November 9, 2025
Rejected King
Ricky Smith

Sermon Notes

Mark 12:1-12
And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this Scripture: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.

I. God Is Patient When Sinners Resist

II. The Father Sent the One He Loves, and We Should Honor

To reject the Son is to reject the Father who sent Him.

III. God’s Patience Will Not Last Forever

When you ignore Jesus, you’re not just missing a message—you’re rejecting the One who sent Him to save you.

Next Steps

• I confess my sin and turn to Jesus as King for the first time.
• I commit to steward what God has entrusted to me through the Gospel
• I choose to share the message of God’s love and mercy this week with ___________.

Deep Dive

1. Read Psalm 118:22–23 and Acts 4:11. What does it mean for Jesus to be the cornerstone?
2. What “fruit” is God expecting from His people today?
3. How should this parable impact the way we see Jesus and His mission?

Springboard

1. Read Mark 12:13-17. Why did the Pharisees and Herodians unite against Jesus, and what does that reveal about spiritual opposition?
2. Read Proverbs 29:5. How can we guard our hearts from the dangers of flattery?
3. According to Romans 13:1-7, how should Christians relate to government authority?