A great sadness in my life is the memory of a man who, during his life and at the end of his life, refused to come to Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He simply stated, as the gospel was presented to him one last time, “That is not the type of life that I have lived.” I suppose he was right. He was not a man that thought often of Christ and His sacrifice; this man’s life was certainly not lived putting Christ first in all things that he did. That being said, this man was not a bad man. He had a moral standard that he lived by in life. He loved his family and worked hard for them and always tried to do right by others. Yet, that life is not enough in the eyes of God to attain salvation and the promise of eternal life (cf. Acts 10). Jesus Christ is the only way possible for man to make the journey to God (John 14:6).
Jesus spoke a parable in Matthew 20:1-16, referred to as the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. Jesus likened this parable to the kingdom of heaven. It was about a landowner that went out early in the day to hire laborers to come into his vineyard to work. They agreed on a fair wage, a denarius, and so the laborers went to the vineyard. Again in the third hour of the day the landowner went to the streets, saw some standing idle and agreed with them to go work in the vineyard. The landowner said that whatever pay was right at the end of the day, he would pay. The landowner went out in the sixth, ninth and eleventh hours as well. He did according to what he had done in the third hour regarding work and pay, and more workers went to the vineyard.
As evening came, the land owner had the steward call the workers so that he could make their compensation right. Some of the workers had been in the vineyard since the very beginning of the day and some went into the field at different hours while some only put in an hour’s work. Those that worked for one hour received the same pay as those that began their work at the beginning of the day. Those that received the same wage for more work complained against the landowner, to which the land owner replied,
Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way, I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is you eye evil because I am good? So the last will be first, and the first last: For many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 20:13-16).
The gospel is presented to different people at different times in their lives. Some become Christians at very young ages; others wait until late in life before they accept Christ and put Him on in baptism. The truth of the matter is, to have hope of eternal life, we must go into the vineyard at whatever time we can go. Christ died for all (2 Corinthians 5:15). We should want to live a life for Christ. If, however, that desire—that commitment comes late in life, Jesus Christ is still our Savior and it is still His blood that cleanses our sins. It is my prayer that people don’t think, “That is not the life I have lived” in denying the hope that is in Christ Jesus.
It is true that many live most of their lives to enjoy the pleasures of this world. That does not change the fact that Christ died for them also. Please know that Jesus is the Savior of us all and in Him hope reigns eternal. I know that my grandfather will stand before Christ not living a life in Him. I pray, however, your heart will be touched and you will not make the same decision. Won’t you become a Christian? You must believe that Jesus is the Son of God (Mark 15:15-16). You must confess your faith (Matthew 10:32-33). You must repent of you sins (Luke 13:3). You must be baptized (Acts 2:38).
Scott is the minister at the Elm Grove Church of Christ. Meeting times are Sunday at 9:30 a.m. for Bible class and 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. for worship. Mid-week Bible study is on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. All are invited.
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