since chapters 3, chapters 4, all the way through chapter 4. These temple authorities, they're outside of the kingdom.

They appear to have a form of godliness on the outside, but within, they're a tomb of death, they're whitewashed tombs, and these parables to them are a form of judgment. Judgment upon the temple, judgment upon Israel as a whole, judgment upon these men if they will not repent. This fits really well. I hope you see what's been going on in Mark chapter 11 Jesus has showed up. He's looked in the temple.

He hasn't liked what he's seen. He's gone home. He's come back He's judged the temple. You remember the fig tree judgments coming temple judgments coming. He's gone to these men judgments coming and so it fits well.

What would be the next thing that Jesus would do? Tell them a parable which is a form of judgment God has been clear judgments coming And we see that now even through the telling of the parable. So what is the parable? What is the parable itself? Well look in chapter 12.

What is the parable? I hope you've noticed that this parable that Jesus is speaking is at the beginning in all capital It's it's in all caps. It's capitalized and if you have a new American, you know, that's really helpful because that means it comes from the Old Testament and so We're adding the Old Testament. Well, it comes from Isaiah chapter 5 now these people that Jesus is speaking to, do they know their Old Testaments? They know them extremely well.

When you read the word scribes, okay, they know their Old Testament is better than you. So, when Jesus is quoting from the Old Testament, That means that these men listening, these teachers of the Old Testament, they know exactly what Jesus is talking about as he starts quoting from Isaiah chapter 5. They know what Jesus is talking about, so we should too, don't you think? So let's go to Isaiah chapter 5, beginning in verse 1. We're going to go to where Jesus is quoting from.

These men know what he's quoting from. We should too. It's a parable. It's a story about a vineyard in Isaiah chapter 5. If you have a pew Bible you can find that on page 688.

Isaiah chapter 5 beginning in verse 1. Here's what Isaiah says in Isaiah 5 verse 1. Let me sing now for my well-beloved, A song of my beloved concerning his vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill. He dug it all around, removed its stones, and planted it with the choicest vine.

And he built a tower in the middle of it, and also hewed out a wine vat in it. Then he expected it to produce good grapes, but it produced only worthless ones. And now, oh inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard, What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? Why when I expected it to produce good group? Did I did I went why when I expected it to produce good grapes?

Did it produce worthless ones? So now let me tell you what I'm going to do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge and it will be consumed. I will break down its wall and it will become trampled ground. I will lay it waste.

It will not be pruned or hoed. But briars and thorns will come up. I will also charge the clouds to rain, no rain on it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah, his delightful plant. Thus he looked for justice, but behold, blood shed, for righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress." That is the vineyard from Isaiah chapter 5, 1 through 7.

That's what Jesus is quoting. Jesus quotes from this passage, and this passage is a passage that these men listening in Mark 12 really understood really well. He's speaking to them in parables and now he's quoting in the parables from Isaiah 5. Speaking in parables is a form of judgment, and Isaiah 5 is about judgment. The vineyard, according to Isaiah 5, represents who?

Israel. You see that there at the end of that passage? The vineyard is Israel. God had established Israel. God in great tender love and care and compassion had formed Israel, made it into a great vineyard.

He planted Israel on fertile ground. He'd given the people all that they needed. He protected them. He built a hedge of protection around them. He put a tower in the middle for security.

God was abundant in blessing, abundant in provision. And God expected that as a result of all of his kindness, all of his care, that his vineyard, his people would do what? Bear fruit. They would obey Him. They would walk with Him in obedience and obey Him.

And instead, according to Isaiah 5, what do we get here? What does God's vineyard do? Look at the end of verse 2. Isaiah 5 verse 2, he, God, expected the vineyard Israel to produce good grapes, good fruit, but it produced only worthless ones. It yielded bad fruit, thistles and thorns instead of grapes.

You see that in verse 2. And so what did God promise? What did God promise as a result? Verses five through seven of Isaiah five. God promised to remove the hedge of protection that He placed around the vineyard around Israel.

God would break down the walls. Israel's enemies were promised to overrun the vineyard. Judgment was proclaimed upon Israel. Judgment was promised. And beloved, that's exactly what happened.

If you know your church history, your biblical history, you know that the Assyrians overran the vineyard called Israel. They carried away Israel into captivity and into exile. These men, these temple authorities at Mark chapter 12, They know exactly what Isaiah prophesied. They know exactly what it meant back in the earlier days of Israel. And now you do too.

This prophecy, this story from Isaiah was a sad story of judgment. And now here is Jesus in Mark 12 quoting from Isaiah 5. But now he's adapting it to his own situation, his own context. And none of this would be lost on the original hearers. So I want you to turn back to Mark chapter 12.

That was Isaiah 5. Jesus quoted from a story of judgment, a prophecy of judgment, and now Jesus modifies that same story, that same narrative, in Mark 12. We see now the vineyard in Mark 12. Let's go back to Mark 12. Jesus spoke to them in parables.

A man planted a vineyard and put a wall around it and dug a vat under the winepress and built a tower and rented it out to the vine growers and went on a journey. It's really similar, right? What's the vineyard? The vineyard once more is the same as Isaiah 5. The vineyard is Israel, The temple.

And the owner of the vineyard is again who? God. So, what's Jesus doing? Same context, same story. He's telling these men, you remember The last time that God promised judgment upon the vineyard?

Do you remember the last time that judgment came to pass from Isaiah 5? Well what's happening here in this temple is the same reason that God gave Israel over to her enemies to the Assyrians so long ago. It was hypocrisy there, and there's hypocrisy here in this temple. And Jesus is saying to these men, very clearly, I have come into the temple. I have not liked what I've seen, and so I've promised destruction.

Just as Isaiah promised destruction from God because of their hypocrisy, I have promised destruction upon this temple because of its hypocrisy. So Israel is the vineyard, the owner of the vineyard is God, and judgment is coming. But now I want you to notice the difference in the narratives. Jesus changes some things up. In Isaiah there was just a vineyard, but now in Mark there's more than just a vineyard.

There's a vineyard with vine growers. There's a vineyard with tenants. This is a new addition. Who are the tenants of the vineyard do you think? The tenants are the ones listening to Jesus right now.

They're the temple leaders, the leaders of Israel. They're the ones that Jesus is talking to. These tenants, these vine growers, are supposed to be the caretakers and the guardians of God's people. They're supposed to be the caretakers of the temple. They're left in charge by God to steward the vineyard.

Verse 2. At the harvest time, he, God, the owner of the vineyard, sent a slave to the vine growers. He sends a slave to the vine growers. And what was it that the owner of the vineyard wanted? What did God want?

Well, it says there in verse 2, he wanted to receive some of the produce of the vineyard from the vine growers. Now do you see the difference in that passage than what was in Isaiah 5? What's the difference between the two passages? In Isaiah, the vineyard only produced bad fruit, it only produced thorns. But here in Mark, the vineyard is actually producing some fruit.

There is actually fruit and the owner wants fruit and so the owner sends slaves to go get some fruit from these vine growers. And these vine growers are what? Keeping it to themselves. Keeping it to themselves. He sends a slave, get me some of the produce that has come from the vine growers.

And instead these stewards, these tenants, these temple leaders, they keep it to themselves. Verse 3, they took the slave and beat him and sent him away empty handed. I hope you see in this. I'm going to make it really plain, I hope. What was the problem in the temple in chapter 11?

The temple leaders were doing what? They were robbing the Gentiles of their place of worship. You remember that? My temple is supposed to be a place for prayer for the nations. And you've set up shop in the very spot where the Gentiles should be coming in and being able to worship and pray to the thrice holy God.

You keeping the Gentiles out. You're keeping the fruit to yourselves. This fits perfectly with chapter 11's context. God's house was to be a place for the Gentiles to come and pray. And now here are these vine growers saying, No!

We will keep all of God's blessings to ourselves. We're not giving any away to the nations. They're robbing the Gentiles. And because they're robbing the Gentiles, you know who they're robbing? They're robbing God.

They're sending Gentiles away and they're sending God away empty handed. The point of this parable is not quite the same. It's very similar, but it's not necessarily the unfaithfulness of, it's not as much about the unfaithfulness of Israel, though it is, but it's far more about the unfaithfulness of Israel's caretakers. The emphasis is on the tenants, the vine growers. The emphasis is on the unfaithfulness of the vineyard's vine growers and their selfishness and their pride.

They're robbing God of what's His. They're keeping the blessings of God to themselves. They've made God's house a den of robbers. And so what does God do? Well, He sends them prophets.

He sends prophet after prophet. That's who the slaves are in verses 2 through 5. The servants and the slaves that God the owner of the vineyard sends to these vine growers are the many prophets whom God has sent through the centuries to call Israel's leaders back to obedience and justice. Verses two through five are really just a summary of Israel's history all the way from the Exodus. God sending prophet after prophet.

And how do these vine growers respond? Well after God sent another slave, another prophet, they wounded him in the head. They treated him shamefully and the owner of the vineyard sent another. God sent another prophet and that one what they do he killed him and so with many others these wicked temple authorities they beat some they killed others and again this is quite literally the history of Israel perhaps from the time of Egypt at least from Isaiah's time So the history of Israel from the day of Isaiah all the way now through Mark 12. This has been the status quo.

Where servants of God have been sent from God as prophets to call the people and their leaders back to righteousness, to call these leaders back to obedience. Repent! Turn back to the Lord! And Instead, the calls go unheeded. They go unheeded.

They treat the prophet shamefully. They abuse some. They kill others. And yet, what does God do? God in His mercy sends more.

He keeps sending prophets. Don't you ever say that God is not merciful. He is abundant in mercy. All of the Old Testament speaks to this. God is great in mercy.

Well verse 4, notice look at verse 4, it speaks of one of the prophets whose head was wounded. We aren't sure about this, but who had Jesus just spoken of just a few verses prior? Well, you need to remember that Jesus is having the same conversation in chapter 12 that he's having in chapter 11 you know that right sometimes I think we think that big bold number that big 12 says sometime later on what it just says he began to speak them the parable so as far as we know chapter 11 verse 33 ends and Jesus takes a breath and then he starts talking in parables. This is one big conversation. So who's Jesus talking about right before he begins this parable?

What prophet? John the Baptist. John the Baptist. And how is John the Baptist treated by these vine growers? Well, he got his head cut off.

His head was wounded. So perhaps, perhaps verse four is speaking of John the Baptist. Commentators are divided on that. But we were told at the end of chapter 11 that these vine growers did reject John the Baptist too. So these these prophets, whether they include John the Baptist or not, explicitly, they do include John the Baptist implicitly.

John the Baptist was a prophet sent before the Christ. And they treat these prophets shamefully. And God in His great mercy sends them and they continue to treat them shamefully and so who does the owner of the vineyard eventually send? He sends last of all the beloved son. Look in verse 6.

He the owner of the vineyard God had one more to send. A beloved son, a beloved son. He sent him last of them, saying, they will respect my son. I want you to think about what the owner of the vineyard just said. What God had just said in this parable, He had one more to send, a beloved son.

What had God the Father called Jesus from heaven right in the moment of His baptism? My beloved son. What had God the Father called Jesus from heaven right before or right in the moment of His baptism? My beloved Son. What had God the Father called Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration?

My beloved Son. And what has Jesus just pointed back to in the verses just before this? The baptism and the transfiguration. The moments where God has declared My beloved son. Do you think it obvious?

Should be. Jesus is the beloved son of God. Jesus is the one with authority. His ministry, his actions in the temple are authorized by God because Jesus is himself God. Again, let no one ever tell you that Jesus never made any claims to divinity.

Boy, the number of times I have heard that in my life is frustrating. You haven't read the text. Jesus very much makes it plain that he is God. And so the owner of the vineyard says, they will respect my son. They will respect my beloved son.

So he sent his beloved son. Surely they'll respect him. And again we have a statement of authority. These vine growers were expected to respect the Son. These tenants, these temple leaders were expected, they were called by God to submit to the authority of the vineyard son.

What's Jesus saying here to these to these very men? You're expected to bow down to me, you're expected to recognize my authority, but look at you. You're not doing it. This is a very much a statement of authority here in this parable. Surely they will respect my son.

What was the word that was used repeatedly in the verses just prior. Last week's sermon, it was all about one word. It starts with an A, ends with ority. Authority. Very good.

Authority. It was repeated time and time again, And so when you get to this parable, you ought not to be surprised that this parable is about authority. Surely they will respect my son. His authority is my own authority, the owner of the vineyard says. So what happens?

Surely these temple leaders will finally humble themselves and repent and stop stealing from the nations. They will finally say, you know what? These blessings are not just for us, they are for the nations as God has commanded. Surely, they will repent. But we see that doesn't happen.

These vine growers, what do they say to each other? Well, it's a horrible thing. They say to one another, this is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours. We will keep all the fruit.

We'll keep the temple the way that it is. We'll keep the blessings of God all to ourselves. All we've got to do is get rid of this son. And so verse 8, what do they do? They took him, and they killed him, and they threw him out of the vineyard.

The tenants, the vine growers of the vineyard, the guardians of Israel, the teachers of Israel, just like they treated all the other prophets, They treat the beloved son shamefully. They throw him out the vineyard. Let me ask you a question. Where did they kill Jesus three chapters later? Where did they place the beloved Son of God on a cross?

They placed Him on a hill called Golgotha outside of Jerusalem. Outside the vineyard. They took Jesus and they treated Him shamefully. Did they not? They abused Him.

They wounded Him. Wounded Him on the head, the crown of thorns. They placed him on a cross outside of the vineyard, outside of Jerusalem, and he died exactly as Jesus said that he would in this parable. So what is it that these men whom Jesus is talking to, what is it that they've been plotting ever since Mark chapter 3? What is it that these same men have been plotting ever since the beginning of Mark's gospel?

Well You read in Mark chapter 3, first time they come, brush up against Jesus, you know the first thing that they say after that conversation. They say, how are we gonna kill this guy? How are we gonna destroy Jesus? They began plotting destruction all the way back in Mark 3. And now here is Jesus in verses 7 and 8 telling these same men and revealing to anyone listening Particularly these men listening.

He's revealing to these men the very hypocrisy that judgment is coming for He's revealing to them their very hypocrisy. You teachers of the law, you're plotting murder. And you know it. You've been doing it ever since Mark 3. Now it's on full display.

Jesus knew what was in their hearts. They did too, and so do you. It's obvious at this point. The vineyard's Israel. The slaves are the prophets sent by God in His mercy to warn them.

Most recently, John the Baptist. The beloved Son was Jesus in this parable. The vine growers are these evil temple leaders listening to this parable. They're barring the sun from getting at the fruit of the vineyard. But I want you to notice something at the end of this parable.

That in not sharing the fruit, What happens? In not sharing what God had commanded for them to be shared, in their selfishness, they kill the son, they think they have the vineyard all to themselves, what happens to everything they wanted to keep? They lose it all. They lose it all. They tried to keep the blessings of God for themselves.

They tried to keep the blessings of God away from the Gentiles. You Gentiles, not allowed. We're going to set up shop in the place where you should pray. And in doing so, we're going to keep it all to ourselves. And in doing so, rather, they lost everything.

Verse 9, what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine growers and give the vineyard to others. Jesus promises destruction and judgment. These vine growers, these temple leaders, they lost everything. They lost the temple just 40 years later after this.

That temple was destroyed, yes. But even more to those who did not repent, they lost their souls in eternal hellfire. It's worth crying about. They lost everything. Friend, I want to ask you, will you lose everything?

Will you lose everything because you can't give up your sin? You won't give up your pride? Will you lose everything because you will not repent and cling to Christ by faith? Will you lose everything because you will not repent and cling to Christ by faith? Will you lose everything because you won't give up your sin and you will insist on being selfish and insist on being the Lord and the authority over your life?

When you very much know that the owner of the vineyard, that the owner of your life, the Lord God Almighty, will demand an accounting of your life one day, will you snub him nonetheless? Do you not know that the owner of the vineyard will come in vengeance? He will come in judgment? You know that. Romans 1 says you know that.

You know that truth. You know there is a God. And you know the truth about God. You know enough that you stand condemned. You know that you've spurned God.

You've sinned against Him. You know that it is appointed once for a man to die. You've seen it play out in all of your life. Loved ones dying. You watch a movie, people die.

Death is a certainty. You know that it's appointed once for a man to die and then face judgment. You know that truth. You know that your sin hangs over you to condemn you to eternal damnation. And yet will you still hang on to your pride?

Will you be like these men? Will you still hang on to this foolish notion that you are somehow God and King, that you are the master of your faith, that you are the Lord over your life. Well, if you do that, you might gain the whole world for a little while. You might, probably not, but you might. And in the end, you will then forfeit your soul forever.

Forever. And as you step into eternity, nothing that you gained here will be able to go with you, and you will lose everything in the end. And so too these men. Let these men be to you a huge warning sign, caution, repent. And so these men, These vine growers, they were promised judgment and destruction, and it came for them.

And it will surely come for you unless you repent and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. Judgment came for them in 70 AD. Jerusalem fell. The temple was destroyed. The Jewish priesthood ended, the sacrificial system done away with, the Sanhedrin put on their faces.

All of that happened because the final sacrifice had been offered. The great high priest had gone in when Jesus died on the cross as he was thrown outside the vineyard. And in that moment the wrath of God was propitiated for the sins of the elect. The wrath of God was propitiated, satisfied for those from every nation, tongue, and tribe when Jesus was killed outside the vineyard. And that curtain in that moment, What happened?

It was torn in two. The priesthood was over. There was now one great high priest. It was Jesus. And Jesus says that vineyard is going to be given to others.

The vineyard was to be given to others and it was. Who was it given to? You read that there in verse 9 at the end. He will give the vineyard to others. Who?

Who is he giving the vineyard to? The Gentiles. The Gentiles. I hope you see this is very plain. It was given to those whom these men in the temple were robbing.

The nations. So Jesus comes and in His death does what these leaders would not do. He gives the blessings to the nations. You see the unbelieving Jews, Paul says in Romans 11, were a branch. The unbelieving Jews were a branch broken off because of their unbelief, because of their hypocrisy.

And we see that hypocrisy throughout Mark's gospel with these religious leaders. And Paul says in Romans 11, a new branch, a wild olive was grafted into the rich root of the olive tree. Same tree, one tree. One branch broken off, a new one grafted in, all by grace, and that new branch was the Gentiles. They were grafted in.

God would indeed be sure that the Gentiles receive the promised blessing. They would be able to come and worship not at this mountain called the temple, but in spirit and in truth through Jesus Christ, the new temple and the true great high priest. God would indeed be sure that the Gentiles would receive what they had been promised all the way back in the Abrahamic covenant. What did God promise Abraham? A blessing to the nations.

It was ultimately through the seed of Jesus Christ. Jesus has accomplished and secured what these men would not. Who is that olive tree? Remember I said Romans 11, Paul talked about it. There was a tree and a branch was broken off, unbelieving Israel, and a new branch was grafted in named Gentiles.

But who's the tree? Who's the vineyard? Well, Jesus would go on to say, in John's gospel, I am the vine. And you, you're the braches. And a man that remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.

Apart from me, you can do nothing. He will bear much fruit. Who's the olive tree? Who's the vineyard ultimately? Jesus Christ is.

Jesus is the vine. Jesus is this vineyard. And so I'm... If you name the name of Christ, You are a part of that vineyard. You've been grafted into it.

You are in Christ who is divine. You are a part of true Israel. You are circumcised in your heart. You've been adopted into the family of God. And those adoption papers were signed with the very blood of the Son.

Nobody's erasing them. Nobody's taking those away. So I wonder will you not say Christian, you who are far off, a Gentile, you who are without hope, you who are without God in the world, you who loved your sin and you hated righteousness, you who are an enemy of God, you are a lover of self, an alien to the promise. Will you not say now as one who has been miraculously made born again, adopted into God's family, grafted in, made into a new creation in Christ Jesus, and again grafted into the rich olive root, into the vine himself, Jesus, will you not say that Jesus has done a marvelous thing in your eyes? You ought to.

That's what Jesus says. So Peter says, In 1 Peter, will you not say that He has given you a new song to sing, a song of praise, hallelujah? Well, that song of praise is what we see in verses 10 and 11. Have you not even read this scripture? You can just pause there.

Who's Jesus talking to? He's talking to men that have surely read this scripture. Have you not read this scripture? And he knows full well, yeah you have. You know what I'm talking about.

You know what I'm saying. Have you not read this scripture? Jesus asked these men who surely have. By the way, that's from Psalm 118. We used it in our call to worship this morning.

Have you not read the stone which the builders rejected? This became the chief cornerstone. This came about from the Lord. And it is marvelous in our eyes. Haven't you read the Old Testament?

Haven't you read the promise that I'm coming? Haven't you read the promise that when this happens, when you reject the cornerstone, God does a saving work, that this is the day that the Lord has made, let me rejoice and be glad in it, and yet you're about to go away sad. Friends, don't you go away sad this morning. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let me rejoice and be glad in it.

And yet you're about to go away sad. Friends, don't you go away sad this morning. This is the day that the Lord has made, Psalm 118 says. The same Psalm that this is quoted from. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Why? Because Jesus has done a marvelous thing. I hope you're seeing who Jesus is and what Jesus has accomplished. And I hope that you're starting to marvel. Maybe some of you marveling for the first time this day.

Oh, that'd be good. He was despised, he was rejected, he was treated as though he was the sinner. In your place, Christian, so that your sin would be dealt with forever. Jesus was treated as though He was the sinner in your place, Christian, so that you sinner would be brought back, so that you sinner would be given the vineyard, the blessing of the nations, so that you sinner would be made a part of His kingdom, when it was you who deserved to be despised and rejected by God. But Jesus was instead.

You should marvel at that. Jesus, I hope you're seeing who Jesus is and what he's done. We see here at the end the promised vindication and victory. I want you to remember how did Isaiah chapter 5 start? How did Isaiah chapter 5 start?

Do you remember Isaiah chapter 5, a passage about the judgment that was to come upon Israel for their hypocrisy and unbelief? The passage that Jesus quotes at the beginning of this parable. How does it start? If you've forgotten, let me remind you. Here's what God says.

Let me sing now for my well-beloved, a song of my beloved concerning his vineyard. God the Father is talking, and God the Father says, the vineyard belongs to my son. And what does Jesus just pointed back to in Mark 11 as these men ask by what authority Jesus does these things, he points back to his baptism. And again, what happened at his baptism, from heaven the voice rang out, this is my beloved Son. Jesus is the beloved Son of Isaiah chapter five.

Which means that Jesus, if he's the beloved son of Isaiah chapter 5, is the creator of the vineyard. That Jesus is the owner of the vineyard. And that means that if he's the owner of the vineyard he must be God himself. So don't, again, ever think that Jesus has not made claims to divinity. Jesus is the beloved Son and owner of the vineyard.

He is the heir and the promise in Isaiah 5. The promise in Isaiah 5 was for judgment and hypocrisy but in the midst of that judgment upon hypocrisy there was this promise there was a beloved son who has a vineyard and now Jesus is saying and that beloved son has come and I am going to do for the vineyard what the vineyard could not do for itself. I'm going to do what the caretakers of the vineyard would not do for the vineyard itself. Jesus is an amazing Savior. So I just want to point a few things out here as we close.

As we think about the promised vindication and victory. So as you read this parable, you're all the way through verse 9, you're like, Yikes! These vine growers seem to have been winning and then you get to verse 10 you go oh wait a minute there's a marvelous work being done they don't win Jesus wins there's a promised vindication and victory and we should marvel at it so number one Jesus is the beloved who planted the vineyard and gave himself to graft you into it. Jesus is God. You should marvel at that.

Number two, Jesus is the stone which the builders rejected. It's now become the chief cornerstone. What does that mean? It means that he's the new temple and anybody who trusts in Jesus who's built up onto him the cornerstone are little temples themselves. Just as he is the great high priest and we are priests.

Marvel at that. Marvel at Jesus is the great high priest. Your great high priest. The temple was destroyed in 70 AD, but the new and true temple was raised up. And that true temple, Jesus, then took a seat at the Father's right hand and lives forever there to intercede for us.

That's for you, Christian. That's marvelous, but that's not all. Jesus is the true Israel. Jesus is the vine. Jesus is the one who will bear fruit to God when his people haven't borne fruit.

I want you to consider this. This is wonderful. If you like how the Old Testament fits into the new, you've got to lock in here. Consider Adam in the garden. He was tempted by Satan and what happened?

He failed. He was cast into the wilderness. Consider Israel in the wilderness. They were tempted and what happened to them? They failed and yet Jesus the second Adam and the true Israel in Mark chapter 1 enters into that wilderness and he does not fail but he conquers and obtains victory where Adam and Israel failed the new and better Adam and the true Israel succeeds.

I want you to consider the baptism of Israel. As they walked through the Red Sea, they passed through the Red Sea, and yet as they entered into that land they grumbled and they stumbled and they failed. And yet consider Him who is the true Israel, consider His baptism. This is my beloved Son who did not fail. You see in the contrast between Adam and Israel and the new Adam and the true Israel?

Oh, I'm trying. Consider this Jesus, the true Israel, who was baptized under the torrent of the wrath of God. In your place. And because He was perfect and righteous, it satisfied the wrath of God. In his true divinity and his true humanity because he didn't fail that wrath, his baptism of God's judgment poured out upon him he succeeded You have forgiveness because the true Israel succeeded.

And all who are in Him, all who are in the vine, you just think about that, all who are in the vine, He bore your wrath for you. He made you a part of Him, His body. He says, you're part of the true Israel. And He says, so come eat a family meal. Come eat a family meal this morning.

He invites you into his family. It's amazing. I say, what a Savior that, that's marvelous. It's really marvelous. I want you to consider that Israel did not bear fruit in Isaiah five.

These evil temple leaders in Mark 12 did not bear fruit. They would not share the good fruit. And then I want you to consider Jesus, the vine who will. I want you to consider the true Israelite who has bore fruit when all of Israel would not. Beloved, do you know why you stand with any hope before God?

You stand with any hope before God because God in His grace has wrapped you in robes of righteousness that you didn't get, that you didn't sow, that you didn't produce. You know whose robe that is? Jesus, who produced fruit for you when you could not. You should just be amazed today. I woke up this morning, I think about this morning, I woke up this morning with a fresh robe of righteousness.

And then I worried about something this morning. And I was anxious. And God calls that a sin. And I thought to myself, and yet I didn't tarnish the righteousness because it's not mine. Praise God I'm in the vine.

Praise God that He has wrapped me in roads of righteousness so even when I stray in error, I can run back to Christ and there's forgiveness. We do it every single Sunday. We say, Confess your sins and then consider that He is faithful and righteous, the Vines, to cleanse you from all your unrighteousness. Jesus is a marvelous Savior. He is God, the true temple, the great high priest, the true Israel, he's the vine, you're the branch.

You've been grafted in according to Romans 11. And then I want you to think about one more thing, and then we will be done, we'll be through. I want you to consider that Jesus is the victor. That Jesus is the sower that we talked about in Mark chapter 4. I know it's a long way back, right?

You think, what does that have anything to do with this? That's a lot. Mark chapter 4 has a lot to do with this. Behold the victor, we said. Behold the sower.

Remember Mark 4? Behold the sower. That parable is about the sower. Behold him who has relegated his enemies and your enemies Christian to the edges of the field Behold the sower who has conquered the evil one behold the sower who will reap and is reaping thirtyfold sixtyfold even a hundredfold in what way as the nation streamed to Christ and behold the sower who has given his vineyard, who has given himself to others, to the nations. Remember Mark 4.

He has this parable about the little seed. And it starts tiny, a little town called Bethlehem. It seems inconsequential. And It seems even really inconsequential when you get to Golgotha, this tiny little seed, and it dies and goes in the ground. Must not have been anything.

Started small in Bethlehem, and then it got really small in Golgotha. This little tiny mustard seed that died. And yet according to the promise, it grew up and became the largest and most significant and most, dare I say, marvelous thing in all the garden, in all the world, so large that the birds of the air the nations of the world from every tongue nation and tribe so large that the mighty So large and so mighty that the birds of the air would nest under its shade. Church, you need to behold the sower this morning. You need to behold the seed.

You need to behold he who is the vineyard. Behold he who is the true Israel. Behold the vine, your king. And you need to be a really good cheer this morning. You need to go out of this place thinking, I don't know how the election's going to turn out, I don't know how that bond measure's going to turn out, I don't know about my health, I don't know about my children.

You know the king. And if you are in him, be of good cheer." I think Beaver said it really, really well, didn't he? Aslan is on the move. You remember that in Chronicles of Narnia? Oh, if You have not read the Chronicles of Narnia?

Shame. There's a gospel for that. Right out there. It's in the library. You get it.

You read it. You read it to your children and keep reading it to your children. Read it to yourself. Good books. Aslan is on the move.

And you might say, okay, well that's what Beaver said, but how do you know Pastor Grant? How do you know Aslan? How do you know Jesus is on the move? How do you know Jesus is going to win? All you've got to do is ask Abigail Brown.

We just read. We just finished The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. And if you're wondering, how do you know that Aslan is going to win? How do you know that Aslan, Jesus being on the move, how do you know he's going to be victorious? Well, you ask my daughter.

I was reading, and we got to the place in the book where Aslan was killed in the place of Edmund on the stone table. My daughter's in that moment I'm looking down at them we have a reading light it's black but I could see the cast of the light on their faces and they were horrified, especially my oldest, horrified. And she looked at me completely serious and she says, Daddy, why did he have to die? And then she said, does that mean the witch is going to win? And then she looked at me and says, are you reading me a bad book?

True story. And I said to her, just give it one more chapter. Just give it one more chapter. Just give it one more chapter. Just give it one more.

If we don't like it, we won't read it anymore. And as in that next chapter, I read how the ground shook and the stone table was broken. And as Lucy and Susan turned their heads, I read as how they saw Aslan, his mane restored in full glory. Before I could even finish the section, my daughter bursts out, this is so wonderful. She says, he's alive and the witch didn't win.

And I asked her, but OK, but how do you know that the witch won't win later? I mean, how do you know that Aslan will win? How do you know? How do you know that the witch lost? And my oldest looked at me like I was an imbecile.

And she said, because Aslan's alive, because he's alive, he's risen. I said, amen. I gotta keep reading. This has come about from the Lord. This Lord is risen.

He is risen indeed. And it is marvelous in our eyes. It is marvelous in the eyes of our children. So why not you too? Aslan is on the move.

And he is breathing the breath of life onto dead hearts in this church, in this community, to the nations. He's making the spiritually dead come alive this very day. Don't you go out of here thinking that you're defeated. And these men, these these men like the rich young ruler, They went away sad. They didn't repent like David did.

They went away angry and sad. But friends, you don't need to go away this morning like them. This morning you can be like David. We talked about David at the beginning of the sermon. You can repent.

You can cry out to God, be merciful to me as sinner. Lay down your rebellion, believe on Christ. And let me tell you a promise, Jesus Christ, divine, He will make you a branch. He will graft you, You are part of His family. He will make you a part of His blessed vineyard.

Let me tell you something. You will find rest under His shade. That's a promise. I hope you believe it. Let's pray.

Our Father, out of a multitude of words, let this word remain. Thank you for the hope that we have in Christ, risen and reigning. We thank you in his name, amen.