The Kingdom of God (3)
The Kingdom Of God • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Hey Friends, welcome. Today we continue our study on the kingdom of God, and again we have a bit longer of a section of Scripture, so I’ll invite you to stand, but feel free to remain seated or sit part of the way through should you need to. Today we read in Luke 14:7-24
He told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they would choose the best places for themselves: “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, don’t sit in the place of honor, because a more distinguished person than you may have been invited by your host. The one who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in humiliation, you will proceed to take the lowest place.
“But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when the one who invited you comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ You will then be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
He also said to the one who had invited him, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, don’t invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors, because they might invite you back, and you would be repaid. On the contrary, when you host a banquet, invite those who are poor, maimed, lame, or blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
When one of those who reclined at the table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is the one who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” Then he told him, “A man was giving a large banquet and invited many. At the time of the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’
“But without exception they all began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. I ask you to excuse me.’ “Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m going to try them out. I ask you to excuse me.’ “And another said, ‘I just got married, and therefore I’m unable to come.’
“So the servant came back and reported these things to his master. Then in anger, the master of the house told his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in here the poor, maimed, blind, and lame.’ “ ‘Master,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, and there’s still room.’
“Then the master told the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges and make them come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, not one of those people who were invited will enjoy my banquet.’ ”
Would you pray with me? Please be seated.
As most of you know, Ariana and I raise chickens, and recently with the run on egg prices came in really handy! But we love the birds. They’re pretty, they funny to watch, and are, generally speaking, pretty easy to have around.
But there is a really interesting dynamic in flocks of chickens, and that’s the pecking order. Like that’s a real thing and sometimes a pretty intense thing.
We typically get a new batch of chicks every year, and they are separate for quite a while from the main flock so that they can get bigger and stronger - you know so the older hens don’t kill them. And as the nursery flock gets bigger, they start their own pecking order. Figuring out who is the head hen. And they claw and peck and screech at each other until it is decided what the order is.
Then it get’s all mixed up when we introduce the nursery flock into the main flock. And the whole dynamic of the flock is changed. And every one vies for higher positions. I mean it’s nuts and violent! Especially if you end up with a couple roosters. BOY! Do those guys go at it to decide who is the chief of the flock.
Chickens are crazy. I mean praise God we are not like that, right?
Though, If I’m honest, I’ve been some dinner parties that could be like that. I’ve been to some networking events for ministry leaders that look like that. Okay not exactly like that - less feathers and claws - but there is a crazy dance that happens when humans get together in community as people jockey for higher rungs on the social ladder. And it happens almost instinctually.
Gossip happens. Slander. Judgement both out loud and quiet. People will brag about their accomplishments. Even their body posture can change to reflect dominance and confidence. It’s a pecking order! and it’s crazy how much our fallen hearts crave to be at the top rung. We all seek to stroke our fragile egos and identities.
And this dynamic at parties and events seems to be a human thing. It’s not unique to just the American Ecosystem, though I would argue it is at times VERY acutely active here. But in all times - the drive to be honored and exalted is high.
Enter Jesus into the scene.
God in flesh. Nothing to prove. Fully God, Fully Human. Fully secure in his identity as the son of God in whom the Father was well pleased.
And he’s working miracles, and crowds are following him. He’s proclaiming some strange Kingdom of God stuff. But he becomes quite popular - which I have to imagine was frustrating to some of the pharisees and other ruling jewish teachers.
So at the start of Luke 14, we read taht Jesus was invited to eat at the house of one of the leading Pharisees - and that Christ’s opponents were just like watching him like a hawk. It bears mentioning - that meals around this time were often community ordeals - and especially bigger meals would be held outside - as most didn’t have large dining rooms. And especially with teachers all at a meal - with each potentially having their own disciples - this could have gathered even bystanders who were watching what was going on.
Jesus first upsets the pharisees at the meal because Jesus healed a man and it it was the sabbath day - but then seeing the games being played - he starts a parable.
He told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they would choose the best places for themselves: “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, don’t sit in the place of honor, because a more distinguished person than you may have been invited by your host. The one who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in humiliation, you will proceed to take the lowest place.
“But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when the one who invited you comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ You will then be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
So this is likely a bit of a tongue and cheek parable. Because the people were all about trying to climb the ladder. And he tells them to not assume a good spot - or else youd be ashamed! But instead sit at the lowest spot - and when you are invited higher, you will be seen by everyone.
I don’t think Jesus was suggesting this strategy to literally receive exaltation - I think he was addressing how these games were played. He was confronting the pecking order. He was calling out there desire of wanting to be honored.
Because it’s indeed possible to do just what Christ said in this parable with a wrong heart. False humility is just pride in disguise. There are times where people pretend to be humble - maybe sit at the kids table - as a strategy to get honor.
Like in all things - everything depends on our heart. On the condition of the soil of our soul. Verse 11 is the stuff.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
If we are focused on making ourselves look good - then we will be humbled. But don’t worry about making yourself look good - and then you will be exalted.
Jesus then continues in another way this worked out. Verses 12-14
He also said to the one who had invited him, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, don’t invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors, because they might invite you back, and you would be repaid. On the contrary, when you host a banquet, invite those who are poor, maimed, lame, or blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Jesus is calling out the quid pro quo kind of mentality. The I scratch your back, you scratch mine. Instead - Christ says we ought to be serving and blessing those who can never pay us back here and now.
I think there is something truly spectacular about Christ encouraging skin on skin contact with those who are poor, maimed, lame, etc. The American culture is a giving culture - like we give a ton to charities. And that in and of itself it a good thing - however sometimes we give to others to outsource the contact. Like paying for someone else to do the hard work.
Jesus, however, was always in person with the least of these. And when you give your presence - that is a deeply honoring act for the other person.
Sometimes we over complicate things - when we come across somebody who is in need, we ought to do our best to help them. And if we can’t help them - we can definitely treat them with honor, dignity and listen to them.
Because you WILL be blessed, and repaid at the resurrection.
Perhaps you can say it this way - who would you rather receive honor from? God or a human?
So don’t worry about your station in this life - instead just live well, serve well, and give well.
And if it’s true that we live in the kingdom of God - that the Father is our father - then we don’t have to play the games of climbing the ladders of peoples favor. God will not overlook us.
Therefore we can live with incredibly humility. For God sees everything. And if I’m his child - he will take care of me.
Tim Keller has a great quote on this:
“…the essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less.” - Tim Keller
And at a gut level - I think people want that. We want the peace that comes from Christ and the confidence in him. Instead of puffing ourselves up, or hiding in our shells and judging from the sidelines.
Like what if God wants us to be perfectly human-sized? Trusting him to give good things and protect.
How would that help our anxieties if we realized that you don’t have to climb the ladders, and live in the reality of the love of the living Christ? I mean that would help us feel confident to love others, and radically serve.
And that’s what someone tells Jesus:
When one of those who reclined at the table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is the one who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!”
Another one of the guests hears what Jesus is saying and in a says is saying: “Yeah that sounds great. Someday when the kingdom happens, wouldn’t that be lovely? Wont it be great when the rich and poor and strong and frail all sit down together in God’s house as his kids?” it’s like an adult telling a kid: “Yeah that’s nice, but that’s not the real world.”
I have heard stuff like this from believers all the time: “Yeah I hear that, but that’s just not the way the world works.” As if we understand the working of the world greater than the creator of the world.
But Jesus tells him another parable, with the implication that the kingdom is open now, people just don’t want it. Look at verses 16-24
Then he told him, “A man was giving a large banquet and invited many. At the time of the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’ “But without exception they all began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. I ask you to excuse me.’
“Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m going to try them out. I ask you to excuse me.’ “And another said, ‘I just got married, and therefore I’m unable to come.’
“So the servant came back and reported these things to his master. Then in anger, the master of the house told his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in here the poor, maimed, blind, and lame.’ “ ‘Master,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, and there’s still room.’
“Then the master told the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges and make them come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, not one of those people who were invited will enjoy my banquet.’ ”
The people who were already invited, notice that, are given word that everything is ready - come in and eat. Sound a lot like Jesus’ first sermon: “The Kingdom of God is near.”
The man then sends out his servant to find all those who were invited to come into the feast. Because the feast was now. The kingdom is available. Like its going to have a more glorious experience in the times to come, but it’s available right now - come and live in the kingdom.
However, many people don’t buy it, they are too busy, and give really rough examples.
The first said in verse 18 Luke 14:18
“But without exception they all began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. I ask you to excuse me.’
I don’t know about you - but the common place is to look at the field before you buy it. And fields ain’t going anywhere. It’s gonna be there after the banquet.
Next excuse Luke 14:19
“Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m going to try them out. I ask you to excuse me.’
Again - You probably would have tested the oxen first - and again - that could wait! Even if they aren’t great - you already bought them, theyre yours.
And still another one, verse 20
“And another said, ‘I just got married, and therefore I’m unable to come.’
Blames the wife! never a good call. And beside - bring your wife! If this is a large banquet in the home of an important man - surely he would LOVE to host your new bride.
At the end of the day, these excuses aren’t much of excuses, they’re more dodges. all of them could be remedied in order to go to the banquet. However - it seems like each of them felt like they had something more important to do.
And likely - they didn’t think much of the person inviting them into the feast.
They don’t want the feast. They don’t want the Man.
They don’t want the kingdom of God nor do they want God. At least not if it’s going to inconvenience them.
This is then when the parable comes home and can get a bit uncomfy. The question for us:
Do we love God and the Kingdom of God?
Do we love God and the Kingdom of God?
And do our lives reflect it? Do we want it?
Because Jesus is saying this kind of life is available now. But we have to be humble and receive it.
Because the reality is that there are lots of things in this world that can indeed prevent us from living in the reality of the kingdom of God.
That’s not to say that they are bad things. Again in the example of this parable - land is not bad, oxen can be helpful, marriage is wonderful. But if we are talking about eternal and abundant life with God, that’s got to be the main thing.
Dallas willard says that “it’s all to easy to give too much time and energy to things that are not central and let them fill up our lives.”
Most of the idols people worship in America are not giant pagan statues - they're subtle little habits and addictions.
that’s not to say that we cant rest and relax and enjoy. Far from it! Silliness can be truly wonderful. And it’s worth remembering that Jesus was beloved by children - which means he was almost certainly enjoyable, and silly at times.
But he was so kind, and silly, and mature, and dynamic - because he knew what it was like to live in the kingdom of God in the here and now. Because his identity was secure, he was centered, and therefore he was a person of love - whom people loved to be around.
And key to entrance into the kingdom is just raw humility. Because Jesus invites us in - we just are too proud to open the doors.
and I’m not just talking about salvation - I mean that’s part of it, but enjoying and living in the benefits of the kingdom in the here and now - sometimes we think we know better, or we want to prove something, or we have too much other stuff going on thats important. I can’t help but think of Revelation 3:20
See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
This is Christ speaking TO THE CHURCH. he wants to come in. But so many of us are busy competing to be successful, to be liked, to be prepared. We feel we need to clean ourselves up before we open the door. We haven’t slowed down enough to hear the knock. We are too self-absorbed to realize the hunger in our hearts to respond to Christ.
And then he says this in Revelation 3:21
“To the one who conquers I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
So Jesus is standing at the door - wanting to help, and guide, and bless, and TEACH US HOW TO LIVE A KINGDOM LIFE NOW, and he will come in and eat with us and us with him, and as we overcome the ways of the world and live the way of the kingdom of God Christ will give to the one who does so to SIT WITH HIM ON THE THRONE.
That’s about as exalted as it gets! That is startling.
But the entrance into that is humility.
So we have to be humble. And Jesus in Matthew talks about an example of humility we are supposed to look like. Matthew 18:3-4
“Truly I tell you,” he said, “unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Humble like a child. Man I love this. Cause kids are shameless.
We don’t often consider kids humble. Not a thing that comes to our mind. about kids. Messy maybe, funny sure, but Christ says Humble.
Ask your kid - do you wanna go to McDonalds or this fancy 5-star restaurant. the answer: I don’t care, do they have chicken strips?
Kids are willing to play in the dirt, and they don’t care. they wanna have fun.
A healthy kid is so sure of their identity, love, and security found in their parents, that they are so shockingly confident. Cause their parents got their back.
And it’s amazing.
Young Kids aren’t trying to exalt themselves. They’re just trying to live life and have a blast.
Jesus offers invitation for us to live with the amazing confident humility of a child of God.
Humility is a prerequisite for the kingdom of God.
Okay - let’s ask our question:
So What?
So What?
Pride is so insidious and so commonplace in our age. Our culture seems predicated on the idea of making your own kingdom, making yourself and your people look good.
We are as a culture proud of our power, both militarily and monetarily. And we appreciate people who are “self-made” successes.
There are several ways satan and sin use pride and exaltation in the human heart. Here are three.
The first is overt lording over of others. Get the nice clothes, get the nice car, sit at the best seat. Be the alpha. hustle. manipulate. Earn the respect and praise of others. This can lead to self entitlement “i deserve this.” These people can find themselves just simply not thinking of other people. They are trying to define their identity by being somebody special.
That’s I think what most people think of when we talk about pride and self-exaltation. And let’s be clear - that’s a real thing. And certain personality types are more prone to this type of behavior, overt or grandiose narcissism can be here.
The patron saint of this kind of pride may be Lady Gaga or Madonna. Look at me! I was born this way!
But it is not the only form of pride. It also manifests it self in the hidden quiet judgement.
This side doesn’t get big, it gets small. But it’s proud. IT’s so quiet - don’t you notice how quiet I am? How humble I am? This side just obliterates the overt lording people with judgement - all at the same time, building their own quiet identity of a strong silent type. These people can find themselves thinking about others so much, and quietly can think that they are better or know better - but it’s just pride in disguise. A good test is these people are quick to tell you that “it’s just not fair.” They work harder then others, and maybe even will blame God for their apparent lack of success. Because they in their bones think they deserve better. They are trying to make themselves special by their hard work.
This form of pride is so common in our culture. We love to judge the quote/unquote elites - without perhaps realizing how much pride and jealousy eats at our own hearts. And so we judge those with nice things - and instead brag about our clearance rack finds. This can be breeding ground for covert narcissism.
The patron saint of this kind of pride may be John Wayne, the strong silent type who doesn’t need help from nobody.
Pride and self exaltation has another dimension to it, and it isn’t trying to lord it over others, and it isn’t trying to make yourself great quietly - its when people start to believe that they aren’t worth anyones affection. They aren’t powerful, or beautiful like the elites, and through different circumstances, perhaps trauma or illness, they can’t make themselves get after it. And so they completely collapse and can often find themselves hating themselves. They feel shame, and guilt and fear. They have rain clouds over the heads, and the hide. They self-humiliate - because that’s what they have come to believe they deserve. They’re identity has become pain, sadness, and feeling worthless.
The patron saint of this kind of humiliation could be Eeyore from Winnie The Pooh.
All three - the one who lords over, the one who feels silently better and deserves more, and the one who has decided they were made to suffer, all of them miss the incredible scandal of the Kingdom of God.
Compare those to the example of childlike humility.
One of the things that can make a child so great and humble could be their quiet confidence. If the kid knows they are loved and cherished and protected by their parent - that kid can have swagger and confidence, not falsely, but because their identity is so secure that they can operate freely.
They can play in the dirt, they can make new friends, they can cry when things are hard, they can ask for help when they need help - cause they know what they can and can’t do, and they know their parents are their to help them.
And so the invitation of the kingdom of God in our lives is to have a childlike-faith and a child-like humility.
Jesus didn’t come to save those who felt like they were all put together. Instead he said in Mark 2:17
When Jesus heard this, he told them, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
So stop striving to make yourself seem better - and humble yourself.
Jesus didn’t come to save those who felt like they earned or were owed salvation. Those who were judging others and feeling better than them. Jesus instead said this in Matthew 7:1-5
“Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. For you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others, and you will be measured by the same measure you use. Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a beam of wood in your own eye? Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye.
Jesus isn’t leaving others and punishing them in this world by letting them be humiliated and forgotten. Jesus sees the least of these and will wipe away every tear. Psalm 34:18
The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he saves those crushed in spirit.
Often times our experiences in this world are far from the reality of the kingdom because we have a bad view of self - and of God. Instead - the kingdom belongs to the humble confidence of the children of God.
Like what if we just stopped trying to define our own identity, and just accepted what God spoke to us? Like what if we let the creator God call the shots on truth and fiction. What if we took him at his word.
And what if the expectation he has for us is just for us to be humble and perfectly human sized.
We don’t have to have pretense and pretend like we have it all figured out and be over-confident, and we don’t have to hide in fear and shame - but because of who our Dad is, we can just walk in humble obedience, and listen to his voice, and trust that he is good. I mean just imagine how that quiet confidence could radically shape our experience of the Kingdom of God in the here and now?
So many of us miss out on the truth of the kingdom because we are so stressed about trying to make everything okay. Or trying to protect ourselves.
But God tells us to to Be still and know that he is God. The CSB translates it this way Psalm 46:10
“Stop fighting, and know that I am God,
exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”
Like let God be God, and rest in him. Look at him.
What if our experience or lack of experience of the kingdom of God is because we are much too focused on our selves, our station, and the confusion of the world. What if he’s right here, ready to speak - but we are too busy pecking our brothers and sisters to notice.
Friends I believe he is.
I can’t help but think of this song:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.
Slow down, and humbly receive what Christ is offering you.
We have another song to respond to, as the team comes up - hear how God has blessed us and set up reality.
What if we believe this about our identity, instead of striving or judging or humiliating ourselves. Ephesians 1:3-14
Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ as a plan for the right time—to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him.
In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.
In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.
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