ASI Scandinavia Convention 2021: Overdue

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ASI Scandinavia

Daniel Pel

Writing the Last Chapter

It's been such a blessing to sing that again and again, amen?

And the text is just so fitting for this convention, Overdue.

Do we have an awareness of the time that we're living in?

I believe that through our fellowship and through our Bible studies and through speaking to each other and looking at the world around us that we are indeed becoming more and more aware of the times in which we are living and the calling that God has placed upon our lives.

Well this will be my final message for this ASI convention and the title of my presentation this morning is Writing the Last Chapter.

And though I've been looking forward to present each of these, I have in particular been looking forward to this 1 because I believe that it especially speaks into the life of young professionals, entrepreneurs, business owners, pastors, lay people.

This is a special message for the ASI audience and whoever else is watching I believe that you'll get a blessing out of it but I want to specifically speak to those that have been called to minister, those that want to use their profession for God and that realize that it is indeed overdue, that we have a window of opportunity to finish this work that God has called us to do.

We are going to study a parable in scripture, and it's a parable that has fascinated me.

The more I study it, the more truths seem to pop out of the page.

And it's a parable found in the book of Matthew.

We studied Matthew yesterday as well, but we're gonna go to another chapter in the book of Matthew.

We're gonna go to Matthew chapter 20, and we're gonna look at the parable of the 11th hour workers.

But Before we do that, I feel that I need prayer, that the spirit that inspired that parable may be the same spirit that guides me and guides you as we examine this passage together.

Gracious Heavenly Father, we are thankful to be gathered here again.

I want to thank you for the audience here in Norway, but I also want to pray and thank you for all those that are watching from Sweden, from Denmark, and from all the countries that have been represented in this convention.

Lord, wherever we are, if we're all by ourselves in our room or we're gathered with a small group of people and watching this I just pray Lord that your spirit may animate our souls that you will speak in a very personal way into our situation into our lives.

I pray that you will tailor make this message to fit our peculiar and particular situation and circumstances, so that we may be strengthened, Lord, as we have moved into a new year, to be the generation of workers that you want us to be.

I pray that your Holy Spirit may guide us now, that you'll remove all distractions from our minds and from our heart, that we may focus on you and you alone.

You know, throughout my life, I've always liked to run.

Running is a passion, it's something that I like to do, especially since I have a job where sometimes, you know, you're a lot in the office and preparing things, communicating with people, So it's always good to get out there and to run, to let your legs carry your body as fast as you can.

But you know, an extra dimension is added when you're engaged in a relay race.

And I remember particularly back in the high school years, when I was living in the Netherlands that we would often have these races where you team up, you're together with a team, and you have this baton, and then you are running, and then you're giving the baton to the next runner, and then the next runner is running, and together as a team, you are seeking to win the race.

It adds kind of this dimension of a collectiveness, the dimension of being part of something greater than yourself.

You are part of the team and the part that you play is going to be determinative whether you will win or lose the race.

And so I believe that when we look at the story of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, that we are actually witnessing a relay race.

You know, we have Abraham that was called by God, and Abraham lived by faith.

But then he placed the baton in the hands of his son, Isaac.

And then Isaac ran the race and Isaac gave it on to Jacob and Jacob ran the race and and and and so we have all these characters in Scripture that are handing down the baton to the next runner.

And I feel in many ways that that we as a generation living in 2020, 2021 now, that we are part of this race that has begun long before us, but we have a very special part to play as the baton is now being placed in our hands.

And so as entrepreneurs and business owners and as students and lay people in ministry and pastors and Bible workers, we have an opportunity to finish the race.

I mean, just when I think about that, when I ponder upon Scripture and look at the story and I look where we are prophetically in the course of time, and just think about the privilege it is and the responsibility to take that baton and to actually finish the race.

But the question is, will we take that baton and will we run faithfully?

Well I hope you have your Bibles with you.

If you have your Bibles, can you just hold up your Bible for me please?

Okay, wonderful to see all these Bibles and I hope you're holding up your Bible wherever you are.

If you're alone in your room, just hold up your Bible.

Doesn't matter, if someone walks in, you can explain.

Take your Bible and turn with me to the book of Matthew.

The book of Matthew, that's the first book in the New Testament.

We are going to spend most of our time in Matthew chapter 20.

I will bring you to 1 other passage, but the bulk of our time is going to be in Matthew chapter 20.

Parables are these illustrative teachings of Jesus.

And as I mentioned, I believe, in my first presentation, you know, the Bible and Bible teachings, they're like a diamond.

And when you hold up the diamond, it's like reflecting light in all different directions.

This is how I feel many times about the truths of Scripture.

You have a 1 parable that Jesus gave 2, 000 years ago that was applicable in the historic setting of his days.

And yet at the same time this this amazing teaching can be held up in the light of God's glory and suddenly it shines into all these different directions.

Suddenly it just penetrates the heart and mind and it shows where we are and what we need to do in 2021.

It's so exciting to to see the various dimensions and facets of truth and the layers of truth that we find in Scripture.

That's why we are called to study diligently.

And so let us examine together this incredible parable, the parable of the workers in the vineyard.

I'm going to begin reading in verse 1, Matthew chapter 20, verse 1.

For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Oftentimes you would have laborers or what they would call day workers that would wait in the marketplace in order to be employed for that particular day.

The landowner realizes that he has a lot to accomplish and so he's already out in the early morning on the marketplace to hire these day workers, to hire these workers.

And he makes an agreement with the first group that he meets early in the day.

And he says to these workers that are standing there in the marketplace, you know, I need you guys today, I have a lot to accomplish, can you guys work in my field, and I'm going to give you a denarius.

Now this was a very common wage, it was the wage of a day's work, and so there's a contract agreement, there's an agreement like, you guys come, you work the whole day, and in the end of the day you'll get your payment.

And so this first group of people, they agree, and they get into the field and they start working.

But as the hours go by, the landowner realizes that there's a lot of work to be done and there's only so many hours in a day.

And I believe we can all relate to this, right?

Sometimes we're busy and we just wish that we had more hours in the day.

And so as he's looking at the amount of work that is still before him and the amount of workers he has, he realizes, I need more workers.

And so we continue to read in verse 4, verse 3.

It says, and he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace.

And he said to them, you also go into the vineyard and whatever is right I will give you.

Verse 5, Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour and he did likewise.

Now when it says that the workers in the marketplace are standing idle, Now this does not mean that they are lazy.

It doesn't mean that they don't want to work.

They just didn't have the opportunity to work yet.

Immediately after the invitation is given, they enter into the vineyard.

It's not that they're saying, we're just here in the marketplace and we're just going to hang out today and we're actually not interested in working.

No, immediately when they get the invitation, they're like, yes!

It's like they're very thankful for the opportunity to work.

So the difference between the first group and the groups that come in in the third hour and in the sixth hour and in the ninth hour, it's not that those that come in the third and sixth and ninth hour are lazy or don't wanna work.

The difference is that they have not yet been hired.

But the moment they get the invitation, they respond.

And they are right there with the rest of the crew in the vineyard working to finish the work.

Now there is a big difference though if you have paid attention of you and you've read the text carefully there is a big difference between the first workers and those that came later in the day.

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Writing the Last Chapter

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