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Sermon #5346

The Free Gift of God's Grace

A Sermon on Matthew 20:1-16

Scripture

Matthew 20:1-16 ESV KJV
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw …

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Sermon Description

Don’t misunderstand the kingdom of God. In an age where people clamor for fairness, it can be hard for Christians to stand strong on the biblical teachings regarding salvation and eternal life. The parable in this sermon reinforces that all are in grave danger of misunderstanding the kingdom of God. In this sermon on Matthew 20:1–16 titled “The Free Gift of God’s Grace,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that the claims of the kingdom of God oftentimes come as a surprise and against the grain of what people would assume to be true. Yet, it is through these very truths that Scripture also helps them glean crucial truths about God and eternity. This parable, he explains, shows the difference between a true and a false salvation. Many misunderstand the kingdom of God and hold to a false salvation that is rooted in the belief that eternal life is a reward for a good life on earth. But besides offering no hope to a sinful person, it misses the entire glory of the free salvation in Christ — everyone justly deserves hell because they have all broken God’s law, yet Christ was offered as an acceptable substitute in their place in the reception of God’s wrath. Don’t misunderstand the kingdom of God — salvation has been offered. Repent and believe today.Bottom of Form

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The gospel is surprising and unexpected. If you've never been surprised by the gospel, you don't understand it.
  2. There is a false view of salvation that regards it as a reward for merit or good works. This view criticizes God and his ways. It has no compassion for failures and sees the gospel as immoral. It misses the glory of salvation and ends in disappointment.
  3. The true view of salvation recognizes God's sovereign lordship. God can do as he pleases. We deserve nothing.
  4. God's ways are just. He gives people what they ask for - strict justice sends all to hell. But he also honors grace by punishing sin in Jesus.
  5. God's salvation shows his generosity. He seeks the lost and gives freely - pardon, new life, sonship. This should melt our hearts.
  6. We should stop bargaining with God and simply obey his call. He will bless us beyond our expectations.

Sermons on the Gospel

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.