Romans-Related Topical Applications

What the World Wants Part 1 of 2

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2012-02-12

Synopsis: In this sermon, Pastor John Weaver examines the parable of the householder in Matthew 21 to define what the world of the ungodly truly wants. He first clarifies the biblical meanings of 'world,' then argues that the ungodly world desires a world without accountability to God and seeks to seize the inheritance that belongs to Christ. The sermon concludes with applications about the futility of the world's desires and the believer's secure inheritance in Christ.

[John Weaver] I'm going to begin a message today, which I will finish, Lord willing, next Sunday. So this will be part one. And the title of the message is, What the World Wants. What the World Wants. Part one. So notice, if you would please, from Matthew chapter 21, beginning with verse 33. Our Lord says, Here another parable. There was a certain householder who planted a vineyard and hedged it round about digged a wine press in it, and built a tower and let it out to husbandmen and went into a far country. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants and beat one and killed another and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first, and they did unto them likewise. But last of all, he sent unto them his son saying, they will reverence my son. But when the husbandman saw the son, they said among themselves, this is the heir.

[John Weaver] Come, let us kill him. Let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him and cast him out of the vineyard and slew him. When the Lord, therefore, the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They said unto him, he will miserably destroy those wicked men and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their season. Jesus saith unto them, did you never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the head of the corner.

[John Weaver] This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore, say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation, bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard this, his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.

[John Weaver] But when they sought to lay hands on him, They feared the multitude because they took Him for a prophet. In asking the question, what does the world want? We have to explain our definition of the word world. Usually when anyone hears the word world, what they automatically think of in their mind is every single individual that is in the world. If you assume that is what the word world means, then may I tell you that your assumption is drastically wrong. Because the word world is used many different ways in scripture, and you have to depend upon the context to show you what the real meaning of the word world is.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to hold Matthew chapter 21, but I want you to turn very quickly to the book of John chapter 1 and look if you would please at verse 10. Let me show you what I'm talking about when I say that you have to understand the word world has many different meanings in the Bible. So in John 1 and verse 10 we read this, He was in the world and the world was made by Him and the world knew Him not. So here in one simple sentence The word world is used three times, and in each instance it means something entirely different. For instance, he was in the world, which of course would refer to the inhabited world, or the earth as you and I would know it. And the next phrase says, and the world was made by him. There the word world would refer to the entire universe, and the world knew him not, which would refer then to natural man, unsaved man, or the inhabitants of the world. So here you have the word world, meaning three different things in one particular sentence.

[John Weaver] Now the word world, from which you and I normally think of that word, it is translated most often from the Greek word kosmos. And the word kosmos literally means an orderly arrangement. Hence, we now have in our English language the word cosmetics. which is supposed to be an orderly arrangement on a lady's face, okay? Sometimes it's not so orderly, but that's where the word cosmetics comes from.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to just very quickly, before I get started in Matthew 21, to show you how the word world is used throughout Scripture. And by the way, this is not an exhaustive listing. There are many more. But if you would turn very quickly in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 17 and look at verse 24, Acts 17 and verse 24. Notice if you would, first of all, the word cosmos or the word world is used to refer to the universe as a whole. In Acts chapter 17 verse 24, Paul says, God that made the world and all things therein seeing He is the Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands." So here the word world then refers to the entire universe. God made the world and all things therein. If you would turn back in your Bibles very quickly to John 13 and look at verse 1. John 13 and verse 1. Here the word world is used of just simply the earth. Notice John chapter 13 and verse 1.

[John Weaver] Because here the Word of God says this concerning Christ. John 13 verse 1, Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hours come, that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end. Now notice the phrase, when it should come His time to depart out of the world. Here the word world very obviously means earth. again he said having loved his own which were in the world it refers to the word earth so sometimes the word cosmos not only refers to the universe as a whole sometimes just to the earth sometimes it refers just to the world system for instance look in John 12 since you're right there at verse 31 John 12 verse 31 our Lord says this now is the judgment of this world Now shall the prince of this world be cast out. Here it doesn't refer to the universe, it doesn't refer to the earth, it refers simply to the world system.

[John Weaver] Many other passages as well. If you look in Romans 3 and verse 19, Romans 3 and verse 19, you'll see sometimes the word world refers to what you and I would call the entire human race. Notice Romans 3 and verse 19, the Bible says this, Now we know that what things are of the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world become guilty before God. Well, how many are guilty before God? Well, every single individual, very obviously. I want you to go back to John chapter 15 because I want you to see the word world also refers to humanity minus believers. It refers to humanity minus believers. Look in John 15 and verse 18. Look at what our Lord says to His disciples. He says to them, if the world hate you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. Well, who is He talking to? He's talking to believers. He says, if the world hates you, There is a world that exists that is minus believers.

[John Weaver] So here is a world that hates believers. In Romans 3.6 you don't have to turn there, but the scripture says, God forbid, how then shall God judge the world? So once again it is a world minus believers. Because we who are believers are not going to be judged by God the Father. We have already been judged in Jesus Christ our Lord. And then if you would notice in Romans chapter 11 very quickly, in Romans chapter 11, just one more, maybe two more. Look in Romans chapter 11 and notice if you would please verse 12. Here the word world is used. in reference to the nations minus Israel. Notice Romans 11 and verse 12. In fact, let's go back and read verse 11. Paul writes, I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall, God forbid, but rather through their fall, that is the fall of Israel, that through their fall salvation is coming to the Gentiles, or the nations, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and if the diminishes of them be the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fullness.

[John Weaver] So verse 12 then speaks of Israel minus the world. Okay? Then if you would turn in your Bibles to John 1 in verse 29, Sometimes the word world is used just simply of believers only. Look in John 1 and verse 29. I will give you several passages here. But notice John 1 and verse 29. Look what John the Baptist said when he saw Jesus Christ. The next day John seeth Jesus cometh unto him and saith, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.

[John Weaver] Now let me ask you a question. Has Jesus Christ taken away the sin of every individual that has ever lived in the world? What's the answer? No. Because He's going to judge some of them. Our Lord Himself tells us that many are going to be lost. He said, Enter into the straight gate, for narrow is the way that leadeth in life, and few there be that find it. For broad is the way that enter into destruction, and many there be that go in thereat. So very obviously, The word world does not refer to every single individual.

[John Weaver] Look in John chapter 6, if you would please, in verse 33. Here it is again, just referring to believers. For he said, for the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven and giveth life into the world. Has Jesus Christ given spiritual life to every single individual? The answer is no. He's given it to the world of believers. Let me ask that you look in John 12. John 12, verse 47. John 12, verse 47.

[John Weaver] Our Lord said, If any man hear My words and believe not, I judge him not. For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. Well, what world is He going to save? He's going to save the world of believers. He's not saving the world of unbelievers. Turn right over to 1 Corinthians chapter 4. 1 Corinthians chapter 4. 1 Corinthians chapter 4. Notice if you would please verse 9. Look what the apostle says concerning himself and other believers. He says, For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, if it were appointed to death, as if it were appointed to death. For we are made a spectacle unto the world.

[John Weaver] and to angels and to men. So here, believers are separated from the world. And then if you would look in 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 19, here is another verse that shows you that there is a world of believers. Watch. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 19, to wit that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. Now wait a minute. Watch the rest of it. "...not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." So the world that God has reconciled to Himself, He did not impute their trespasses to them. That is, He did not impute their sins or their iniquities to them. So here then is the world of believers. So sometimes the word world refers only to the world of believers.

[John Weaver] One last passage before we get started. Look in second Peter two in verse nine, and you should have already figured this one out. Second Peter chapter two in verse nine. If there is a world of the godly, then very obviously there is a world of the ungodly. So notice if you would second Peter two and verse nine, notice what the scripture says. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation and how to reserve the unjust in the day of judgment to be punished. That is. 2 Peter 2 and verse 9. Now go back to verse 5. And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly. So there's a world of the ungodly. There's a world of believers. There's a world that's the universe. There's a world that's just the earth. There's the world minus believers. There's the world minus Israel. I'm just simply saying the word world is used in many different ways. There is the world system.

[John Weaver] So when I'm talking this morning and next week about what the world wants, let me define what I mean. I'm talking about what the world of the ungodly, what the world system wants. Not what we as Christians want. I want you to go back in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 21 because we're going to see what the world really genuinely wants. Notice if you would, I have just read to you which is known as the parable of the householder. And in this parable, we get two main truths that demonstrate what the world genuinely wants.

[John Weaver] The first thing is this. The world of the ungodly want a world without accountability. Look in verse 33. Our Lord said, hear another parable. There was a certain householder who planted a vineyard and hedged it round about and digged a wine press in it and built a tower, let it out in the husbandman and went into a far country.

[John Weaver] Now, when you and I hear that, we have to kind of scratch our heads a little bit and say, hmm, What in the world was all this mean? Well, let me just tell you. Anyone and everyone who heard our Lord speak those words knew exactly what He meant. How did they know exactly what He meant? Well, let me tell you. Listen very carefully. The account or the parable of the vineyard is given to us. Don't turn there. But it's given to us in Mark 12, verses 1 through 12. in Luke 20 verses 9 through 19 as well as here in Matthew chapter 21. However, the reason all of these individuals who heard our Lord knew exactly what he was talking about is because this is an Old Testament illustration. If you would go back in your Bible, so Matthew 21, but go back first of all to Psalm 80. Psalm 80 and look if you would beginning there with verse 18. Psalm 80 and verse 8. Just showing you, everyone would understand. Psalm 80, verse 8.

[John Weaver] Look what the Bible says. Psalm 80, verse 8. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt. Thou hast cast out the heathen and planted it. Thou preparest room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land. The hills were covered with the shadow thereof, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. He sent out her boughs into the sea and her branches to the river, Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by, by the way, do pluck her?

[John Weaver] The boar out of the wood doth waste it, the wild beast of the field doth devour it. And look down to verse 15. He says, And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou hast made strong for thyself, it is burned with fire, it is cut down, they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance. So here is a parable that is spoken concerning Israel, what God has done.

[John Weaver] If you would turn to Isaiah chapter 5, Isaiah chapter 5, here it is very plainly stated. Isaiah chapter 5, beginning there with verse 1. Look what the scripture says.

[John Weaver] Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved, touching his vineyard. My well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill, and he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein. And he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. Now watch. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes.

[John Weaver] And now go to, I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard, I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down, and I will lay it waste, and it will not be pruned nor digged, but there shall come up briars and thorns, and I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it, for the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel. And the men of Judah his blessed plant, and he looked for judgment, but behold, oppression, and for righteousness, but behold, a cry."

[John Weaver] Now, if you will go back to Matthew 21, here is why I am telling you that everyone understood his terminology. Everyone understood the hedge, the winepress, the tower, the servants. The parable was given very plainly to these people. Very quickly, let me just point out, the householder in Matthew chapter 21 refers, of course, to the sovereign God of heaven and earth. The family refers to Israel. The vineyard points to Jerusalem. The fence refers to divine protection that God had placed around them. The tower points to the temple and the tabernacle. And, of course, that's where the divine presence was manifested. And, of course, the husbandmen were the priests and the doctors of the law, and, of course, Our Lord is the owner of the vineyard, who left it in the hands of others, and he sent forth his servants, that is, his preachers and his prophets, to collect the fruit thereof." Now, that's why I said this was a very common thing in the days of our Lord. Everyone understood this parable. Here's the question.

[John Weaver] What happened to those individuals that he sent to collect the rent? We read it. Some were beaten, some were stoned. I'll get with that in just a moment. But why were they beaten and why were they stoned? Here's the answer. Because those who were in charge and those who had control over the vineyard did not want to be responsible and accountable to the owner. They were unwilling to recognize his ownership. They were unwilling to recognize their stewardship.

[John Weaver] They believed that they had an absolute right to do with, to use and even abuse His property as they pleased. They did not think in one, any stretch of the imagination that they were required to answer to Him. Now, God is patient. He has been patient. He is patient. The Bible says in James 5 and verse 7, listen carefully, Be patient therefore brethren unto the coming of the Lord, Behold, the husbandman waited for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he received the early and the latter rain."

[John Weaver] Now, God then is giving us this parable against Israel and against Judah and Jerusalem particularly. Let me ask you, and you know the answer because I've taught you this in time past, but what advantage Did Judah and Jerusalem and Israel in general have over all of the other nations? They had the law of God. God gave them His law. They not only had the law of God, they had the teaching priests. They had the temple. They had the sacrifices. God did not give that to the Assyrians or the Babylonians or anyone else. He gave it only to Israel. And the Bible tells us very pointedly in Romans 9 verses 4 and 5 that to them belong the glory and the covenants and the giving of the law and the service of God and the promises. All of this of whom Christ came who is God blessed forever.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to stop and think about this. In Matthew 21 he talks about this householder who is God who planted this vineyard, he digged it about, he built a hedge there, he built a wine press, he built a fence. In other words, here the householder, the owner, God, did every possible thing that he could for the benefit of his vineyard. Well, why in the world did these people then beat and murder the servants?

[John Weaver] Once again, You've got to remember this. It was God who was the owner. He made the vineyard. He made the fence. He dug the wine press. Everything that Israel had, everything that Judah had, God gave them. If it had not been for God, they would not have had a vineyard to work in. If it had not been for Him, they would not have had an existence. They would not have had anything.

[John Weaver] And when He sent those servants, the preachers, the prophets, they didn't want to listen. They did not want to be instructed as to their duty and the performance of that duty. They did not want to be called to repentance over their slothfulness and over their wickedness and their obstinacy. They did not want to be held to account for their sins. They did not desire repentance. They did not want repentance. When the Bible talks about how they beat and killed the servants, that is just demonstrating the maltreatment, the various forms, that they did to the servants of God. Those to whom the vineyard was leased, were traitors to God, and they were treasonous to the people, and did violence to the messengers of God. I'm going to ask you a question in a little bit, and I hope you know the answer as to why they beat and killed these servants. And it's not just because they did not want to be accountable. They did not want to be.

[John Weaver] That's the point I am enunciating right now. They did not want to be accountable and responsible.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you. I want you to turn whole Matthew 21, but look in your Bible to John chapter 15. John chapter 15, and notice verses 20 and 21 at what our Lord said. This demonstrates Why God's true preachers are really hated and despised today. In John 15, verses 20 and 21, look what our Lord said. He told His disciples, Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord.

[John Weaver] If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for My name's sake, because they know not him that sent me."

[John Weaver] Now note what he said. The servant is not greater than the Lord. If they've persecuted me, they're going to persecute you. Is it any wonder then that when our Lord sent his servants that they beat them and killed them? Let me go over this. First of all, the Bible says in Matthew 21 that they beat some. Interestingly enough, the word beat Doesn't mean just simply beating. It means more than that. It means flaying. Flaying alive. How do you flay someone alive? Well, very easily. With a whip.

[John Weaver] With a cat of nine tails. You remember the cat of nine tails usually had pieces of metal tied in the end. So when it hit the body, not only stung and cut, but when they jerked it back, it ripped and made long lacerations in the body as well. And so when the Bible says that they beat some, it means literally they flayed them. They beat them very painfully. And then the Bible says they killed another. Notice if you would, in verse 35, and the husband took his servants and beat or flayed one and killed another.

[John Weaver] I want you to hold Matthew 21, but look in Hebrews chapter 11. There's an interesting passage here that probably has never sunk in as to what it's actually saying, but look at it. Hebrews 11, verse 37, God is telling about what some of His people went through. He says in verse 37, they were stoned. They were sewn asunder, were tempted, were slain with a sword. They wondered about in sheepskins and goatskins being destitute, afflicted, tormented of whom the world was not worthy.

[John Weaver] They wandered in deserts and in the mountains and dens and caves of the earth. But I want you to go back verse 37. They were stoned. They were what? Sewn asunder.

[John Weaver] Now tradition has it, it's not recorded in the Bible, but tradition has it that this is how the prophet Isaiah died. He was put in a hollow log and sown in two. That's what the scripture means. They were sown asunder. In other words, they were killing them with the most vicious ways imaginable.

[John Weaver] Now look what else the Bible says back in Matthew 21 in verse 35. The husbandman took his servants, they beat one, they flayed one, they killed another, and they stoned another. You remember our Lord in Matthew 23 in verse 37 said, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee. and stonest them that have sinned against thee?" I don't care if you read in the Old Testament or in the New Testament, you'll find that there were various ways of having the preachers and the prophets of God killed. King Saul, you will remember, in 1 Samuel 22, had the priests of the Lord slain with a sword. Ahab and Jezebel, in 1 Kings chapter 18 and 19 had many of them killed. But stoning was indeed a common way of punishment, not only in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament as well. Most of the time stoning resulted in death. Not all the time, but most of the time. You remember in Joshua 7 and verse 26, it was Achan who was stoned to death.

[John Weaver] In Deuteronomy 13 in verse 10, stoning was the punishment for individuals who tried to entice and lure and seduce the people away from the worship of the one true and the living God. Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, the priest, was stoned to death by order of the king in 2 Chronicles 24 in verse 21. Stephen, the first martyr in the New Testament, was stoned to death in Acts 7 and verse 58. The Apostle Paul was stoned and left for dead in Acts 14 and verse 19.

[John Weaver] Now, some scholars say that he actually died. God raised him up. I don't know how, if God did that or if he was almost dead and God healed him, but he did not die. And twice, in John 8 and verse 59 and John 10 and verse 31, the Jews attempted to stone Christ. I don't care if we're talking about beating them, killing them, stoning them. All of this maltreatment just demonstrates one thing. Listen carefully. The absolute, utter contempt that the world has for God and His Word and those that represent Him. They hate Him. They despise Him. Let me tell you Preaching the truth of God is no way to win friends and influence enemies. It's the way to get enemies. Because men hate and despise the truth. You remember our Lord said it like this in Luke 6 and verse 26.

[John Weaver] He said, Woe unto you when all men speak well of you, for so did your fathers speak of the false prophets. Woe unto you when all men speak well of you. So when our Lord then sent His servants, what did they do? They beat some, they killed some, they stoned some. Well, when they did that, what did our Lord do? Well, look in verse 36. Again, He sent other servants, more than the first, and they did unto them likewise.

[John Weaver] Now, let me correct something. not necessarily correct, but let me give you an additional thought. When the Bible says that He sent more servants, when we normally think of more, we think of more numerous, more in number. And He did send servants to replace those. He may have sent a greater number as well. But there is a thought also attached to this word that He sent more, that is more in what you and I would call not just numbers, additional rank, higher rank, more important, more dignified, more... He sent more qualified. In other words, it was not just numbers, but He sent those greater in power and greater in authority. Well, what did they do to them?

[John Weaver] The same as they did to the former. Didn't matter. And if you'll look down in verse 37, but last of all, He sent unto them His Son saying, they will reverence my Son."

[John Weaver] Now I told you that this parable is also given us in Luke and in Mark. Let me just give you the quote from Mark 12 and verse 6. Listen carefully. In Matthew, he just simply says this, they will reverence my Son. In Mark 12 and verse 6, the Bible says this, having yet therefore one Son, His well-beloved, He sent Him also last of them saying, they'll reverence My Son. I don't think I need to explain to you who His Son was or who His well-beloved Son was.

[John Weaver] Of course, it was none other than Jesus Christ Himself. So, Judah then, and Israel as a whole, having despised and held God in utter contempt, refused to obey His law, refused to honor Him, refused to worship Him, refused to give Him the fruit that was His due. He sent His servants. He sent His servants. He says, you're accountable, you're responsible, you're answerable. They did not want to hear it. And finally, after they had killed and slew, He finally sent His well-beloved Son saying, they will reverence My Son. Well, this brings me to the second point.

[John Weaver] I told you first, what the world wants is this. They want a world without accountability, without responsibility. Here's the second truth. The world of the ungodly want the inheritance that belongs to Christ. Watch it closely. Verse 38, But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him and cast him out of the vineyard and slew him.

[John Weaver] Now, let me read to you what Mark says. Listen. In Matthew, Matthew said, Let us seize upon his inheritance. In Mark 12 and verse 7 and 8, the Bible says this, But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir, come let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. And they took him and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What does the world want? It wants a world without accountability, without responsibility, without answerability, And it wants the inheritance of Jesus Christ. By the way, I want you to understand that the very action of these wicked individuals demonstrate that they knew that the inheritance belonged to Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] That He was the true owner. In fact, look in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 1. Hebrews chapter 1. And notice if you would please, verse 1 and 2. Hebrews chapter 1, verses 1 and 2. What the Bible says, Hebrews chapter 1, verses 1 and 2. God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past in the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, whom also He made the world. Jesus Christ as the Son of God, Jesus Christ as the Messiah, Jesus Christ as the Mediator, is the heir of all things. He is the natural, essential, and only begotten Son of God. And as Mediator, He is the heir of all things natural, spiritual, and eternal. And He uses those things for the benefit of His church and His people, And we also are His portion and His inheritance. He also is heir to the throne of David.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to note what they said. They said, come, let us kill Him and His inheritance will be ours. Let us seize upon His inheritance. What they wanted was what Jesus Christ had and what He was to inherit. I want you to stop with me and think about this. They said, come, let us kill him and seize the inheritance. Let us kill him and the inheritance will be ours.

[John Weaver] Do you realize the implication of that truth? They were willing to murder the Son of God in order to benefit themselves financially and temporarily. They were willing to deny, denounce, denigrate, and crucify the Son of God for their own personal benefit. Do you think for one minute that that same world of the ungodly will hesitate one moment to destroy Christians? who represent Jesus Christ? What did our Lord say?

[John Weaver] The servant is not greater than his master. If they've hated me, they'll hate you. If they've persecuted me, they'll persecute you. Go back to John 11. Look in John 11. Here it is, plain and simple. John 11, beginning there with verse 47. John 11, verse 47. Look carefully. Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council and said, what do we? For this man doeth many miracles.

[John Weaver] Now look, if we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation. What were they concerned with first and foremost? Their place. We've got to do something. They said, the whole world will believe on Him. We'll lose our authority. We'll lose our program. We'll lose our party. And in verse 50, Caiaphas said this, Nor consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and the whole nation perish not. In other words, here's what he said, We'll kill Him that we may keep our place.

[John Weaver] So the Jews then figured that if they killed Christ the Messiah, they could seize upon his inheritance, they would be rid of Christ, and they would have what they wanted. In other words, their power would remain intact, their nation would be at peace, the temple would stand, and they would continue in their office uninterrupted and undisturbed, and, listen carefully, they would maintain absolute control over the people. Do you realize the position of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Sadducees had control of the temple. The Pharisees had control of the people. So they were saying, if we can get rid of Christ, we keep control. The whole thing is over inheritance and control.

[John Weaver] If I were to ask you a simple question, To whom does this world belong? You know the answer. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein. What does the world of the ungodly desire? Not only a world of without accountability and responsibility, they want the Lord's inheritance. Are you listening? They want the earth so that they may have the people on the earth and use them for their benefit. The world system believes that we're sheep to be fleeced, that we're lambs to be slaughtered, that we're slaves to be commanded, and that we're mindless objects to be controlled for our own good and for the benefit of our handlers. That's what the world wants. The world of the ungodly wants control, they want the earth, they want the people on the earth, so that basically we'll be their servants. In other words, they want the Lord's inheritance. What did they get?

[John Weaver] In their rebellion, they brought to themselves death and destruction. Look at verses 40 and 41 of Matthew 21. Go back to Matthew 21. Matthew 21, verse 40. So our Lord is asking a question. Verse 40. When the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will He do unto those husbandmen? What's He going to do to these individuals? They answer, look, they answer, they say unto Him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out His vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render Him the fruits in their season." Wow! By the way, I want to show you to whom our Lord is speaking. I want to show you who answered. When He asked the question in verse 40, When the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will He do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, well if you look in Matthew 21 and verse 23, Matthew 21 verse 23, And when he was come unto the temple, watch carefully, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching and said, By what authority doest thou these things?

[John Weaver] And who gave thee this authority? To whom is he speaking? The chief priests and the elders.

[John Weaver] Now skip down to verse 45. But when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He spoke against them." Wow! They knew exactly what our Lord was saying. So when our Lord asked the question in verse 40, and the answer is given in verse 41, He will miserably destroy those wicked men and will let out his vineyard into another husbandman, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons." That answer came from the priests and the elders and the leaders. I want you to notice what our Lord does. He makes the chief priests and the leaders and the rulers of the people pronounce their own condemnation. You remember that's exactly what happened in 2 Samuel chapter 12, when Nathan went to David.

[John Weaver] and gave him the little story. Nathan said, The man that hath done this deed shall surely die. Nathan said, Thou art the man. You know, our Lord in Luke 7 and verse 43 also made Simon the Pharisee also pronounce his own judgment upon himself. And here our Lord allows these wicked individuals to pronounce judgment upon themselves. And let me tell you something, when they answered, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, In 70 A.D., He did. He wiped them out.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you also to note that our Lord is teaching and showing that what they did to Him is part and parcel of biblical prophecy. For instance, look in verse 42, Jesus saith unto them, Did you never read in the Scripture, the stone which the builders rejected, The same has become the head of the corner. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes." Well, the leaders then rejected Christ and tried to seize inheritance. And our Lord says, in doing this, all you're doing is fulfilling prophecy. You're supposed to be priests and doctors of the law. You're supposed to know all of these things. In Psalm 118 verse 22, the Bible says this very plainly, did you never read in Scripture again that this is the stone which the builder set it not? It's the Lord's doing.

[John Weaver] Because of their rejection of the Messiah, He said in verse 43, Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you. and given to a nation, bringing forth the fruits thereof." In other words, you'll have nothing. Do you realize because of their rejection of Christ Messiah, because of their rebellion to Him, the kingdom was taken from them, and our Lord said, I'm going to give it to someone else, bringing the fruits thereof. There is nothing now left to Judaism but an empty shell. It is a religion without Christ. It is a husk without a kernel.

[John Weaver] It's a broken cistern that can hold no water. It's worthless. It's useless. It cannot save. It cannot do anything. Look in verse 44. Our Lord said it like this. Remember now, He's talking to the leaders. He said, On whomsoever it shall fall, and whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken. But on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. The Jews, in attempting to reject Christ and crucify Him, lost the very thing that they wanted, the kingdom. They ran into the stone and the stone fell upon them.

[John Weaver] Let me give you two scriptures. Listen carefully. Isaiah 8 and verse 14, talking about Christ. And He shall be for a sanctuary, but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense, both to the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem." What is he? He's a stone of stumbling. In 1 Peter 2 and verse 8, the Bible says this, And a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at his word, being disobedient, whereunto they also were appointed. Notice, they ran into the stone, And the stone fell upon them and ground them to powder.

[John Weaver] Have you ever noticed this? I'm sure that you have. But have you ever noticed that when you run into a stone wall, you're the only one that's hurt? The stone wall feels no pain. When you run against Christ, you're the only one that's hurt. You remember what He said in Proverbs 8? All they that hate Me love death. I've got news for you folks. I don't care how wicked the world becomes. I don't care how they lash out against Christ and Christian and His Word. The world is still His. And He is still the inheritor of everything. It still belongs to Him.

[John Weaver] This is the simple thing. What they lost by their rejection and rebellion, they could have had by submission and repentance. The Bible teaches that we're joint heirs with Jesus Christ, which means we inherit whatever He inherits. And the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 3, Therefore let no man glory in men, for all things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours. And you're Christ and Christ is God. They could have had everything just simply by bowing and submitting to the Lord Jesus Christ. What the world wants, it can never have, and never will have, at least not in the way that it wants it. The world of the ungodly will never have a world without accountability. It will never have a world without responsibility.

[John Weaver] I've told you before, God ordained only three institutions. The family, which is a ministry of education. The church, which is a ministry of grace. And the state, which is a ministry of justice. God ordained all three institutions. And each one is answerable and accountable and responsible to Him. Just as the family is responsibly Christian, the church is responsibly Christian, the state is responsible to be Christian. All things belong to Christ. And all are answerable and accountable to Him. Now, let me make just a couple of applications. The first one, listen carefully to what I'm about to say.

[John Weaver] The immediate application in light of the context is simple. If Christ prevailed, then Judaism must fall. It is a clear-cut distinction. It's either Christ or Judaism. And Christ did prevail. And He is prevailing. And He shall prevail.

[John Weaver] Now listen to what I'm about to say. I don't like this terminology, but I'm going to explain it. If you understand what I've just preached to you and talked to you this morning, you will understand this statement. There is no such thing as a Judeo-Christian heritage. It's only a Christian heritage. We would agree that there is an Old Testament heritage that came through Israel, No problem with that. But in the New Testament, it was the Jews who fought against Christ, who crucified Christ, who rejected Him. And Judaism only gives you a history of rejection, rebellion, and unbelief.

[John Weaver] It has nothing to do with Christianity. Not in any sense of the word. In fact, Paul said it very plainly. Let me just quote it. Galatians 1, verses 13 and 14, he said, For you have heard of my conversation in times past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it, and profited in the Jews' religion above many of my equals in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of

[John Weaver] the tradition of the fathers." Notice he talks about the Jews' religion. And while Paul was in the Jews' religion, What was he doing? Persecuting Christ and Christians. It is not a Judeo-Christian heritage. It is a Christian heritage. Period. Here's my second application. Those of us who are older will remember the song. Some of you younger ones will not. But there was a song, What Lola Wants, Lola Gets.

[John Weaver] I knew I'd get a smile out of some of you. It may be true that what Lola wants, Lola gets. But it is not true that what the world of the ungodly wants, the world of the ungodly gets. They will never, ever have a world without accountability. And they will never, ever have the inheritance of Jesus Christ. You remember what Paul said in Acts 17, listen carefully.

[John Weaver] He said that the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. Why? Listen carefully. Because He, God, hath appointed a day in which He, God, will judge the world in righteousness by that man, that is by Jesus Christ, whom He hath ordained, whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead. So just as surely As Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, there's going to be a judgment. There's going to be an accountability. So what the world wants, the world can never have. Here's the third application.

[John Weaver] Hopefully you now understand why it not only seems, and I'm using that in quotes, It not only seems, but it's actually true that all religious, and I'm using that term very loosely, all religious and civil power are against Christ and Christianity. Let's be honest, folks. They must deny His rightful authority and ownership in order to establish their usurped authority and pretended ownership of this planet. Do you want to know why everything is seemingly against Christians today?

[John Weaver] Because the world wants His inheritance. And if they ever admit and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is God, that He's the Son of God, that He's Messiah, that He's the Lord, He's the Savior, they must at the same time admit they're answerable and accountable and responsible to Him, and they're obligated to repent and submit to Him. And that means they're under His control, under His authority, which they do not want and will not want. What the world wants, it will never have. But what we as children of God, through faith in Jesus Christ want, we shall have. Because Christ, the Only Begotten of the Father, inherits all things. And we're in Him.

[John Weaver] You know, last night, and I haven't done it in a while, I don't watch too many movies, but I did last night put in that movie, Second Hand Lions. If you haven't seen it, you need to see it. I love it. But you know, In the end, when Walter is there with the sheriff, the sheriff hands him the will, and old Walter reads it and just says, the kid gets it all.

[John Weaver] I got news for you folks. In Christ, the kids get it all. We have it. We don't need the world. We have Christ. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your love and Your grace and Your mercy. Help us, dear Lord, to love Thee, to praise Thee, and to glorify Thee. Now understand, Lord, where we are in time and in history and in the world. But understand also, Father, we're more than conquerors through Him who loved us and gave His life for us. We give Thee praise, worship, and glory. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen.

What the World Wants Part 1 of 2

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	M1BV8TnwfE0
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans-Related Topical Applications
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-02-12
Dictation Name
Book	Book 172: What the World Wants — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	77

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Scripture Reading

Weaver introduces the two-part message 'What the World Wants' and reads the parable of the householder from Matthew 21:33-46.

I'm going to begin a message today, which I will finish, Lord willing, next Sunday. So this will be part one. And the title of the message is, "What the World Wants." What the World Wants. Part one. So notice, if you would please, from Matthew chapter 21, beginning with verse 33. Our Lord says,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 21:33-46

"Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir;

come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes. Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.

Defining the Word 'World'

Weaver explains that 'world' has multiple meanings in Scripture, including the universe, the earth, the world system, all humanity, humanity minus believers, and believers only.

But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet. In asking the question, what does the world want? We have to explain our definition of the word "world." Usually when anyone hears the word "world," what they automatically think of in their mind is every single individual that is in the world. If you assume that is what the word "world" means, then may I tell you that your assumption is drastically wrong. Because the word "world" is used many different ways in scripture, and you have to depend upon the context to show you what the real meaning of the word "world" is.

Now I want you to hold Matthew chapter 21, but I want you to turn very quickly to the book of John chapter 1 and look if you would please at verse 10. Let me show you what I'm talking about when I say that you have to understand the word "world" has many different meanings in the Bible. So in John 1 and verse 10 we read this,

Scripture Reading — John 1:10

"He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not." So here in one simple sentence the word "world" is used three times, and in each instance it means something entirely different. For instance, "he was in the world," which of course would refer to the inhabited world, or the earth as you and I would know it. And the next phrase says, "and the world was made by him." There the word "world" would refer to the entire universe, and "the world knew him not,"

which would refer then to natural man, unsaved man, or the inhabitants of the world. So here you have the word "world" meaning three different things in one particular sentence.

Now the word "world," from which you and I normally think of that word, it is translated most often from the Greek word kosmos. And the word kosmos literally means an orderly arrangement. Hence, we now have in our English language the word "cosmetics," which is supposed to be an orderly arrangement on a lady's face, okay? Sometimes it's not so orderly, but that's where the word "cosmetics" comes from.

Now, I want to just very quickly, before I get started in Matthew 21, to show you how the word "world" is used throughout Scripture. And by the way, this is not an exhaustive listing. There are many more. But if you would turn very quickly in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 17 and look at verse 24, Acts 17 and verse 24. Notice if you would, first of all, the word kosmos or the word "world" is used to refer to the universe as a whole. In Acts chapter 17 verse 24, Paul says, "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands." So here the word "world

Scripture Reading — Acts 17:24

" then refers to the entire universe. God made the world and all things therein. If you would turn back in your Bibles very quickly to John 13 and look at verse 1. John 13 and verse 1. Here the word "

world" is used of just simply the earth. Notice John chapter 13 and verse 1.

Because here the Word of God says this concerning Christ. John 13 verse 1,

Scripture Reading — John 13:1

"Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end."

Now notice the phrase, "when it should come his time to depart out of the world." Here the word "world" very obviously means earth. Again he said, "having loved his own which were in the world," it refers to the word earth. So sometimes the word kosmos not only refers to the universe as a whole, sometimes just to the earth. Sometimes it refers just to the world system. For instance, look in John 12 since you're right there at verse 31. John 12 verse 31, our Lord says this, "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out." Here it doesn't refer to the universe, it doesn't refer to the earth, it refers simply to the world system.

Scripture Reading — John 12:31

Many other passages as well. If you look in Romans 3 and verse 19, Romans 3 and verse 19, you'll see sometimes the word "world" refers to what you and I would call the entire human race. Notice Romans 3 and verse 19, the Bible says this, "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." Well, how many are guilty before God? Well, every single individual, very obviously. I want you to go back to John chapter 15 because I want you to see the word "world" also refers to humanity minus believers. It refers to humanity minus believers. Look in John 15 and verse 18. Look at what our Lord says to His disciples. He says to them, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you." Well, who is He talking to? He's talking to believers. He says, "If the world hates you," there is a world that exists that is minus believers.

So here is a world that hates believers. In Romans 3:6 you don't have to turn there, but the scripture says, "God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?" So once again it is a world minus believers. Because we who are believers are not going to be judged by God the Father. We have already been judged in Jesus Christ our Lord. And then if you would notice in Romans chapter 11 very quickly, in Romans chapter 11, just one more, maybe two more. Look in Romans chapter 11 and notice if you would please verse 12. Here the word "world" is used in reference to the nations minus Israel. Notice Romans 11 and verse 12. In fact, let's go back and read verse 11. Paul writes, "I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?"

So verse 12 then speaks of Israel minus the world. Okay? Then if you would turn in your Bibles to John 1 in verse 29, sometimes the word "world" is used just simply of believers only. Look in John 1 and verse 29. I will give you several passages here. But notice John 1 and verse 29. Look what John the Baptist said when he saw Jesus Christ. "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."

Now let me ask you a question. Has Jesus Christ taken away the sin of every individual that has ever lived in the world? What's the answer? No. Because He's going to judge some of them. Our Lord Himself tells us that many are going to be lost. He said, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." So very obviously, the word "world" does not refer to every single individual.

Look in John chapter 6, if you would please, in verse 33. Here it is again, just referring to believers.

Scripture Reading — John 6:33

"For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world."

Has Jesus Christ given spiritual life to every single individual? The answer is no. He's given it to the world of believers. Let me ask that you look in John 12. John 12, verse 47. John 12, verse 47.

Our Lord said, "And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world." Well, what world is He going to save? He's going to save the world of believers. He's not saving the world of unbelievers. Turn right over to 1 Corinthians chapter 4. 1 Corinthians chapter 4. 1 Corinthians chapter 4. Notice if you would please verse 9. Look what the apostle says concerning himself and other believers. He says, "For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men."

So here, believers are separated from the world. And then if you would look in 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 19, here is another verse that shows you that there is a world of believers. Watch. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 19, "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." So the world that God has reconciled to Himself, He did not impute their trespasses to them. That is, He did not impute their sins or their iniquities to them. So here then is the world of believers. So sometimes the word "world" refers only to the world of believers.

One last passage before we get started. Look in 2 Peter 2 in verse 9, and you should have already figured this one out. 2 Peter chapter 2 in verse 9. If there is a world of the godly, then very obviously there is a world of the ungodly. So notice if you would 2 Peter 2 and verse 9, notice what the scripture says. "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished." That is 2 Peter 2 and verse 9. Now go back to verse 5.

Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 2:5, 9

"And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly."

So there's a world of the ungodly. There's a world of believers. There's a world that's the universe. There's a world that's just the earth. There's the world minus believers. There's the world minus Israel. I'm just simply saying the word "world" is used in many different ways. There is the world system.

The World Wants a World Without Accountability

Using the parable, Weaver argues that the ungodly reject God's messengers because they do not want to be accountable or responsible to the owner.

So when I'm talking this morning and next week about what the world wants, let me define what I mean. I'm talking about what the world of the ungodly, what the world system wants. Not what we as Christians want. I want you to go back in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 21 because we're going to see what the world really genuinely wants. Notice if you would, I have just read to you which is known as the parable of the householder. And in this parable, we get two main truths that demonstrate what the world genuinely wants. The first thing is this. The world of the ungodly want a world without accountability. Look in verse 33. Our Lord said, "Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country."

Now, when you and I hear that, we have to kind of scratch our heads a little bit and say, hmm, what in the world was all this mean? Well, let me just tell you. Anyone and everyone who heard our Lord speak those words knew exactly what He meant. How did they know exactly what He meant? Well, let me tell you. Listen very carefully. The account or the parable of the vineyard is given to us—don't turn there—but it's given to us in Mark 12, verses 1 through 12, in Luke 20 verses 9 through 19, as well as here in Matthew chapter 21. However, the reason all of these individuals who heard our Lord knew exactly what he was talking about is because this is an Old Testament illustration. If you would go back in your Bible, so Matthew 21, but go back first of all to Psalm 80. Psalm 80 and look if you would beginning there with verse 8. Psalm 80 and verse 8. Just showing you, everyone would understand. Psalm 80, verse 8.

Look what the Bible says. Psalm 80, verse 8.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 80:8-16

"Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river. Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?"

"The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it." And look down to verse 15. He says, "And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself. It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance." So here is a parable that is spoken concerning Israel, what God has done. If you would turn to Isaiah chapter 5, Isaiah chapter 5, here it is very plainly stated. Isaiah chapter 5, beginning there with verse 1. Look what the scripture says.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 5:1-7

"Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?"

"And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry." Now, if you will go back to Matthew 21, here is why I am telling you that everyone understood his terminology. Everyone understood the hedge, the winepress, the tower, the servants. The parable was given very plainly to these people. Very quickly, let me just point out, the householder in Matthew chapter 21 refers, of course, to the sovereign God of heaven and earth. The family refers to Israel. The vineyard points to Jerusalem. The fence refers to divine protection that God had placed around them. The tower points to the temple and the tabernacle. And, of course, that's where the divine presence was manifested. And, of course, the husbandmen were the priests and the doctors of the law, and, of course, our Lord is the owner of the vineyard, who left it in the hands of others, and he sent forth his servants, that is, his preachers and his prophets, to collect the fruit thereof. Now, that's why I said this was a very common thing in the days of our Lord. Everyone understood this parable. Here's the question.

What happened to those individuals that he sent to collect the rent? We read it. Some were beaten, some were stoned. I'll get with that in just a moment. But why were they beaten and why were they stoned? Here's the answer. Because those who were in charge and those who had control over the vineyard did not want to be responsible and accountable to the owner. They were unwilling to recognize his ownership. They were unwilling to recognize their stewardship.

They believed that they had an absolute right to do with, to use and even abuse His property as they pleased. They did not think in any stretch of the imagination that they were required to answer to Him. Now, God is patient. He has been patient. He is patient. The Bible says in James 5 and verse 7, listen carefully,

Scripture Reading — James 5:7

"Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain."

Now, God then is giving us this parable against Israel and against Judah and Jerusalem particularly. Let me ask you, and you know the answer because I've taught you this in time past, but what advantage did Judah and Jerusalem and Israel in general have over all of the other nations? They had the law of God. God gave them His law. They not only had the law of God, they had the teaching priests. They had the temple. They had the sacrifices. God did not give that to the Assyrians or the Babylonians or anyone else. He gave it only to Israel. And the Bible tells us very pointedly in Romans 9 verses 4 and 5 that to them belong the glory and the covenants and the giving of the law and the service of God and the promises. All of this of whom Christ came who is God blessed forever.

Now I want you to stop and think about this. In Matthew 21 he talks about this householder who is God who planted this vineyard, he digged it about, he built a hedge there, he built a winepress, he built a fence. In other words, here the householder, the owner, God, did every possible thing that he could for the benefit of his vineyard. Well, why in the world did these people then beat and murder the servants? Once again, you've got to remember this. It was God who was the owner. He made the vineyard. He made the fence. He dug the winepress. Everything that Israel had, everything that Judah had, God gave them. If it had not been for God, they would not have had a vineyard to work in. If it had not been for Him, they would not have had an existence. They would not have had anything.

And when He sent those servants, the preachers, the prophets, they didn't want to listen. They did not want to be instructed as to their duty and the performance of that duty. They did not want to be called to repentance over their slothfulness and over their wickedness and their obstinacy. They did not want to be held to account for their sins. They did not desire repentance. They did not want repentance. When the Bible talks about how they beat and killed the servants, that is just demonstrating the maltreatment, the various forms, that they did to the servants of God. Those to whom the vineyard was leased were traitors to God, and they were treasonous to the people, and did violence to the messengers of God. I'm going to ask you a question in a little bit, and I hope you know the answer as to why they beat and killed these servants. And it's not just because they did not want to be accountable. They did not want to be—

That's the point I am enunciating right now. They did not want to be accountable and responsible. Now, let me show you. I want you to turn whole Matthew 21, but look in your Bible to John chapter 15. John chapter 15, and notice verses 20 and 21 at what our Lord said. This demonstrates why God's true preachers are really hated and despised today. In John 15, verses 20 and 21, look what our Lord said. He told His disciples, "Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord.

If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me." Now note what he said. The servant is not greater than the Lord. If they've persecuted me, they're going to persecute you. Is it any wonder then that when our Lord sent his servants that they beat them and killed them? Let me go over this. First of all, the Bible says in Matthew 21 that they beat some. Interestingly enough, the word "beat" doesn't mean just simply beating. It means more than that. It means flaying. Flaying alive. How do you flay someone alive? Well, very easily. With a whip.

With a cat of nine tails. You remember the cat of nine tails usually had pieces of metal tied in the end. So when it hit the body, not only stung and cut, but when they jerked it back, it ripped and made long lacerations in the body as well. And so when the Bible says that they beat some, it means literally they flayed them. They beat them very painfully. And then the Bible says they killed another. Notice if you would, in verse 35, "And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another."

I want you to hold Matthew 21, but look in Hebrews chapter 11. There's an interesting passage here that probably has never sunk in as to what it's actually saying, but look at it. Hebrews 11, verse 37, God is telling about what some of His people went through. He says in verse 37,

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:37

"They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:)"

"They wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth." But I want you to go back verse 37.

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:37

"They were stoned, they were"

what? "Sawn asunder."

Now tradition has it, it's not recorded in the Bible, but tradition has it that this is how the prophet Isaiah died. He was put in a hollow log and sawn in two. That's what the scripture means. They were sawn asunder. In other words, they were killing them with the most vicious ways imaginable.

Now look what else the Bible says back in Matthew 21 in verse 35. "The husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another." You remember our Lord in Matthew 23 in verse 37 said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee." I don't care if you read in the Old Testament or in the New Testament, you'll find that there were various ways of having the preachers and the prophets of God killed. King Saul, you will remember, in 1 Samuel 22, had the priests of the Lord slain with a sword. Ahab and Jezebel, in 1 Kings chapter 18 and 19 had many of them killed. But stoning was indeed a common way of punishment, not only in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament as well. Most of the time stoning resulted in death. Not all the time, but most of the time. You remember in Joshua 7 and verse 26, it was Achan who was stoned to death.

In Deuteronomy 13 in verse 10, stoning was the punishment for individuals who tried to entice and lure and seduce the people away from the worship of the one true and the living God. Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, the priest, was stoned to death by order of the king in 2 Chronicles 24 in verse 21. Stephen, the first martyr in the New Testament, was stoned to death in Acts 7 and verse 58. The Apostle Paul was stoned and left for dead in Acts 14 and verse 19.

Now, some scholars say that he actually died. God raised him up. I don't know how, if God did that or if he was almost dead and God healed him, but he did not die. And twice, in John 8 and verse 59 and John 10 and verse 31, the Jews attempted to stone Christ. I don't care if we're talking about beating them, killing them, stoning them. All of this maltreatment just demonstrates one thing. Listen carefully. The absolute, utter contempt that the world has for God and His Word and those that represent Him. They hate Him. They despise Him. Let me tell you, preaching the truth of God is no way to win friends and influence enemies. It's the way to get enemies. Because men hate and despise the truth. You remember our Lord said it like this in Luke 6 and verse 26.

He said, "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets." Woe unto you when all men speak well of you. So when our Lord then sent His servants, what did they do? They beat some, they killed some, they stoned some. Well, when they did that, what did our Lord do? Well, look in verse 36. "Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise."

Now, let me correct something—not necessarily correct, but let me give you an additional thought. When the Bible says that He sent more servants, when we normally think of "more," we think of more numerous, more in number. And He did send servants to replace those. He may have sent a greater number as well. But there is a thought also attached to this word that He sent more, that is more in what you and I would call not just numbers, additional rank, higher rank, more important, more dignified, more—He sent more qualified. In other words, it was not just numbers, but He sent those greater in power and greater in authority. Well, what did they do to them?

The same as they did to the former. Didn't matter. And if you'll look down in verse 37, "But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son." Now I told you that this parable is also given us in Luke and in Mark. Let me just give you the quote from Mark 12 and verse 6. Listen carefully. In Matthew, he just simply says this, "They will reverence my son." In Mark 12 and verse 6, the Bible says this, "Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son." I don't think I need to explain to you who His Son was or who His wellbeloved Son was.

Of course, it was none other than Jesus Christ Himself. So, Judah then, and Israel as a whole, having despised and held God in utter contempt, refused to obey His law, refused to honor Him, refused to worship Him, refused to give Him the fruit that was His due. He sent His servants. He sent His servants. He says, you're accountable, you're responsible, you're answerable. They did not want to hear it. And finally, after they had killed and slew, He finally sent His wellbeloved Son saying, "They will reverence my Son." Well, this brings me to the second point.

The World Wants the Inheritance of Christ

Weaver contends that the world seeks to kill the Son to seize His inheritance, desiring control over the earth and its people for their own benefit.

I told you first, what the world wants is this. They want a world without accountability, without responsibility. Here's the second truth. The world of the ungodly want the inheritance that belongs to Christ. Watch it closely. Verse 38, "But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him."

Now, let me read to you what Mark says. Listen. In Matthew, Matthew said, "Let us seize upon his inheritance." In Mark 12 and verse 7 and 8, the Bible says this, "But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard." What does the world want? It wants a world without accountability, without responsibility, without answerability, and it wants the inheritance of Jesus Christ. By the way, I want you to understand that the very action of these wicked individuals demonstrate that they knew that the inheritance belonged to Jesus Christ. That He was the true owner. In fact, look in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 1. Hebrews chapter 1. And notice if you would please, verse 1 and 2. Hebrews chapter 1, verses 1 and 2. What the Bible says, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds." Jesus Christ as the Son of God, Jesus Christ as the Messiah, Jesus Christ as the Mediator, is the heir of all things. He is the natural, essential, and only begotten Son of God. And as Mediator, He is the heir of all things natural, spiritual, and eternal. And He uses those things for the benefit of His church and His people, and we also are His portion and His inheritance. He also is heir to the throne of David.

Now, I want you to note what they said. They said, "Come, let us kill him, and his inheritance will be ours. Let us seize upon his inheritance." What they wanted was what Jesus Christ had and what He was to inherit. I want you to stop with me and think about this. They said, "Come, let us kill him, and seize the inheritance. Let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours." Do you realize the implication of that truth? They were willing to murder the Son of God in order to benefit themselves financially and temporarily. They were willing to deny, denounce, denigrate, and crucify the Son of God for their own personal benefit. Do you think for one minute that that same world of the ungodly will hesitate one moment to destroy Christians who represent Jesus Christ? What did our Lord say?

"The servant is not greater than his master. If they've hated me, they'll hate you. If they've persecuted me, they'll persecute you." Go back to John 11. Look in John 11. Here it is, plain and simple. John 11, beginning there with verse 47. John 11, verse 47. Look carefully. "Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.

Now look, "If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation." What were they concerned with first and foremost? Their place. We've got to do something. They said, the whole world will believe on Him. We'll lose our authority. We'll lose our program. We'll lose our party. And in verse 50, Caiaphas said this, "Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not." In other words, here's what he said, "We'll kill Him that we may keep our place."

So the Jews then figured that if they killed Christ the Messiah, they could seize upon his inheritance, they would be rid of Christ, and they would have what they wanted. In other words, their power would remain intact, their nation would be at peace, the temple would stand, and they would continue in their office uninterrupted and undisturbed, and, listen carefully, they would maintain absolute control over the people. Do you realize the position of the Pharisees and the Sadducees? The Sadducees had control of the temple. The Pharisees had control of the people. So they were saying, if we can get rid of Christ, we keep control. The whole thing is over inheritance and control.

If I were to ask you a simple question, to whom does this world belong? You know the answer. "The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." What does the world of the ungodly desire? Not only a world without accountability and responsibility, they want the Lord's inheritance. Are you listening? They want the earth so that they may have the people on the earth and use them for their benefit. The world system believes that we're sheep to be fleeced, that we're lambs to be slaughtered, that we're slaves to be commanded, and that we're mindless objects to be controlled for our own good and for the benefit of our handlers. That's what the world wants. The world of the ungodly wants control, they want the earth, they want the people on the earth, so that basically we'll be their servants. In other words, they want the Lord's inheritance. What did they get?

The Consequences of Rebellion

The religious leaders pronounce their own condemnation, and Weaver notes the fulfillment of prophecy and the destruction that came upon them in 70 A.D.

In their rebellion, they brought to themselves death and destruction. Look at verses 40 and 41 of Matthew 21. Go back to Matthew 21. Matthew 21, verse 40. So our Lord is asking a question. Verse 40. "When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?" What's He going to do to these individuals? They answer, look, they answer, they say unto him, "He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons." Wow! By the way, I want to show you to whom our Lord is speaking. I want to show you who answered. When He asked the question in verse 40, "When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?" They say unto him—well if you look in Matthew 21 and verse 23, Matthew 21 verse 23, "And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?"

To whom is he speaking? The chief priests and the elders. Now skip down to verse 45. "And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them." Wow! They knew exactly what our Lord was saying. So when our Lord asked the question in verse 40, and the answer is given in verse 41, "He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons." That answer came from the priests and the elders and the leaders. I want you to notice what our Lord does. He makes the chief priests and the leaders and the rulers of the people pronounce their own condemnation. You remember that's exactly what happened in 2 Samuel chapter 12, when Nathan went to David.

and gave him the little story. Nathan said, "The man that hath done this thing shall surely die." Nathan said, "Thou art the man." You know, our Lord in Luke 7 and verse 43 also made Simon the Pharisee also pronounce his own judgment upon himself. And here our Lord allows these wicked individuals to pronounce judgment upon themselves. And let me tell you something, when they answered, "He will miserably destroy those wicked men," in 70 A.D., He did. He wiped them out.

Now, I want you also to note that our Lord is teaching and showing that what they did to Him is part and parcel of biblical prophecy. For instance, look in verse 42, "Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?" Well, the leaders then rejected Christ and tried to seize inheritance. And our Lord says, in doing this, all you're doing is fulfilling prophecy. You're supposed to be priests and doctors of the law. You're supposed to know all of these things. In Psalm 118 verse 22, the Bible says this very plainly, "Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the LORD's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes."

Because of their rejection of the Messiah, He said in verse 43, "Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." In other words, you'll have nothing. Do you realize because of their rejection of Christ Messiah, because of their rebellion to Him, the kingdom was taken from them, and our Lord said, "I'm going to give it to someone else, bringing the fruits thereof." There is nothing now left to Judaism but an empty shell. It is a religion without Christ. It is a husk without a kernel. It's a broken cistern that can hold no water. It's worthless. It's useless. It cannot save. It cannot do anything. Look in verse 44. Our Lord said it like this. Remember now, He's talking to the leaders. He said, "And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." The Jews, in attempting to reject Christ and crucify Him, lost the very thing that they wanted, the kingdom. They ran into the stone and the stone fell upon them.

Let me give you two scriptures. Listen carefully. Isaiah 8 and verse 14, talking about Christ. "And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem." What is he? He's a stone of stumbling. In 1 Peter 2 and verse 8, the Bible says this, "And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed." Notice, they ran into the stone, and the stone fell upon them and ground them to powder. Have you ever noticed this? I'm sure that you have. But have you ever noticed that when you run into a stone wall, you're the only one that's hurt? The stone wall feels no pain. When you run against Christ, you're the only one that's hurt. You remember what He said in Proverbs 8? "All they that hate me love death." I've got news for you folks. I don't care how wicked the world becomes. I don't care how they lash out against Christ and Christian and His Word. The world is still His. And He is still the inheritor of everything. It still belongs to Him.

Applications for Today

Weaver applies the message by rejecting the idea of a Judeo-Christian heritage, affirming that the world will never get what it wants, and explaining why religious and civil powers oppose Christ.

The immediate application in light of the context is simple. If Christ prevailed, then Judaism must fall. It is a clear-cut distinction. It's either Christ or Judaism. And Christ did prevail. And He is prevailing. And He shall prevail.

Now listen to what I'm about to say. I don't like this terminology, but I'm going to explain it. If you understand what I've just preached to you and talked to you this morning, you will understand this statement. There is no such thing as a Judeo-Christian heritage. It's only a Christian heritage. We would agree that there is an Old Testament heritage that came through Israel. No problem with that. But in the New Testament, it was the Jews who fought against Christ, who crucified Christ, who rejected Him. And Judaism only gives you a history of rejection, rebellion, and unbelief.

It has nothing to do with Christianity. Not in any sense of the word. In fact, Paul said it very plainly. Let me just quote it. Galatians 1, verses 13 and 14, he said, "For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers." Notice he talks about the Jews' religion. And while Paul was in the Jews' religion, what was he doing? Persecuting Christ and Christians. It is not a Judeo-Christian heritage. It is a Christian heritage. Period. Here's my second application. Those of us who are older will remember the song. Some of you younger ones will not. But there was a song, "What Lola Wants, Lola Gets."

I knew I'd get a smile out of some of you. It may be true that what Lola wants, Lola gets. But it is not true that what the world of the ungodly wants, the world of the ungodly gets. They will never, ever have a world without accountability. And they will never, ever have the inheritance of Jesus Christ. You remember what Paul said in Acts 17, listen carefully. He said that "the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent." Why? Listen carefully. "Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." So just as surely as Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, there's going to be a judgment. There's going to be an accountability. So what the world wants, the world can never have. Here's the third application.

Hopefully you now understand why it not only seems—and I'm using that in quotes—it not only seems, but it's actually true that all religious—and I'm using that term very loosely—all religious and civil power are against Christ and Christianity. Let's be honest, folks. They must deny His rightful authority and ownership in order to establish their usurped authority and pretended ownership of this planet. Do you want to know why everything is seemingly against Christians today? Because the world wants His inheritance. And if they ever admit and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is God, that He's the Son of God, that He's Messiah, that He's the Lord, He's the Savior, they must at the same time admit they're answerable and accountable and responsible to Him, and they're obligated to repent and submit to Him. And that means they're under His control, under His authority, which they do not want and will not want. What the world wants, it will never have. But what we as children of God, through faith in Jesus Christ want, we shall have. Because Christ, the Only Begotten of the Father, inherits all things. And we're in Him.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Biblical Definition of 'World'

Summary: The word 'world' (kosmos) has various meanings in Scripture, and context determines whether it refers to the universe, earth, world system, all humanity, unbelievers, or believers.

Evidence: Weaver cites John 1:10, Acts 17:24, John 13:1, John 12:31, Romans 3:19, John 15:18, Romans 11:12, John 1:29, John 6:33, John 12:47, 1 Corinthians 4:9, 2 Corinthians 5:19, and 2 Peter 2:5 to illustrate different uses.

Rejection of Accountability

Summary: The ungodly world desires a world without accountability to God, demonstrated by the husbandmen's violent rejection of the servants sent to collect fruit.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'They did not want to be held to account for their sins. They did not desire repentance.' He references the beating, killing, and stoning of the servants in Matthew 21:35.

Seizing Christ's Inheritance

Summary: The world wants to take the inheritance that belongs to Christ, seeking control over the earth and its people for selfish gain.

Evidence: Weaver explains Matthew 21:38, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance,' and connects it to the leaders' desire to maintain power in John 11:47-50.

Divine Judgment on Rebellion

Summary: Those who reject Christ bring judgment upon themselves, as seen in the destruction of Jerusalem and the loss of the kingdom.

Evidence: Weaver points to Matthew 21:41, 'He will miserably destroy those wicked men,' and notes the fulfillment in 70 A.D. and the prophecy of the stone grinding to powder.

The Believer's Inheritance in Christ

Summary: While the world cannot have what it wants, believers are joint-heirs with Christ and will inherit all things through Him.

Evidence: Weaver cites 1 Corinthians 3:21-23 and states, 'In Christ, the kids get it all.'

Key Arguments

The world's definition must be clarified from Scripture.

Summary: Weaver argues that assuming 'world' means every individual is drastically wrong; context reveals specific meanings.

Evidence: He says, 'If you assume that is what the word "world" means, then may I tell you that your assumption is drastically wrong,' and provides multiple examples.

The ungodly world rejects God's messengers because they reject accountability.

Summary: The husbandmen beat and killed the servants because they did not want to answer to the owner, reflecting the world's hatred of God's truth.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'They did not want to be instructed as to their duty... They did not want to be held to account for their sins.'

The world's contempt for God is demonstrated by its treatment of His servants.

Summary: The violent maltreatment of prophets and preachers shows utter contempt for God and His Word.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'All of this maltreatment just demonstrates one thing... The absolute, utter contempt that the world has for God and His Word and those that represent Him.'

The world seeks to kill Christ to seize His inheritance.

Summary: The husbandmen's plot to kill the son reveals the world's desire to take what belongs to Christ for their own benefit.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'They were willing to murder the Son of God in order to benefit themselves financially and temporarily.'

The religious leaders pronounced their own condemnation.

Summary: By answering the parable's question, the chief priests and elders condemned themselves, paralleling Nathan's confrontation with David.

Evidence: Weaver notes, 'He makes the chief priests and the leaders and the rulers of the people pronounce their own condemnation.'

There is no Judeo-Christian heritage; it is a Christian heritage.

Summary: Weaver argues that Judaism, in its rejection of Christ, has nothing to do with Christianity, which is built solely on Christ.

Evidence: He states, 'There is no such thing as a Judeo-Christian heritage. It's only a Christian heritage.'

The world will never have what it wants.

Summary: The ungodly will never achieve a world without accountability or seize Christ's inheritance; judgment is certain.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'What the world wants, it can never have, and never will have,' citing Acts 17:30-31.

Religious and civil powers oppose Christ to maintain usurped authority.

Summary: All anti-Christian forces must deny Christ's rightful ownership to establish their own pretended authority.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'They must deny His rightful authority and ownership in order to establish their usurped authority and pretended ownership of this planet.'

Scripture References

Matthew 21:33-46

Context: The parable of the householder, the primary text of the sermon.

John 1:10

Context: Used to show three different meanings of 'world' in one verse.

Acts 17:24

Context: Example of 'world' meaning the universe.

John 13:1

Context: Example of 'world' meaning the earth.

John 12:31

Context: Example of 'world' meaning the world system.

Romans 3:19

Context: Example of 'world' meaning the entire human race.

John 15:18

Context: Example of 'world' meaning humanity minus believers.

Romans 11:12

Context: Example of 'world' meaning nations minus Israel.

John 1:29

Context: Example of 'world' meaning believers only; Christ takes away the sin of the world of believers.

John 6:33

Context: Christ gives life to the world of believers.

John 12:47

Context: Christ came to save the world of believers.

1 Corinthians 4:9

Context: Believers are made a spectacle to the world, showing separation.

2 Corinthians 5:19

Context: God reconciled the world of believers to Himself.

2 Peter 2:5, 9

Context: Example of the world of the ungodly.

Psalm 80:8-16

Context: Old Testament background of the vineyard parable referring to Israel.

Isaiah 5:1-7

Context: The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

James 5:7

Context: God is patient like a husbandman waiting for fruit.

Romans 9:4-5

Context: The advantages belonging to Israel.

John 15:20-21

Context: Servants are not greater than their lord; persecution is expected.

Hebrews 11:37

Context: Some were sawn asunder, illustrating the vicious killing of God's servants.

Historical References

Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

Context: Weaver states that the miserable destruction pronounced by the leaders was fulfilled when God wiped them out in 70 A.D.

Tradition of Isaiah's death

Context: Weaver mentions the tradition that Isaiah was sawn asunder, relating to Hebrews 11:37.

King Saul's slaughter of priests (1 Samuel 22)

Context: Example of killing God's servants.

Ahab and Jezebel killing prophets (1 Kings 18-19)

Context: Example of killing God's servants.

Stoning of Achan (Joshua 7:26)

Context: Example of stoning as punishment.

Stoning of Zechariah (2 Chronicles 24:21)

Context: Example of stoning a prophet.

Stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58)

Context: First New Testament martyr.

Stoning of Paul (Acts 14:19)

Context: Paul was stoned and left for dead.

Attempts to stone Christ (John 8:59, 10:31)

Context: The Jews attempted to stone Jesus.

Nathan's parable to David (2 Samuel 12)

Context: Parallel to Jesus making the leaders pronounce their own condemnation.

Important Quotes

If you assume that is what the word "world" means, then may I tell you that your assumption is drastically wrong.

Significance: Establishes the need to define 'world' biblically before interpreting the parable.

They did not want to be held to account for their sins. They did not desire repentance. They did not want repentance.

Significance: Summarizes the core reason the world rejects God's messengers: a refusal of accountability.

All of this maltreatment just demonstrates one thing. Listen carefully. The absolute, utter contempt that the world has for God and His Word and those that represent Him.

Significance: Highlights the depth of the world's hatred for God and His truth.

They were willing to murder the Son of God in order to benefit themselves financially and temporarily.

Significance: Captures the selfish motive behind the world's rejection of Christ.

There is no such thing as a Judeo-Christian heritage. It's only a Christian heritage.

Significance: A provocative application denying any positive spiritual contribution from Judaism post-Christ.

What the world wants, it can never have, and never will have, at least not in the way that it wants it.

Significance: The central conclusion: the world's desires are ultimately unattainable.

In Christ, the kids get it all.

Significance: A memorable summary of the believer's inheritance in Christ, contrasting with the world's failed grasp.

Discussion Questions

How does understanding the different biblical meanings of 'world' affect your reading of Scripture?

Context: Weaver spent significant time defining 'world' from various passages.

In what ways do people today demonstrate a desire for a world without accountability to God?

Context: Weaver argued that the world rejects God's messengers to avoid accountability.

Why is the world's contempt for God often directed at His messengers?

Context: Weaver explained that persecution of believers is a continuation of the world's hatred for Christ.

What does it mean for the world to 'seize the inheritance' of Christ today?

Context: Weaver described the world's desire to control the earth and its people for selfish gain.

How should Christians respond to the reality that religious and civil powers are often against Christ?

Context: Weaver applied the message by explaining why all anti-Christian forces must deny Christ's authority.

What comfort can believers take from the fact that 'the kids get it all'?

Context: Weaver concluded with the assurance of the believer's inheritance in Christ.

Applications

Reject the notion of a Judeo-Christian heritage.

Summary: Weaver argues that Christianity stands alone, as Judaism in its rejection of Christ offers only a history of rebellion.

Evidence: He states, 'There is no such thing as a Judeo-Christian heritage. It's only a Christian heritage.'

Recognize the futility of the world's desires.

Summary: The world will never achieve a world without accountability or seize Christ's inheritance; judgment is certain.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'What the world wants, it can never have,' and cites Acts 17:30-31.

Understand why the world opposes Christ and Christians.

Summary: Religious and civil powers must deny Christ's authority to maintain their own pretended ownership and control.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'They must deny His rightful authority and ownership in order to establish their usurped authority.'

Rest in the believer's secure inheritance.

Summary: Believers are joint-heirs with Christ and will inherit all things, contrasting with the world's failed attempts.

Evidence: Weaver cites 1 Corinthians 3:21-23 and says, 'In Christ, the kids get it all.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T20:28:33Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T12:55:03Z

Clean Transcript

What the World Wants Part 1 of 2

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

I'm going to begin a message today, which I will finish, Lord willing, next Sunday. So this will be part one. And the title of the message is, "What the World Wants." What the World Wants. Part one. So notice, if you would please, from Matthew chapter 21, beginning with verse 33. Our Lord says, "Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir;
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come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?
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This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes. Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
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But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet. In asking the question, what does the world want? We have to explain our definition of the word "world." Usually when anyone hears the word "world," what they automatically think of in their mind is every single individual that is in the world. If you assume that is what the word "world" means, then may I tell you that your assumption is drastically wrong. Because the word "world" is used many different ways in scripture, and you have to depend upon the context to show you what the real meaning of the word "world" is.
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Now I want you to hold Matthew chapter 21, but I want you to turn very quickly to the book of John chapter 1 and look if you would please at verse 10. Let me show you what I'm talking about when I say that you have to understand the word "world" has many different meanings in the Bible. So in John 1 and verse 10 we read this, "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not." So here in one simple sentence the word "world" is used three times, and in each instance it means something entirely different. For instance, "he was in the world," which of course would refer to the inhabited world, or the earth as you and I would know it. And the next phrase says, "and the world was made by him." There the word "world" would refer to the entire universe, and "the world knew him not," which would refer then to natural man, unsaved man, or the inhabitants of the world. So here you have the word "world" meaning three different things in one particular sentence.
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Now the word "world," from which you and I normally think of that word, it is translated most often from the Greek word kosmos. And the word kosmos literally means an orderly arrangement. Hence, we now have in our English language the word "cosmetics," which is supposed to be an orderly arrangement on a lady's face, okay? Sometimes it's not so orderly, but that's where the word "cosmetics" comes from.
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Now, I want to just very quickly, before I get started in Matthew 21, to show you how the word "world" is used throughout Scripture. And by the way, this is not an exhaustive listing. There are many more. But if you would turn very quickly in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 17 and look at verse 24, Acts 17 and verse 24. Notice if you would, first of all, the word kosmos or the word "world" is used to refer to the universe as a whole. In Acts chapter 17 verse 24, Paul says, "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands." So here the word "world" then refers to the entire universe. God made the world and all things therein. If you would turn back in your Bibles very quickly to John 13 and look at verse 1. John 13 and verse 1. Here the word "world" is used of just simply the earth. Notice John chapter 13 and verse 1.
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Because here the Word of God says this concerning Christ. John 13 verse 1, "Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end." Now notice the phrase, "when it should come his time to depart out of the world." Here the word "world" very obviously means earth. Again he said, "having loved his own which were in the world," it refers to the word earth. So sometimes the word kosmos not only refers to the universe as a whole, sometimes just to the earth. Sometimes it refers just to the world system. For instance, look in John 12 since you're right there at verse 31. John 12 verse 31, our Lord says this, "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out." Here it doesn't refer to the universe, it doesn't refer to the earth, it refers simply to the world system.
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Many other passages as well. If you look in Romans 3 and verse 19, Romans 3 and verse 19, you'll see sometimes the word "world" refers to what you and I would call the entire human race. Notice Romans 3 and verse 19, the Bible says this, "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." Well, how many are guilty before God? Well, every single individual, very obviously. I want you to go back to John chapter 15 because I want you to see the word "world" also refers to humanity minus believers. It refers to humanity minus believers. Look in John 15 and verse 18. Look at what our Lord says to His disciples. He says to them, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you." Well, who is He talking to? He's talking to believers. He says, "If the world hates you," there is a world that exists that is minus believers.
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So here is a world that hates believers. In Romans 3:6 you don't have to turn there, but the scripture says, "God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?" So once again it is a world minus believers. Because we who are believers are not going to be judged by God the Father. We have already been judged in Jesus Christ our Lord. And then if you would notice in Romans chapter 11 very quickly, in Romans chapter 11, just one more, maybe two more. Look in Romans chapter 11 and notice if you would please verse 12. Here the word "world" is used in reference to the nations minus Israel. Notice Romans 11 and verse 12. In fact, let's go back and read verse 11. Paul writes, "I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?"
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So verse 12 then speaks of Israel minus the world. Okay? Then if you would turn in your Bibles to John 1 in verse 29, sometimes the word "world" is used just simply of believers only. Look in John 1 and verse 29. I will give you several passages here. But notice John 1 and verse 29. Look what John the Baptist said when he saw Jesus Christ. "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
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Now let me ask you a question. Has Jesus Christ taken away the sin of every individual that has ever lived in the world? What's the answer? No. Because He's going to judge some of them. Our Lord Himself tells us that many are going to be lost. He said, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." So very obviously, the word "world" does not refer to every single individual.
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Look in John chapter 6, if you would please, in verse 33. Here it is again, just referring to believers. "For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world." Has Jesus Christ given spiritual life to every single individual? The answer is no. He's given it to the world of believers. Let me ask that you look in John 12. John 12, verse 47. John 12, verse 47.
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Our Lord said, "And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world." Well, what world is He going to save? He's going to save the world of believers. He's not saving the world of unbelievers. Turn right over to 1 Corinthians chapter 4. 1 Corinthians chapter 4. 1 Corinthians chapter 4. Notice if you would please verse 9. Look what the apostle says concerning himself and other believers. He says, "For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men."
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So here, believers are separated from the world. And then if you would look in 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 19, here is another verse that shows you that there is a world of believers. Watch. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 19, "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." So the world that God has reconciled to Himself, He did not impute their trespasses to them. That is, He did not impute their sins or their iniquities to them. So here then is the world of believers. So sometimes the word "world" refers only to the world of believers.
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One last passage before we get started. Look in 2 Peter 2 in verse 9, and you should have already figured this one out. 2 Peter chapter 2 in verse 9. If there is a world of the godly, then very obviously there is a world of the ungodly. So notice if you would 2 Peter 2 and verse 9, notice what the scripture says. "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished." That is 2 Peter 2 and verse 9. Now go back to verse 5. "And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly." So there's a world of the ungodly. There's a world of believers. There's a world that's the universe. There's a world that's just the earth. There's the world minus believers. There's the world minus Israel. I'm just simply saying the word "world" is used in many different ways. There is the world system.
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So when I'm talking this morning and next week about what the world wants, let me define what I mean. I'm talking about what the world of the ungodly, what the world system wants. Not what we as Christians want. I want you to go back in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 21 because we're going to see what the world really genuinely wants. Notice if you would, I have just read to you which is known as the parable of the householder. And in this parable, we get two main truths that demonstrate what the world genuinely wants.
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The first thing is this. The world of the ungodly want a world without accountability. Look in verse 33. Our Lord said, "Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country."
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Now, when you and I hear that, we have to kind of scratch our heads a little bit and say, hmm, what in the world was all this mean? Well, let me just tell you. Anyone and everyone who heard our Lord speak those words knew exactly what He meant. How did they know exactly what He meant? Well, let me tell you. Listen very carefully. The account or the parable of the vineyard is given to us—don't turn there—but it's given to us in Mark 12, verses 1 through 12, in Luke 20 verses 9 through 19, as well as here in Matthew chapter 21. However, the reason all of these individuals who heard our Lord knew exactly what he was talking about is because this is an Old Testament illustration. If you would go back in your Bible, so Matthew 21, but go back first of all to Psalm 80. Psalm 80 and look if you would beginning there with verse 8. Psalm 80 and verse 8. Just showing you, everyone would understand. Psalm 80, verse 8.
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Look what the Bible says. Psalm 80, verse 8. "Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river. Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?"
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"The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it." And look down to verse 15. He says, "And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself. It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance." So here is a parable that is spoken concerning Israel, what God has done.
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If you would turn to Isaiah chapter 5, Isaiah chapter 5, here it is very plainly stated. Isaiah chapter 5, beginning there with verse 1. Look what the scripture says.
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"Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?"
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"And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry."
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Now, if you will go back to Matthew 21, here is why I am telling you that everyone understood his terminology. Everyone understood the hedge, the winepress, the tower, the servants. The parable was given very plainly to these people. Very quickly, let me just point out, the householder in Matthew chapter 21 refers, of course, to the sovereign God of heaven and earth. The family refers to Israel. The vineyard points to Jerusalem. The fence refers to divine protection that God had placed around them. The tower points to the temple and the tabernacle. And, of course, that's where the divine presence was manifested. And, of course, the husbandmen were the priests and the doctors of the law, and, of course, our Lord is the owner of the vineyard, who left it in the hands of others, and he sent forth his servants, that is, his preachers and his prophets, to collect the fruit thereof. Now, that's why I said this was a very common thing in the days of our Lord. Everyone understood this parable. Here's the question.
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What happened to those individuals that he sent to collect the rent? We read it. Some were beaten, some were stoned. I'll get with that in just a moment. But why were they beaten and why were they stoned? Here's the answer. Because those who were in charge and those who had control over the vineyard did not want to be responsible and accountable to the owner. They were unwilling to recognize his ownership. They were unwilling to recognize their stewardship.
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They believed that they had an absolute right to do with, to use and even abuse His property as they pleased. They did not think in any stretch of the imagination that they were required to answer to Him. Now, God is patient. He has been patient. He is patient. The Bible says in James 5 and verse 7, listen carefully, "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain."
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Now, God then is giving us this parable against Israel and against Judah and Jerusalem particularly. Let me ask you, and you know the answer because I've taught you this in time past, but what advantage did Judah and Jerusalem and Israel in general have over all of the other nations? They had the law of God. God gave them His law. They not only had the law of God, they had the teaching priests. They had the temple. They had the sacrifices. God did not give that to the Assyrians or the Babylonians or anyone else. He gave it only to Israel. And the Bible tells us very pointedly in Romans 9 verses 4 and 5 that to them belong the glory and the covenants and the giving of the law and the service of God and the promises. All of this of whom Christ came who is God blessed forever.
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Now I want you to stop and think about this. In Matthew 21 he talks about this householder who is God who planted this vineyard, he digged it about, he built a hedge there, he built a winepress, he built a fence. In other words, here the householder, the owner, God, did every possible thing that he could for the benefit of his vineyard. Well, why in the world did these people then beat and murder the servants?
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Once again, you've got to remember this. It was God who was the owner. He made the vineyard. He made the fence. He dug the winepress. Everything that Israel had, everything that Judah had, God gave them. If it had not been for God, they would not have had a vineyard to work in. If it had not been for Him, they would not have had an existence. They would not have had anything.
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And when He sent those servants, the preachers, the prophets, they didn't want to listen. They did not want to be instructed as to their duty and the performance of that duty. They did not want to be called to repentance over their slothfulness and over their wickedness and their obstinacy. They did not want to be held to account for their sins. They did not desire repentance. They did not want repentance. When the Bible talks about how they beat and killed the servants, that is just demonstrating the maltreatment, the various forms, that they did to the servants of God. Those to whom the vineyard was leased were traitors to God, and they were treasonous to the people, and did violence to the messengers of God. I'm going to ask you a question in a little bit, and I hope you know the answer as to why they beat and killed these servants. And it's not just because they did not want to be accountable. They did not want to be—
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That's the point I am enunciating right now. They did not want to be accountable and responsible.
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Now, let me show you. I want you to turn whole Matthew 21, but look in your Bible to John chapter 15. John chapter 15, and notice verses 20 and 21 at what our Lord said. This demonstrates why God's true preachers are really hated and despised today. In John 15, verses 20 and 21, look what our Lord said. He told His disciples, "Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord.
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If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me."
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Now note what he said. The servant is not greater than the Lord. If they've persecuted me, they're going to persecute you. Is it any wonder then that when our Lord sent his servants that they beat them and killed them? Let me go over this. First of all, the Bible says in Matthew 21 that they beat some. Interestingly enough, the word "beat" doesn't mean just simply beating. It means more than that. It means flaying. Flaying alive. How do you flay someone alive? Well, very easily. With a whip.
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With a cat of nine tails. You remember the cat of nine tails usually had pieces of metal tied in the end. So when it hit the body, not only stung and cut, but when they jerked it back, it ripped and made long lacerations in the body as well. And so when the Bible says that they beat some, it means literally they flayed them. They beat them very painfully. And then the Bible says they killed another. Notice if you would, in verse 35, "And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another."
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I want you to hold Matthew 21, but look in Hebrews chapter 11. There's an interesting passage here that probably has never sunk in as to what it's actually saying, but look at it. Hebrews 11, verse 37, God is telling about what some of His people went through. He says in verse 37, "They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:)"
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"They wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth." But I want you to go back verse 37. "They were stoned, they were" what? "Sawn asunder."
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Now tradition has it, it's not recorded in the Bible, but tradition has it that this is how the prophet Isaiah died. He was put in a hollow log and sawn in two. That's what the scripture means. They were sawn asunder. In other words, they were killing them with the most vicious ways imaginable.
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Now look what else the Bible says back in Matthew 21 in verse 35. "The husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another." You remember our Lord in Matthew 23 in verse 37 said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee." I don't care if you read in the Old Testament or in the New Testament, you'll find that there were various ways of having the preachers and the prophets of God killed. King Saul, you will remember, in 1 Samuel 22, had the priests of the Lord slain with a sword. Ahab and Jezebel, in 1 Kings chapter 18 and 19 had many of them killed. But stoning was indeed a common way of punishment, not only in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament as well. Most of the time stoning resulted in death. Not all the time, but most of the time. You remember in Joshua 7 and verse 26, it was Achan who was stoned to death.
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In Deuteronomy 13 in verse 10, stoning was the punishment for individuals who tried to entice and lure and seduce the people away from the worship of the one true and the living God. Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, the priest, was stoned to death by order of the king in 2 Chronicles 24 in verse 21. Stephen, the first martyr in the New Testament, was stoned to death in Acts 7 and verse 58. The Apostle Paul was stoned and left for dead in Acts 14 and verse 19.
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Now, some scholars say that he actually died. God raised him up. I don't know how, if God did that or if he was almost dead and God healed him, but he did not die. And twice, in John 8 and verse 59 and John 10 and verse 31, the Jews attempted to stone Christ. I don't care if we're talking about beating them, killing them, stoning them. All of this maltreatment just demonstrates one thing. Listen carefully. The absolute, utter contempt that the world has for God and His Word and those that represent Him. They hate Him. They despise Him. Let me tell you, preaching the truth of God is no way to win friends and influence enemies. It's the way to get enemies. Because men hate and despise the truth. You remember our Lord said it like this in Luke 6 and verse 26.
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He said, "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets." Woe unto you when all men speak well of you. So when our Lord then sent His servants, what did they do? They beat some, they killed some, they stoned some. Well, when they did that, what did our Lord do? Well, look in verse 36. "Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise."
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Now, let me correct something—not necessarily correct, but let me give you an additional thought. When the Bible says that He sent more servants, when we normally think of "more," we think of more numerous, more in number. And He did send servants to replace those. He may have sent a greater number as well. But there is a thought also attached to this word that He sent more, that is more in what you and I would call not just numbers, additional rank, higher rank, more important, more dignified, more—He sent more qualified. In other words, it was not just numbers, but He sent those greater in power and greater in authority. Well, what did they do to them?
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The same as they did to the former. Didn't matter. And if you'll look down in verse 37, "But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son."
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Now I told you that this parable is also given us in Luke and in Mark. Let me just give you the quote from Mark 12 and verse 6. Listen carefully. In Matthew, he just simply says this, "They will reverence my son." In Mark 12 and verse 6, the Bible says this, "Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son." I don't think I need to explain to you who His Son was or who His wellbeloved Son was.
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Of course, it was none other than Jesus Christ Himself. So, Judah then, and Israel as a whole, having despised and held God in utter contempt, refused to obey His law, refused to honor Him, refused to worship Him, refused to give Him the fruit that was His due. He sent His servants. He sent His servants. He says, you're accountable, you're responsible, you're answerable. They did not want to hear it. And finally, after they had killed and slew, He finally sent His wellbeloved Son saying, "They will reverence my Son." Well, this brings me to the second point.
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I told you first, what the world wants is this. They want a world without accountability, without responsibility. Here's the second truth. The world of the ungodly want the inheritance that belongs to Christ. Watch it closely. Verse 38, "But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him."
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Now, let me read to you what Mark says. Listen. In Matthew, Matthew said, "Let us seize upon his inheritance." In Mark 12 and verse 7 and 8, the Bible says this, "But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard." What does the world want? It wants a world without accountability, without responsibility, without answerability, and it wants the inheritance of Jesus Christ. By the way, I want you to understand that the very action of these wicked individuals demonstrate that they knew that the inheritance belonged to Jesus Christ.
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That He was the true owner. In fact, look in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 1. Hebrews chapter 1. And notice if you would please, verse 1 and 2. Hebrews chapter 1, verses 1 and 2. What the Bible says, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds." Jesus Christ as the Son of God, Jesus Christ as the Messiah, Jesus Christ as the Mediator, is the heir of all things. He is the natural, essential, and only begotten Son of God. And as Mediator, He is the heir of all things natural, spiritual, and eternal. And He uses those things for the benefit of His church and His people, and we also are His portion and His inheritance. He also is heir to the throne of David.
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Now, I want you to note what they said. They said, "Come, let us kill him, and his inheritance will be ours. Let us seize upon his inheritance." What they wanted was what Jesus Christ had and what He was to inherit. I want you to stop with me and think about this. They said, "Come, let us kill him, and seize the inheritance. Let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours."
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Do you realize the implication of that truth? They were willing to murder the Son of God in order to benefit themselves financially and temporarily. They were willing to deny, denounce, denigrate, and crucify the Son of God for their own personal benefit. Do you think for one minute that that same world of the ungodly will hesitate one moment to destroy Christians who represent Jesus Christ? What did our Lord say?
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"The servant is not greater than his master. If they've hated me, they'll hate you. If they've persecuted me, they'll persecute you." Go back to John 11. Look in John 11. Here it is, plain and simple. John 11, beginning there with verse 47. John 11, verse 47. Look carefully. "Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
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Now look, "If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation." What were they concerned with first and foremost? Their place. We've got to do something. They said, the whole world will believe on Him. We'll lose our authority. We'll lose our program. We'll lose our party. And in verse 50, Caiaphas said this, "Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not." In other words, here's what he said, "We'll kill Him that we may keep our place."
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So the Jews then figured that if they killed Christ the Messiah, they could seize upon his inheritance, they would be rid of Christ, and they would have what they wanted. In other words, their power would remain intact, their nation would be at peace, the temple would stand, and they would continue in their office uninterrupted and undisturbed, and, listen carefully, they would maintain absolute control over the people. Do you realize the position of the Pharisees and the Sadducees? The Sadducees had control of the temple. The Pharisees had control of the people. So they were saying, if we can get rid of Christ, we keep control. The whole thing is over inheritance and control.
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If I were to ask you a simple question, to whom does this world belong? You know the answer. "The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." What does the world of the ungodly desire? Not only a world without accountability and responsibility, they want the Lord's inheritance. Are you listening? They want the earth so that they may have the people on the earth and use them for their benefit. The world system believes that we're sheep to be fleeced, that we're lambs to be slaughtered, that we're slaves to be commanded, and that we're mindless objects to be controlled for our own good and for the benefit of our handlers. That's what the world wants. The world of the ungodly wants control, they want the earth, they want the people on the earth, so that basically we'll be their servants. In other words, they want the Lord's inheritance. What did they get?
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In their rebellion, they brought to themselves death and destruction. Look at verses 40 and 41 of Matthew 21. Go back to Matthew 21. Matthew 21, verse 40. So our Lord is asking a question. Verse 40. "When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?" What's He going to do to these individuals? They answer, look, they answer, they say unto him, "He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons." Wow! By the way, I want to show you to whom our Lord is speaking. I want to show you who answered. When He asked the question in verse 40, "When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?" They say unto him—well if you look in Matthew 21 and verse 23, Matthew 21 verse 23, "And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?"
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To whom is he speaking? The chief priests and the elders.
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Now skip down to verse 45. "And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them." Wow! They knew exactly what our Lord was saying. So when our Lord asked the question in verse 40, and the answer is given in verse 41, "He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons." That answer came from the priests and the elders and the leaders. I want you to notice what our Lord does. He makes the chief priests and the leaders and the rulers of the people pronounce their own condemnation. You remember that's exactly what happened in 2 Samuel chapter 12, when Nathan went to David.
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and gave him the little story. Nathan said, "The man that hath done this thing shall surely die." Nathan said, "Thou art the man." You know, our Lord in Luke 7 and verse 43 also made Simon the Pharisee also pronounce his own judgment upon himself. And here our Lord allows these wicked individuals to pronounce judgment upon themselves. And let me tell you something, when they answered, "He will miserably destroy those wicked men," in 70 A.D., He did. He wiped them out.
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Now, I want you also to note that our Lord is teaching and showing that what they did to Him is part and parcel of biblical prophecy. For instance, look in verse 42, "Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?" Well, the leaders then rejected Christ and tried to seize inheritance. And our Lord says, in doing this, all you're doing is fulfilling prophecy. You're supposed to be priests and doctors of the law. You're supposed to know all of these things. In Psalm 118 verse 22, the Bible says this very plainly, "Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the LORD's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes."
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Because of their rejection of the Messiah, He said in verse 43, "Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." In other words, you'll have nothing. Do you realize because of their rejection of Christ Messiah, because of their rebellion to Him, the kingdom was taken from them, and our Lord said, "I'm going to give it to someone else, bringing the fruits thereof." There is nothing now left to Judaism but an empty shell. It is a religion without Christ. It is a husk without a kernel.
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It's a broken cistern that can hold no water. It's worthless. It's useless. It cannot save. It cannot do anything. Look in verse 44. Our Lord said it like this. Remember now, He's talking to the leaders. He said, "And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." The Jews, in attempting to reject Christ and crucify Him, lost the very thing that they wanted, the kingdom. They ran into the stone and the stone fell upon them.
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Let me give you two scriptures. Listen carefully. Isaiah 8 and verse 14, talking about Christ. "And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem." What is he? He's a stone of stumbling. In 1 Peter 2 and verse 8, the Bible says this, "And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed." Notice, they ran into the stone, and the stone fell upon them and ground them to powder.
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Have you ever noticed this? I'm sure that you have. But have you ever noticed that when you run into a stone wall, you're the only one that's hurt? The stone wall feels no pain. When you run against Christ, you're the only one that's hurt. You remember what He said in Proverbs 8? "All they that hate me love death." I've got news for you folks. I don't care how wicked the world becomes. I don't care how they lash out against Christ and Christian and His Word. The world is still His. And He is still the inheritor of everything. It still belongs to Him.
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This is the simple thing. What they lost by their rejection and rebellion, they could have had by submission and repentance. The Bible teaches that we're joint heirs with Jesus Christ, which means we inherit whatever He inherits. And the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 3, "Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." They could have had everything just simply by bowing and submitting to the Lord Jesus Christ. What the world wants, it can never have, and never will have, at least not in the way that it wants it. The world of the ungodly will never have a world without accountability. It will never have a world without responsibility.
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I've told you before, God ordained only three institutions. The family, which is a ministry of education. The church, which is a ministry of grace. And the state, which is a ministry of justice. God ordained all three institutions. And each one is answerable and accountable and responsible to Him. Just as the family is responsibly Christian, the church is responsibly Christian, the state is responsible to be Christian. All things belong to Christ. And all are answerable and accountable to Him. Now, let me make just a couple of applications. The first one, listen carefully to what I'm about to say.
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The immediate application in light of the context is simple. If Christ prevailed, then Judaism must fall. It is a clear-cut distinction. It's either Christ or Judaism. And Christ did prevail. And He is prevailing. And He shall prevail.
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Now listen to what I'm about to say. I don't like this terminology, but I'm going to explain it. If you understand what I've just preached to you and talked to you this morning, you will understand this statement. There is no such thing as a Judeo-Christian heritage. It's only a Christian heritage. We would agree that there is an Old Testament heritage that came through Israel. No problem with that. But in the New Testament, it was the Jews who fought against Christ, who crucified Christ, who rejected Him. And Judaism only gives you a history of rejection, rebellion, and unbelief.
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It has nothing to do with Christianity. Not in any sense of the word. In fact, Paul said it very plainly. Let me just quote it. Galatians 1, verses 13 and 14, he said, "For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers."
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Notice he talks about the Jews' religion. And while Paul was in the Jews' religion, what was he doing? Persecuting Christ and Christians. It is not a Judeo-Christian heritage. It is a Christian heritage. Period. Here's my second application. Those of us who are older will remember the song. Some of you younger ones will not. But there was a song, "What Lola Wants, Lola Gets."
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I knew I'd get a smile out of some of you. It may be true that what Lola wants, Lola gets. But it is not true that what the world of the ungodly wants, the world of the ungodly gets. They will never, ever have a world without accountability. And they will never, ever have the inheritance of Jesus Christ. You remember what Paul said in Acts 17, listen carefully.
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He said that "the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent." Why? Listen carefully. "Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." So just as surely as Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, there's going to be a judgment. There's going to be an accountability. So what the world wants, the world can never have. Here's the third application.
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Hopefully you now understand why it not only seems—and I'm using that in quotes—it not only seems, but it's actually true that all religious—and I'm using that term very loosely—all religious and civil power are against Christ and Christianity. Let's be honest, folks. They must deny His rightful authority and ownership in order to establish their usurped authority and pretended ownership of this planet. Do you want to know why everything is seemingly against Christians today?
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Because the world wants His inheritance. And if they ever admit and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is God, that He's the Son of God, that He's Messiah, that He's the Lord, He's the Savior, they must at the same time admit they're answerable and accountable and responsible to Him, and they're obligated to repent and submit to Him. And that means they're under His control, under His authority, which they do not want and will not want. What the world wants, it will never have. But what we as children of God, through faith in Jesus Christ want, we shall have. Because Christ, the Only Begotten of the Father, inherits all things. And we're in Him.
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You know, last night, and I haven't done it in a while, I don't watch too many movies, but I did last night put in that movie, Secondhand Lions. If you haven't seen it, you need to see it. I love it. But you know, in the end, when Walter is there with the sheriff, the sheriff hands him the will, and old Walter reads it and just says, "The kid gets it all."
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I got news for you folks. In Christ, the kids get it all. We have it. We don't need the world. We have Christ. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your love and Your grace and Your mercy. Help us, dear Lord, to love Thee, to praise Thee, and to glorify Thee. Now understand, Lord, where we are in time and in history and in the world. But understand also, Father, we're more than conquerors through Him who loved us and gave His life for us. We give Thee praise, worship, and glory. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T20:28:33Z

What the World Wants Part 1 of 2

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this sermon, Pastor John Weaver examines the parable of the householder in Matthew 21 to define what the world of the ungodly truly wants. He first clarifies the biblical meanings of 'world,' then argues that the ungodly world desires a world without accountability to God and seeks to seize the inheritance that belongs to Christ. The sermon concludes with applications about the futility of the world's desires and the believer's secure inheritance in Christ.

Introduction and Scripture Reading

Weaver introduces the two-part message 'What the World Wants' and reads the parable of the householder from Matthew 21:33-46.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 21:33-46

"Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir;

Defining the Word 'World'

Weaver explains that 'world' has multiple meanings in Scripture, including the universe, the earth, the world system, all humanity, humanity minus believers, and believers only.

Scripture Reading — John 1:10

"He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not." So here in one simple sentence the word "world" is used three times, and in each instance it means something entirely different. For instance, "he was in the world," which of course would refer to the inhabited world, or the earth as you and I would know it. And the next phrase says, "and the world was made by him." There the word "world" would refer to the entire universe, and "the world knew him not,"

which would refer then to natural man, unsaved man, or the inhabitants of the world. So here you have the word "world" meaning three different things in one particular sentence.

Scripture Reading — Acts 17:24

" then refers to the entire universe. God made the world and all things therein. If you would turn back in your Bibles very quickly to John 13 and look at verse 1. John 13 and verse 1. Here the word "

world" is used of just simply the earth. Notice John chapter 13 and verse 1.

Because here the Word of God says this concerning Christ. John 13 verse 1,

Scripture Reading — John 13:1

"Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end."

Scripture Reading — John 12:31

Many other passages as well. If you look in Romans 3 and verse 19, Romans 3 and verse 19, you'll see sometimes the word "world" refers to what you and I would call the entire human race. Notice Romans 3 and verse 19, the Bible says this, "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." Well, how many are guilty before God? Well, every single individual, very obviously. I want you to go back to John chapter 15 because I want you to see the word "world" also refers to humanity minus believers. It refers to humanity minus believers. Look in John 15 and verse 18. Look at what our Lord says to His disciples. He says to them, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you." Well, who is He talking to? He's talking to believers. He says, "If the world hates you," there is a world that exists that is minus believers.

Look in John chapter 6, if you would please, in verse 33. Here it is again, just referring to believers.

Scripture Reading — John 6:33

"For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world."

Has Jesus Christ given spiritual life to every single individual? The answer is no. He's given it to the world of believers. Let me ask that you look in John 12. John 12, verse 47. John 12, verse 47.

Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 2:5, 9

"And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly."

The World Wants a World Without Accountability

Using the parable, Weaver argues that the ungodly reject God's messengers because they do not want to be accountable or responsible to the owner.

Look what the Bible says. Psalm 80, verse 8.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 80:8-16

"Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river. Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?"

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 5:1-7

"Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?"

Scripture Reading — James 5:7

"Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain."

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:37

"They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:)"

"They wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth." But I want you to go back verse 37.

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:37

"They were stoned, they were"

what? "Sawn asunder."

The World Wants the Inheritance of Christ

Weaver contends that the world seeks to kill the Son to seize His inheritance, desiring control over the earth and its people for their own benefit.

The Consequences of Rebellion

The religious leaders pronounce their own condemnation, and Weaver notes the fulfillment of prophecy and the destruction that came upon them in 70 A.D.

Applications for Today

Weaver applies the message by rejecting the idea of a Judeo-Christian heritage, affirming that the world will never get what it wants, and explaining why religious and civil powers oppose Christ.

What the World Wants Part 1 of 2

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	M1BV8TnwfE0
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans-Related Topical Applications
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-02-12
Dictation Name
Book	Book 172: What the World Wants — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	77

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Scripture Reading: Weaver introduces the two-part message 'What the World Wants' and reads the parable of the householder from Matthew 21:33-46.
Defining the Word 'World': Weaver explains that 'world' has multiple meanings in Scripture, including the universe, the earth, the world system, all humanity, humanity minus believers, and believers only.
The World Wants a World Without Accountability: Using the parable, Weaver argues that the ungodly reject God's messengers because they do not want to be accountable or responsible to the owner.
The World Wants the Inheritance of Christ: Weaver contends that the world seeks to kill the Son to seize His inheritance, desiring control over the earth and its people for their own benefit.
The Consequences of Rebellion: The religious leaders pronounce their own condemnation, and Weaver notes the fulfillment of prophecy and the destruction that came upon them in 70 A.D.
Applications for Today: Weaver applies the message by rejecting the idea of a Judeo-Christian heritage, affirming that the world will never get what it wants, and explaining why religious and civil powers oppose Christ.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

The world's definition must be clarified from Scripture.

Weaver argues that assuming 'world' means every individual is drastically wrong; context reveals specific meanings.

He says, 'If you assume that is what the word "world" means, then may I tell you that your assumption is drastically wrong,' and provides multiple examples.

The ungodly world rejects God's messengers because they reject accountability.

The husbandmen beat and killed the servants because they did not want to answer to the owner, reflecting the world's hatred of God's truth.

Weaver states, 'They did not want to be instructed as to their duty... They did not want to be held to account for their sins.'

The world's contempt for God is demonstrated by its treatment of His servants.

The violent maltreatment of prophets and preachers shows utter contempt for God and His Word.

Weaver says, 'All of this maltreatment just demonstrates one thing... The absolute, utter contempt that the world has for God and His Word and those that represent Him.'

The world seeks to kill Christ to seize His inheritance.

The husbandmen's plot to kill the son reveals the world's desire to take what belongs to Christ for their own benefit.

Weaver explains, 'They were willing to murder the Son of God in order to benefit themselves financially and temporarily.'

The religious leaders pronounced their own condemnation.

By answering the parable's question, the chief priests and elders condemned themselves, paralleling Nathan's confrontation with David.

Weaver notes, 'He makes the chief priests and the leaders and the rulers of the people pronounce their own condemnation.'

There is no Judeo-Christian heritage; it is a Christian heritage.

Weaver argues that Judaism, in its rejection of Christ, has nothing to do with Christianity, which is built solely on Christ.

He states, 'There is no such thing as a Judeo-Christian heritage. It's only a Christian heritage.'

The world will never have what it wants.

The ungodly will never achieve a world without accountability or seize Christ's inheritance; judgment is certain.

Weaver says, 'What the world wants, it can never have, and never will have,' citing Acts 17:30-31.

Religious and civil powers oppose Christ to maintain usurped authority.

All anti-Christian forces must deny Christ's rightful ownership to establish their own pretended authority.

Weaver explains, 'They must deny His rightful authority and ownership in order to establish their usurped authority and pretended ownership of this planet.'

Scripture References

Matthew 21:33-46: The parable of the householder, the primary text of the sermon.
John 1:10: Used to show three different meanings of 'world' in one verse.
Acts 17:24: Example of 'world' meaning the universe.
John 13:1: Example of 'world' meaning the earth.
John 12:31: Example of 'world' meaning the world system.
Romans 3:19: Example of 'world' meaning the entire human race.
John 15:18: Example of 'world' meaning humanity minus believers.
Romans 11:12: Example of 'world' meaning nations minus Israel.
John 1:29: Example of 'world' meaning believers only; Christ takes away the sin of the world of believers.
John 6:33: Christ gives life to the world of believers.
John 12:47: Christ came to save the world of believers.
1 Corinthians 4:9: Believers are made a spectacle to the world, showing separation.
2 Corinthians 5:19: God reconciled the world of believers to Himself.
2 Peter 2:5, 9: Example of the world of the ungodly.
Psalm 80:8-16: Old Testament background of the vineyard parable referring to Israel.
Isaiah 5:1-7: The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
James 5:7: God is patient like a husbandman waiting for fruit.
Romans 9:4-5: The advantages belonging to Israel.
John 15:20-21: Servants are not greater than their lord; persecution is expected.
Hebrews 11:37: Some were sawn asunder, illustrating the vicious killing of God's servants.

Historical References

Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.: Weaver states that the miserable destruction pronounced by the leaders was fulfilled when God wiped them out in 70 A.D.
Tradition of Isaiah's death: Weaver mentions the tradition that Isaiah was sawn asunder, relating to Hebrews 11:37.
King Saul's slaughter of priests (1 Samuel 22): Example of killing God's servants.
Ahab and Jezebel killing prophets (1 Kings 18-19): Example of killing God's servants.
Stoning of Achan (Joshua 7:26): Example of stoning as punishment.
Stoning of Zechariah (2 Chronicles 24:21): Example of stoning a prophet.
Stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58): First New Testament martyr.
Stoning of Paul (Acts 14:19): Paul was stoned and left for dead.
Attempts to stone Christ (John 8:59, 10:31): The Jews attempted to stone Jesus.
Nathan's parable to David (2 Samuel 12): Parallel to Jesus making the leaders pronounce their own condemnation.

Important Quotes

If you assume that is what the word "world" means, then may I tell you that your assumption is drastically wrong.

Establishes the need to define 'world' biblically before interpreting the parable.

They did not want to be held to account for their sins. They did not desire repentance. They did not want repentance.

Summarizes the core reason the world rejects God's messengers: a refusal of accountability.

All of this maltreatment just demonstrates one thing. Listen carefully. The absolute, utter contempt that the world has for God and His Word and those that represent Him.

Highlights the depth of the world's hatred for God and His truth.

They were willing to murder the Son of God in order to benefit themselves financially and temporarily.

Captures the selfish motive behind the world's rejection of Christ.

There is no such thing as a Judeo-Christian heritage. It's only a Christian heritage.

A provocative application denying any positive spiritual contribution from Judaism post-Christ.

What the world wants, it can never have, and never will have, at least not in the way that it wants it.

The central conclusion: the world's desires are ultimately unattainable.

In Christ, the kids get it all.

A memorable summary of the believer's inheritance in Christ, contrasting with the world's failed grasp.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does understanding the different biblical meanings of 'world' affect your reading of Scripture?

[Context]

Weaver spent significant time defining 'world' from various passages.

[Question]

In what ways do people today demonstrate a desire for a world without accountability to God?

[Context]

Weaver argued that the world rejects God's messengers to avoid accountability.

[Question]

Why is the world's contempt for God often directed at His messengers?

[Context]

Weaver explained that persecution of believers is a continuation of the world's hatred for Christ.

[Question]

What does it mean for the world to 'seize the inheritance' of Christ today?

[Context]

Weaver described the world's desire to control the earth and its people for selfish gain.

[Question]

How should Christians respond to the reality that religious and civil powers are often against Christ?

[Context]

Weaver applied the message by explaining why all anti-Christian forces must deny Christ's authority.

[Question]

What comfort can believers take from the fact that 'the kids get it all'?

[Context]

Weaver concluded with the assurance of the believer's inheritance in Christ.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T12:55:03Z