Untitled Sermon

Party Plans

Biblical Text: Isaiah 38:18-19 (KJV)

”For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee…”

Church has entered into the amusement arena. We have jumbo screens to tantalize us with spectacular high-tech amusement. Our worship music has moved from solemn hymns of praise to the ‘bumpety-bump’ rhythm that evokes dance moves similar to those in the club. Let’s face it. We come to church to be entertained. The 21st century Christian church is losing its way. The question must be asked, “Are we trying to draw people from the world, or is the world just drawing us?”

Just look at our Sunday competition. For starters, there’s Saturday night. I’ll let you preach that to yourself. If we make it to church, the NFL barely gives us time to get back home and kick our shoes off before the start of the first game. In fact, some have been so squeezed by the bookends of Saturday night parties and the NFL, that they’ve made the NFL their ‘religion’.

Those of us who remain committed to worship on Sunday have our own demons to deal with. We get so stuck on tradition that tradition becomes nothing more than habit. If someone were to ask why we ‘do it that way’, our answer would be, “We do it that way because we’ve always done it that way.” The meaning has been thrown out; just the method tarries.

Worship has become stressful, rather than a stress release.

The choir has to get us up on our feet, or they’ve failed. The Deacon has to send up a passionate, purposeful petition of prayer, or he’s failed. The Ushers have to seat us where we want to sit, or they’ve failed. And the pastor better preach us happy, or he’s failed.

I often wonder if the church really understands what it is getting so excited about. So, today I thought I would take us back a few years…well more than a few… …to affirm what all this stirring, impressive, and sometimes extravagant worship is supposed to be about. Worship is a celebration. We gather here every Sunday to reaffirm our faith. The reason we are here is because man has a problem, but God has a plan. It’s a plan that, if properly executed, should produce one heck of a party, or ‘celebration’. And if we understand God’s purpose, no one will have to prime us for worship with 21st century enticements. When our hands open the door, our feet will do a holy dance on the floor. So let’s go back…way back…and find out what all this Sunday celebration is about.

First, there is the Purpose for the Party. Parties generally have a purpose. It could be a birthday, or a graduation, or the birth of a child. Let’s face it. We don’t need much encouragement to throw a party together. Some just need it to be Friday or Saturday night.

But God has a different motivation for His Sunday celebration. His party was the direct result of man’s problem. It’s a problem that dates all the way back to Adam. The Apostle Paul put it this way. He said, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” And it gets worse. He also said, “For the wages of sin is death...” (Romans 3:23 and 6:23). Now, that sounds like a problem to me. And if some party plans will solve the problem, I’m all for it.

God knew that His divine intervention was necessary to solve the problem of man’s disobedience. The Israelites proved that man could not be trusted to follow a simple set of rules. The Israelites kept getting sidetracked by Satan. Their flesh kept overriding their spirit. They kept breaking their covenant with God, and turning down His invitation to be ONE with Him.

Mankind still has the same problem today. How else can we explain all the unsaved people in the world, and even all the empty seats in God’s house? It’s clear that the problem still exists…so there is still a purpose for God’s party.

Now that we understand the purpose for this party, let’s look at what God did next.

Second, there is the Provision for the Party. To us that means chips and dip, wings and things, and a few beverages to wash it all down. Our party menu is meant to create a party atmosphere, to fill our stomachs and loosen us up.

And that’s just what God’s Provision for His party did for us. Man was bound by his sin, and the problem had to be dealt with. So God prepared a menu that would loose us and create a party atmosphere for all sinners. He gave His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 1 Peter 3:18 says, ”For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God…”

Man might think he needs chips, and sodas, and chicken, and a few drinks to have a party. But how many of you know that the real party doesn’t start until you drink the blood of Christ? There is no other potion so potent as the Blood. It’s the only potion that can turn a pent-up, stressed, worried, cantankerous, miserable human being into a sweet smelling savor for God. And that sounds like party-time to me!

So we have God’s purpose for the party…man’s problem, which is sin.

Then we have God’s provision for the party…the Blood of Christ.

But we are still missing something…

Finally, there is God’s Promise to invite us to the Party. The most important part of the party is not the occasion, or the provisions. It’s the invitation! God knows this very well. That’s why His invitation list includes all of mankind. Not a single person is left out. An old hymn of the church says, “All things are ready, come to the Feast; come for the table now is spread. Ye famishing, ye weary, come, and thou shalt be richly fed.” And here’s the best part; it says, “Hear the invitation, come whosoever will. Praise God for full salvation. For whosoever will.”

Whosoever will…let him come. It’s the word used to form God’s perfect invitation, which says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). The guest list is long. I’m a Whosoever. You’re a Whosoever. Every man, woman, boy and girl is a WHOSOEVER on God’s guest list.

You can plan a great party, but unless you send out invitations, no one will come. And nothing is sadder than a party without participants. Rev. John Lewiston learned that lesson all too well. He wanted to hold a “Get Acquainted” party as the new pastor of the Fellowship Baptist Church. He planned the menu and his wife solicited the help of a local caterer to help with the food preparations. The new pastor spent several days addressing the invitations to more than 1,200 members. On the Friday before the party, he went down the checklist…

Dining Room chairs…check. Tablecloths…check. Enough food…check. Invitations…check.

All things were ready…or so he thought. That Saturday afternoon, no one showed up. Well, there were his wife and children, and the caterer with food for 1,200. But no one else showed up. He was devastated. What had he done so early in his appointment as pastor to turn away every member of his new congregation? On Sunday morning, he got his answer. When he and his wife got into the car to head for worship, there were the invitations, sitting on the back seat, un-mailed.

The disciple John also says that, ”…as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, evento them that believe on his name:” (John 1:12). Notice that he says, “…as many as received Him…” the invitation must first be delivered in order to be accepted. And guess who God’s postmen are? You and I! God’s party plans depend largely upon US to deliver His invitations. I wonder how well we are doing in delivering God’s invitations. Are His invitations piled up on the back seat of our minds and hearts? Are we so poor at delivery that our invitations end up marked “Undeliverable as addressed”.

You’re here today because you received your invitation. Somebody delivered it to you, and it was marked “Personal”. It was an invitation to come to Christ…to have your sin problem eradicated, permanently and completely through the provision called Christ, your Savior. You accepted God’s invitation to this celebration, and you come willingly every Sunday, to praise God for this great party. You were once lost…but now you are found. You were blind to your sin, but now you see.

You see the source of your sin…Satan.

You see the strategy of your sin…to separate you from God.

You see the signs of your sin…your carnal flesh.

You see the sentence of your sin….death.

But you see the salvation from your sin…your Savior…Jesus Christ!

We’ve come to celebrate!

We’ve come to celebrate that we were once ugly, but Christ made us beautiful.

We’ve come to celebrate that we were once greedy, but Christ made us generous.

We’ve come to celebrate that we were once hateful, but Christ made us loving.

We’ve come to celebrate that we were once corrupt, but Christ made us pure.

We were once resentful, weak, calloused, and foolish. But Christ made us forgiving, strong, tender, and wise.

Maybe you are here by chance and did not receive an invitation.

Let me give you one today.

You are cordially invited to confess your sins and believe in your heart that Christ is your Savior.

He will be your Bread of Life. He will satisfy your hunger.

He will be your Captain of Salvation. He will defeat your enemies.

He will be your Divine Physician. He will heal your afflictions.

He will be your Firm Foundation. He will be your strength when you are weak.

Isaiah says death cannot praise God. It’s the

Come to the celebration and experience His grace, His glory and His grandeur.

Come to the celebration and feel His peace, His power, and His perfection.

Come to the celebration and accept His wisdom, His wealth, and His wonder.

Come to the celebration and feast on His help, His hope and His harmony.

At this party, the ‘table’ will never be bare and the fountain will never run dry.