Why You Are Never Too Late to Receive the Full Blessing of Jesus

As we can see, the world is in absolute turmoil. The world is walking and living in darkness. It is an absolute sad thing to see.

Such a beautiful world God has created for all of us to enjoy. Yet the greed and the selfishness of the human being, the godless human being, the selfishness and the greediness of that human being has blinded that person thinking so wrongly, thinking so desperately that they can rule the world assuming they are here forever, not knowing every human being's life is like a dream at the awakening as King David puts it in his psalms. Our life is like a dream at the awakening, meaning when I'm dreaming, I think this is the reality.

This is it. There is nothing else. When I'm dreaming, I think I am a queen.

I am a king. I live here forever. And the moment my sister taps me on the shoulder or my mom comes and annoys me and wakes me up, all of a sudden, the moment I'm walking up, it was one big lie.

This is the world. When the spirit leaves the body, it is one big lie. I thought I'm going to do whatever I want.

I thought I'm going to be a billionaire and a trillionaire. I thought I'll be God on earth, but the spirit left the body. I was an absolute blind, blind.

We need to pray. I can assure you, I can assure you, and I'm speaking with utmost love and respect and humility. Without Jesus Christ, there is nothing good.

Without Jesus Christ, there is no life. Without Jesus Christ, there is nothing beautiful. Without Jesus Christ, there is no world.

Without Jesus Christ, we are all absolutely dead, dead. He is beautiful. My goodness, he is beautiful.

My beautiful sons and daughters, especially the young ones like myself. You know, I'm trying very hard, you know, to comfort myself and say, you are not a Santa Claus. You're still young, but the bead has gone white.

Tough luck. We need to love. Sometimes we do.

It can't be serious all the time. And don't tell me you cannot smile when you see this good looking bishop. Anybody home? Good.

When I'm with people and they say it's hot, I say, yeah, well, it's my presence. Did you get it? Okay. You're not interested, okay.

Because it's not about me. It's about this hot guy called Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Amen.

Amen. Amen. That's the way, baby.

The gospel of today, I remind you again, when you're in the presence of the Lord, I will never say good evening. I'll say good morning, even though it's a good evening. But it's a good morning because when we are in the presence of the Lord, he is the sun, S-U-N, of righteousness.

He is the light of the world. Where Christ is, it is always daytime. It's never night.

Night is here with Christ. It is always good morning because he is the light and the sun, S-U-N, of the world, for he is the S-O-N of God, and he is God himself revealed in the flesh. The gospel of this morning, from the gospel of St. Matthew, chapter 20, verses one to 18.

Matthew 20, verses one to 18. The Lord Jesus spoke of a parable. What is a parable? A parable is telling a story, comparing it with another thing to make the message as simple as possible to the listeners, where the listeners can fathom it, can absorb it to somewhat degree.

They can relate to it. But there is depth and secrecy in that parable. The Lord Jesus said there was this owner of a vineyard.

He went out early in the morning, seeking some laborers to work in his vineyard. He saw some unemployed and not receiving centaling payment either. It wasn't Australia by the looks of it.

So they were standing idle, nothing to do. The Lord said, why are you standing idle like this? They said, well, no one has ever approached us and asked us if we wish to work. He said, okay, would you like to work in my vineyard? They said, yes.

He said, I'll pay you a denarii for the day. That was the currency at the time of the Lord Jesus, denarii. Let's say a dollar of our time.

And they agreed to receive a denarii for the whole day. And then the parable says that the vineyard owner went out on the third hour and found again people idle. He said, why are you idle? They said, nobody wants to employ us.

He said, go to my vineyard and work. And then whatever I give you, I give you. They agreed.

He did not mention anything about how much he was gonna pay them. But they agreed because they were unemployed. It's better than nothing.

And then he went out on the sixth and the ninth hour together, these two hours, the Holy Spirit inspired Saint Matthew to ride the two hours together, the sixth and the ninth hour together and found again people idle. He sent them to the vineyard and didn't mention how much he'll pay them. And then he went out again on the 11th hour and did the same thing.

When the day was over, he called his stewards and he said, call the laborers and pay them starting from the last ones till the first ones. When the last ones came, by the way, third hour, sixth hour, ninth hour, 11th hour, these are hours used till this very day by our beloved Jewish people. They still use these hours.

So third hour, he went first thing early morning. What is early morning? Our time, 6 a.m. Third hour, 9 a.m. Sixth and ninth hour, 12 midday and 3 p.m. 11th hour, 5 p.m. The day for the Jews and even for the church finishes at 6 p.m. So those who worked at the 11th hour, 5 p.m., they only worked for one hour and one hour only. But those who worked from early morning, 6 a.m. till 5 p.m., they worked an 11-hour shift.

My goodness, if you were working in Woolies for 11 hours, your back is gone. They worked for 11 hours. But those early morning, 6 a.m., he said, I'll pay you a denarii.

They accepted for 11 hours. The last ones were paid first. They worked only one hour.

The Lord said to the stewards, he said, pay these people who worked for an hour a denarii. Those who worked from 6 a.m. came running. Master, this is not fair.

We're buggered. We're gone. 11-hour shift.

We've been scorched in the sun during lunchtime. No break, no nothing. You're gonna pay us the same as these people who had it easy, only one hour.

Where is the fairness? The owner of the vineyard said, didn't we agree on a denarii? I asked you, and you accepted the denarii. So what is your problem now? Get your denarii and go your way. And also, I am the owner of the vineyard.

Don't I have the right to do whatever I want with my own? I wish to pay these people who worked for an hour the same as you who have worked 11 hours. What is your problem? I wanna do that. I feel doing it.

But we whinge and we complain. It's not fair. I've been working in the church for 20 years.

And so-and-so came the other day, and you are treating that so-and-so the same way you're treating me, bishop. That's not fair. I've been with you loyal for 20 years.

This person came the other day. How can you give him the same treat as me who has been loyal to you for 20 years? Have I forced you? Have I locked you and chained you? Don't I have the right to treat my beloved children the same? I don't want the one who came now to feel as if they are not welcomed. I don't want the one who came now to feel as if they are strangers.

I want them to feel as if I've known them all their life. So I love you. Some of you, maybe it's the first time here.

But for me, you've always been here. There is no difference. Don't ever say, I am Italian, stallion, palissimo.

I am Lebanese, oh, habibi. I am Lebanese, habib albi. Ay, where is the tabbouleh? I am Armenian.

I am Australian. I am Assyrian. I am Chinese.

I am Turkish. Chokh guzal. I am whatever nationality.

You are the child of God. This is your home. And I'm your dad, as long as you behave.

Just kidding. Early morning represents our father, Adam, 6 a.m. The first start. The owner of the vineyard, I should say this, the owner of the vineyard is Jesus Christ.

All glory to his holy name. What is the vineyard? The vineyard is the church of Christ of the Old Testament. What is the church of Christ in the New Testament? The bride.

The bride. The church of the Lord of the Old Testament is the vineyard. Grapes.

So he went out early morning. Adam was the first creation of God. Being idle, meaning you have sinned, Adam.

Sin has made you unemployed. Sin has made you idle. Sin has paralyzed you.

You are unable to work because you're a sinner. And since you are a sinner, the Bible says the wage of sin is death. And since you are dead, therefore you cannot work.

When we read in the gospel of St. Luke, chapter 15, about the prodigal son, Luke 15. Maybe we've read it, maybe we've heard it, but we did not pay enough attention. Maybe some of us, if not most of us.

That younger brother, the younger son, what did he say when he was in that pig's field? He woke up to himself. He said, I'm gonna go back to my dad. And I'll say, dad, I have sinned before you in heaven.

I am not worthy to be called your son. Make me like those servants in your home. I am not worthy to be called your son, but let me work as a servant in your home.

When the son was coming back, the father ran toward him and embraced him. What did the father say about the son? My son was dead, and now is alive. My son was lost, and now is fine.

And there was a song written about it called Amazing Grace. ♪ Amazing grace ♪ I sound like Mariah Carey, okay, so. What did the father say first about the son? My son was dead, and now he is alive.

What did the son say? I'm gonna go and tell dad, I am not worthy to be called your son. Let me be a servant working in your house. The father said, my son, you are dead.

You are good for nothing. Because a dead person is good for nothing. A dead person cannot work, cannot speak, cannot do nothing.

You need God to raise you from the dead. Because it only takes God to raise the dead. And this is a message to every human being that tries, that tries to compare Jesus Christ with any religious figures, philosophical figures, political figures.

I'll say this to you, my dear friend. If we bring someone like Socrates and Plato, if we bring Buddha, Muhammad, we bring all Krishna, we bring all the religious leaders, we bring the greatest political figures that came to this world, the ultimate that they could have achieved, if they were able to do it, was to change a bad person into a good person. This is the ultimate they could have achieved, to change a bad person into a good person.

Jesus Christ stands way above and beyond so uniquely from any figure you could ever compare. There is no comparison when it comes to Jesus Christ. Why? Because the Lord Jesus did not come to change the bad person into a good person.

The Lord Jesus came to change a dead person into a living one. In this, no comparison.