The Stories That We Tell

What is the reason you have that grants you permission to refuse to do what God has commanded? It must be an important excuse. What I have learned is our excuses make sense to us. But there is no guarantee that it will make sense to others. So the excuse it told with illustrations and examples, one becomes animated. If you are like me, I change my voice as I speak like the person in my story or excuse.

In our excuses, we are the victims; the person, place, or things on our way become the oppressor that restrains us. Similar to the lazy man we read of in Proverbs 26:13 “The lazy man says, “There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion is in the streets!”The story is, if it weren’t for the oppressor, I would have done this or that. I would have glady done this or that if it wasn't for him or her. I have heard stories where the parents were the reason or the oppressors, the children were the reason, the employer were the reason, and even a competitor.

In some cases, the story is true. Initially, we believe all victims and give them grace as they tell their stories. As their story unfolds, once again believe them, help them comfort them, and empathize with them. You may be the first person who has ever taken the time to hear them out to minister to a soul that has been overlooked. Because we know what it is like to tell our story, and no one believes us and treats us as if we are a lying manipulator that is trying to pull on the strings of someone’s heart. People carry around scars for not being believed and taken seriously. Those scars of casting someone off as liar when they are telling the truth can be as hurtful to them as the one who originally victimized them.

As a person tells their story, believe them, yet as the story unfolds and the evidence that supports such a story is proven to be false, that changes everything. I want you to know that the perceived victim's story transforms from a story that could be true and you once believed it to an excuse.

Who enjoys hearing an excuse. An excuse is an inditement in itself that is being written or spoken by the person who is giving it or them. Who is ever satisfied with an excuse? You may ask criminals why they did it, but are we satisfied with the answer and believe they were justified for committing the crime. That excuse is not going to change what you just done. No one wants to hear of why you refused to do what was right. No one wants to hear why you did not live up to your expectations when you were given the means to do so. No one wants to hear you avoid all accountabilities. No one wants to, not even God.

To be clear God did not create us to perish and go to hell. Just like parents when they have children, they do not have plans for them to go to jail or end up in a terrible place. Great plans are made. As you know God has great plans for us all. But in response of what took place in Heaven, God created another place for the devil and his angels. Matthew 25:41 ““Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:” God will not allow devilish behavior into Heaven. Therefore he has a place for that when time is no more.

Yet God has prepared something else for the righteous. In Matthew 25:46, the unrightous will go away into everlasting punshiment but he righteous into eteral life. One group will go away and I like how Jesus puts it in Matthew 25:21 “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’”

An excuse is an enemy of repentance. An excuse will hinder someone from Coming to Jesus. People saw what Jesus was doing with their own eyes and gave themselves excuses of iligimate reasons for why Jesus was not who He said He was. That is why I posed the question at the beginning of the lesson “What is the reason you have that grants you permission to refuse to do what God has commanded?” People have their reasons for not worshiping God, for not becoming a disciple of Christ by being baptizing and allowing themselves to be taught everything that Jesus commanded. They have their reasons for why do not not forgive others. They have their reasons for why they mistreat others. To them it is a good reason. But as the evidence unfolds it is an excuse.

Luke 14:1-12 “Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” And they could not answer Him regarding these things. So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

My Lord. In our text, Jesus has been invited to a dinner by a Pharieses and and while there, Jesus was being watched closelty. Jesus heals a man and afterward he confronts the thoughts to those who watched him heal this man knowing their displeasure of this act of mercy. He told them you would save your donkey on the Sabbath, but you have a problem with a man being made whole. There disposition is a sign of a bigger problem that Jesus is unraveling at dinner.

They had a problem with self-justification. The person who is justifies themselves look for reason to exault themselves and they find those reasons in other people. They see all of their neibhors as heathens instead of people who could be saved. They look at the mistakes of others as an opportunity to justifiy themselves. Such of the Phariess and the publicain. He used the house of prayer as an opportunity to compare this life with the life of Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14). The religious leaders of that day watched how Jesus moved and they judged him as a sinner by doing good on the Sabbath. Think of by this. They condemned Jesus as beign a lawbreaker and justified themselves because they kept the Sabbath properly. Jesus would tell them man was not made for the Sabbath but the sabbath for man (Mark 2:27).

Jesus then addresses those who invited Him. He told them to stop always going for the best seat. Let someone exault you lest you get embarssed or humbled. He told then invite some people who cannot pay you back. Some invited people to feast for prestige, to become socially renouwn and to put others in their debt to enhase their power or social standing. Jesus message was don’t forget about the people who can’t pay you back. Don’t forget about the people who can do nothing but love and appreciate you. I want you to know that is our place with God. God does not just deal with the angelic host. He has dealth with man who can not do anything for him. Psalm 8:3-5 “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.” Like today, some people inviate people to dinner and social events for the purpose of getting something out to them. Lowly people are special, there is a reward to bless someone who cannot pay you back, that practice is divine.

Luke 14:13-14 “But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” A feast is exravant, it is expensive and costly. Jesus was bless those who cannot pay you back and I promise you, you will be repaid at the resurrection. This is God saying I will pay you back. That is why when you taken advantave us, know that God will pay you back. When this world makes you pay, God will pay you back, when, at the resurrection. We are like John after Jesus said I am coming quickly. He said even so, Come Lord Jesus. I am ready for my righteous reward.

Jesus had completed his discourse talkina bout self-justificaion, pride and humility and using your resources like God does to bless those who cannot repay you by way of welcoming them to your feast. Which brings us to our message.

Luke 14:15-24 “Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!” Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’ And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’ ”

Those who eat bread with Jesus are blessed. Jesus said during the last supper in Luke 22:16 “for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

Jesus describes the kingdom of God as a feast and a banquet. Those with ligitment needs do not turn down a banquet. There is a celebration that takes place within the kingdom of God here on earth and when the kingdom is delivered to the Father in Heaven.

Believe it or not, many people have excused themselves from this banquest. What is worst about this is they believe they are justified by not attending the banquest or becoming apart of the kingdim. There is nothing worst that a sinner who is justifited in his own eye. He believes there is nothing wrong with him. And since there is nothing wrong with him, since you are asking him about it, its not me, then it must be you.

In this text, Jesus is rebuking those who are making excuses for not coming to the feast.Instead of saying they do not want to go. They are justifying themselves by giving an excuse. The nation as a whole was waiting for the kingdom of God to come. They all said they were ready for it. Once the kingdom came, they all had many excuses for not wanting to be apart of it. It is said that in that time. When an event was held, an inventation was given, most they all agreed to the first inventation. And what we are readying is the reminder. Now when its time to come, excuses are given that justifies the excuser.

Our Lord has prepared so much and he has so much in store for us in this life and in the life to come. What is it that is more important that Him and His kingdom. In the kingdom, I can’t forget about those who are afar and those who cannot do anything for me. Praise God, when we bless someone who cannot invite us to anothing or return the foavor. When a person wants to know why, because that is the general response. Why are you so good to me, why are you doing this, what do you want in return. The disciples when they blessed people and healed people would say the Lord Jesus wants you to have this (Acts 3:6). The Lord Jesus has given you your sight (Acts 9:17).

Christianity is not us standing in judgment as we look at everyone else, feeling justified as when point the finger at those who do not ive as wel as us. Point the finger at those who are not as healthy as us as if they have sinned to dersve what they are dealing with.

If we say we are about the kingdom, when it is time to do kingdom business, don’t excuse yourself from it. When temptation come, don’t justify yourself when you do it.

Don’t excuse yourself for things relating to your property. Luke 14:18, this man he bought a piece of property that he needed to go see.

Don’t escuse yourself because of your pursuits. On make said he bought oxen that he needed to try in Luke 14:19.

Don’t excuse yourself because of a person. He said in Luke 14:19 that he married a wife and he cannot come.

I needs go vrs 18, and I go to prove them vrs 19, therefore I cannot come. The first part was the lie, the second part was his desire and justification for it.

Speaking of needs, what about our need for God, what about the need to prove and test all things spiritally. Its one thing telling God you cannot come to the kingdom. Its another thing hearing Him say, where I am, you cannot come.