A Reveling Invitation

The Rejected Invitation

Israel had rejected God’s invitation for generations

the people of Israel we are confronted with what happens when the people of God have a haphazard approach to their relationship with him. The great cycle of love God, serve God, drift away, compromise, judgement, redemption.

When a sports team wins a championship they are invited to the WH, and it has now become common practice for some of the players to “protest” by not going to the White House

Many people will reject God’s invitation

Some people reject the invitation not because they are hostile

Matthew 22:6 “while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.”

These are easy to spot- but if we are honest, they are the minority.

Some reject it because they are indifferent

Matthew 22:4–5 “Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.” ’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,”

The Radical Invitation

This invitation was radical then, and it is radical now. For the people of Jesus’ day it was radical because up to this point Jews were God’s people- it was a heritage and lineage connection. Gentiles were not God’s people- so they were not invited to this dinner. Jesus opening up the invitation to the least and last to them was showing them that soon the Kingdom of God would be open to all people- no matter what their ancestry was.

For us today this invitation reminds us that all people are welcome in the Kingdom of God.

It is not the perfect, polished, redeemed, and sanctified Christian who is welcomed into the Kingdom of God- no it is the dirty, deplorable, the least, and the lost.

Ryan Johnson, minister in Glen Elder, Kansas, shares this story:

I was heading north out of Salina, Kansas when I saw him.

His name was Charlie.

Charles was sitting in the ditch with large army bags.

The cold misty rain was drenching him and his bags.

He wore his Vietnam jacket proudly. It laid over is 400 pound body like a tarp.

I pulled over and asked if I could help. He asked if I would load his bags (and man did he mean bags) on the car and drive them to the gas station that was a hundred yards away, he would appreciate it.

I did. He limped along following the behind my car.

For a few fruitless hours I tried to talk him into going to a rescue mission. I prayed with him and left

I continued to travel North on HW 81 to my home. That’s when Jesus started in. I said "Jesus, I can’t take him home. He could kill me. And Jesus, he really stinks…Jesus there is no way I am letting him stay the night… Now Lord, I prayed with him. I helped him."

I felt the words he said, echoed from Matthew 25, "When you welcome me in...not if you prayed with me..."

So, I made a u-turn on Highway 81.

I pulled up next to Charlie at the gas station. I said, “Charlie get in!”

Charlie said, “Getty up!”

For the next hour and a half, I rode with this 400 lb. man in my small car. I had to crack the window to be able to breath through the stench. I heard the story of how a once veteran becomes a misfits. It was the common dilemma of needing medicine to get a job and a job to get the medicine.

We got to my place. I laid a sheet on the couch. I washed his clothes and belongings.

The next morning I took him to the police station as part of the ministerial alliance agreement to get him a free motel room and a hot meal.

Later that day I received a call from the local hospital’s Social worker. She said that Charles has been admitted and wouldn’t speak to anyone but me.

I walked into room 104 and said, “Charlie what do you want. I’ve done everything.

He said, “I don’t want anything. I just wanted you to know that they told me my heart is bad and I am dying. They want to ship me to Wichita. But I can never hitch a ride out of Wichita, so I want to stay here to die. Last night was the first home I have stayed in in over 20 years. Because of that I felt welcomed. And I know Jesus is asking me to get my real heart right. I just want you to know preacher. I want you to help me accept the Lord."

When we welcome misfits, The Kingdom will expand.

The Required Transformation

There is more to this banquet than just showing up. The invitation includes attire.

Matthew 22:12–14 “And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.””

There are many people who are in the room but not in Christ.

They might come to church, or be a good person, they may even have some Scripture memorized or listen to some Christian music- they are in the room, but they are not in Christ.

Ephesians 4:22–24 “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

This man showed up in his dirty, stained, ragged clothes, and he never changed them! He was not ready for the occasion

Have you ever been really underdressed at an event?

Jess and I at Vivace

The Gospel is transformational- it makes us new.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Jesus provides the attire.

We do not make our own righteousness

Romans 3:22 “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:”

Our part

Did you get anything out of the bowl of candy on your way into church?

It was there, but there was no direct invitation

Some people would not take from it because they were not directly invited