One Wedding to Attend

Introduction

1-2: Series Introduction

3-7: Christ Before Bethlehem - pt.1-6 (The Pre-Incarnate Christ)

9-10: The Incarnate Christ - pt.1-2 (The Birth of Christ)

11. Learning from a 12 Year Old

12. The Jesus We Know Not (Years of Silence)

13. The Baptism of Christ

14. Having Victory Over Temptation (The Temptation of Christ)

15. The Call to Follow (Calling the First Apostles)

The TEACHINGS OF CHRIST - The Sermon on the Mount

16. A Disciples Progression (The Beatitudes)

I. Their Inward Conflict (v3-6); II. Their Outward Charity (v7-9): III. The Inevitable Cost (v10-12)

17. The Salt of the Earth (Mat. 5:13)

I. The Preamble (Mat. 5:1-12); II. Purposes for Salt; III. Pictures of Salt: IV. The Production of Salt; V. A Precaution Given

18. The Light of the World (Mat. 5:14-16):

I. The Facts of Light; II. The Function of Light; III. The Focus of the Light (v15-16)

19. The Correct View of the Law by Christ (Mat. 5:17-48)

I. The Satisfaction of the Law: II. The Strengthening of the Law: III. A Summary of Christ’s Teachings on the Law: Christ Has Satisfied the Law for Us; We are Subject to a Higher Standard; We should Live More Righteous, not Less

20. Standards to Pursue - pt.1 (Mat. 6:1-18)

I. Secretive Philanthropy (v1-4); II. A Sincere and Submissive Prayer Life (v5-15) III. Subdue the Flesh (v16-18)

21. Standards to Pursue - pt.2 (Mat. 6:19-34)

I. Seek Heavenly Treasures (v19-24); II. Submit Yourselves to God (v25-34)

22. Kingdom Mindedness - (Mat. 7:1-12)

I. Sound Judgments; II. Seeking God’s Guidance; III. A “Self” Centered Attitude

23. The Conclusion - (Mat. 7:13-29)

I. Behold the Choice (v13-14); II. Beware of False Guides (v15-20); III. Beware of False Assurance (v21-23); IV. Be Mindful of your Foundation (v24-27)

The PARABLES of Christ

24: The Sower, the Seed and the Soil

I. The Sower: Casts Faithfully; Casts Indiscriminately; Casts Expectantly; Casts Because Duty Demands It

II. The Seed: It is Good Seed; It is the Same Seed; It is Plentiful Seed; It Holds Limitless Possibilities

III. The Soil: It Varied Greatly; It Determined the Production

25: Recovering the Lost

The Meaning of Being Lost: Lost Defined; Lost Described

I. The Manner of Becoming Lost: Through Wandering; Through Wanton Neglect; Through Willful Disobedience

II. The Method of Recovery: The Shepherd Seeks; The Owner Sweeps; The Father Waits, the Son Repents

III. Morals to Remember: There was Joy in the Recovery of All; The Prompt of the Parables; A Point to Consider

26. What the Samaritan Teaches Us

I. The Preamble: Right Question, Wrong Reason (v25); Interpretation Matters (v26); How Are You Justified? (v29)

II. The Parable: A Principled Application; There’s a Cost Associated with Our Decisions; A Personal Application; Religious ≠

Our Actions Reveal Our Nature; A Pictured Application; The Victim = Me; The Priest & Levite = The Law & Sacrifice; They Identify the Problem, but Cannot Help; The Samaritan = Jesus; He was a Hated Outsider; His Compassion Causes Action; He Sacrifices to Heal the Hurting; He’s Gone Away, but is Coming Back

Introduction

The Servants

The Image:

The Call to the Pharisees

The Neglect of the Pharisees

The Requite to the Pharisees

The Lesson:

The Point for the Pharisees

Their Call

Their Neglect

Their Requite

The Purpose of the Servants

They were Obedient

They were Persistent

They were Persecuted

They were Avenged

The Problem One Had

He Didn’t Have the Proper Attire

His Presence was Prohibited

He was Bound and Punished

I. The Point for the Pharisees

We need to recognize the main thrust of this parable is directed to the Pharisees. (Read Mat. 21). So it would not be honest with the scriptures to neglect that.

It's also important to recognize who the Pharisees were and why. Jesus directed this to them.

But first we wanna look at their call.

Their Recruitment(v3-4)

They are referred to here as “those who were bidden”. They had a standing invitation, if you will.

The Pharisees in that day were one of the two largest sects of Jewish religious factions. The Pharisees & the Sadducees.

The Sadducees were largely the institutional religion. Annas & Caiphas were most likely of the Sadducees. Acts 5:17–18 “Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.”

They were Corporate worship. They held the power. The main division between the two doctrinally is that the Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection, while the Pharisees did.

The Pharisees were the party of the people. They were the highly influential with the masses, as the common view of the Pharisees by the people was that they were extremely devout, very pious and “spiritual” people.

We view the Pharisees today in a very bad light. We see them as wicked men and truly most of them were but not in the eyes of the common man. To the common man they were godly people.

And I believe with all my heart that there is a multitude of people today who were viewed as righteous and godly by those around them but are just as dead and wicked inside as the Pharisees were.

But the point that I want to make is the fact that they were Jews and the call went to the Jew first. They were the bidden, if you will.

After Jesus chose the twelve apostles, we read this: Matthew 10:5–7 “These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Paul said this: Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

There are many prideful people who will be offended that they were not the first selected but let me tell you the truth: none of us are worthy. Jew, Gentile alike, we're all sinners and none of us deserve the grace of God. But thank God He extended it to the Jew first but also to the Gentile.

We see their call. They were the “bidden”

Their Response (v5-6)

The Lord called those the ancestors of the ones he brought out of Egypt, fed in the wilderness, setup kingdoms. The ones He revealed Himself to through miracles and prophets. Their response was three-fold:

They “made light of it”

They went their way instead of the Kings

They slew the messengers

We see these same responses from many who are bidden today.

There’s some that will make light of it.

They’ll call religion a “crutch”

They’ll make fun calling Jesus a zombie, and speak of God as a fairy tale

They’ll make fun of you for believing it.

Many will simply “go their way”

They will not show animosity towards God or the things of God, they will simply reject it for their own personal desires

Then there are some who are openly hostile

They hate God, the Word of God & they Ways of God. Mostly for these reasons:

Oftentimes they hate themselves.

They hate themselves because deep down they know just how wicked and evil they are, so they try to justify their actions and hate the God who tells them of their sin.

They hate the Word and Ways of God

Because they bring conviction.

Church, light exposes the darkness. The darkness hates the light.

I must ask, I wonder if there are any here that would fit into one of these categories?

They may be religious and have the respect of many, but inwardly they are prideful and lost.

There may be those who “make light of it” and think they don’t need God.

There may be those who are either against or indifferent to the God of the Bible, and therefore reject His call.

We see their response

Their Requite (v7)

There was a Judgment that these faced.

Church know this: no matter what your views are on God:

It doesn’t mean that they are right

Nor does it mean that you’ll be spared

Because regardless of your belief or non-belief, you will stand before the God of the Bible one day!

Jesus was warning the Pharisees - the religious, self-righteous bunch who all the masses thought so highly of…

Know also this: God will not call witnesses - your friends and family - and have them testify on your behalf, for God knows & sees all!

Proverbs 15:3 “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Beholding the evil and the good.”

Psalm 44:21 “Shall not God search this out? For he knoweth the secrets of the heart.”

We see their Requite

The Point for the Pharisees

II. The Portrayal of the Servants

Another aspect of this parable is one that's easily overlooked and that is the servants of the Lord.

Whereas those that are bidden are portrayed as souls that are lost and invited unto salvation, the portrayal of the servants is those that know the King and have been called by the King and have accepted that call and serve him.

Now I want you to know that in this parable, the only type of servants that are portrayed are faithful servants. But of course in the kingdom of heaven if you were to go through those that know the Lord Jesus Christ, there are some faithful servants but there are also some slothful servants.

We will only be speaking today of faithful servants. If you do not fall into that category, know that you can and you should if you have been born again.

This is what a Faithful servant looks like

They were Obedient

A faithful servant is an obedient servant. These servants were sent and they went even though some were persecuted.

Obedience is a trait that is just as valuable today as it was in days of old but one that has fallen out of style.

The ranks of servants of the Lord Jesus Christ that are obedient are far fewer than those who are not.

You will find churches all throughout the land today who focus on the worship of the Lord. Often times this worship is not the type that pleases God but rather pleases themselves. But regardless much emphasis is placed upon worship.

But God told Saul many years ago through the prophet Samuel: 1 Samuel 15:22–23 “And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king.”

Church, the opposite of obedience is rebellion. We like to water it down, but this is the plain truth of the matter.

Let me ask you: are you obedient unto the Lord?

Do you study His Word?

2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Do you forsake the House of God?

Hebrews 10:24–25 “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Do you share the Gospel?

Matthew 28:18–19 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”

Now I ask again, church, are you obedient unto the Lord?

These faithful servants were obedient.

They were Persistent

Their LORD sent them to & fro, to the bidden, then back to them. Then out into the highways (v9-10)

Church, walking with Christ and living the life of a Christian is one of persistent obedience. Not one and done. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year.

We see they were persistent

They were Persecuted (v6)

These servants were persecuted for serving the King.

(Ill.) We are blessed to live in America today, where we don't really suffer persecution but there are places throughout this world where they still do. Imagine coming to church today and as you are getting dressed you know that if you go to church you may become a target for death. I came today with no fear of being shot for the words that'll come out of my mouth but other preachers stood in the pulpit this morning where that was a very real possibility. Let me ask you: if this were you, would you still come? Would you still sing? Would you still identify with Christ if it meant quite possibly a bullet in your head? We like to think that we would still come but it's difficult to consider how realistic that is when just a few years ago the fear of catching a cold kept most out of the house of God.

These faithful, persistent, obedient servants were persecuted but lastly they were also avenged.

They were Avenged (v7)

The Bible tells us:

Deuteronomy 32:35 “To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; Their foot shall slide in due time: For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things that shall come upon them make haste.”

Romans 12:19 “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”

Make no mistake. Those of you that have been wronged and been persecuted for the cause of Christ, you need not take matters in your own hands because there's one far greater than you that will most assuredly avenge you.

They were Avenged

The Point for the Pharisees; The Portrayal of the Servants

III. The Problem of One

At the end of this parable where Jesus has spoken about the bidden and the servants, he now focuses on one who attempted to come to this wedding.

What does he note about this man?

He Didn’t Have the Proper Attire (v11)

This man did not have the right clothes for the occasion.

I have been a victim to this a time or two.

(Ill.) As you know I wear the best that I have to the house of God because I believe God deserves my best and He deserves effort in my appearance. But if you have seen me outside of church, many of you would find that I probably dress more down than most of you. I'm just not very concerned about my dress wear typically.

This man here tried to go to a wedding and he didn't have proper clothing.

Church, there are people trying to get to heaven but they don't have on the proper clothing. And I'm not talking about the threads upon your back. I'm talking about whether you are either in Christ or not.

Galatians 3:26–27 “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

If you’re trying to get to Heaven church it is an exclusive club. You’ll not get there by Buddha, or Muhammad, or Allah, or even Abraham or Moses - you’ll either get there by the faith of Jesus Christ or you’ll not be properly attired!

John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

He Didn’t have the Proper Attire, therefore His Presence was Prohibited - But look at this. His protest was paralyzed.

His Protest was Paralyzed (v12)

This man could not even open his mouth and give an excuse for his condition. He had no words.

(Ill.) I've watched many videos on YouTube, whether it was of Charlie Kirk or Frank And I see these people get on there and debate and they have all of these words and all of these talking points. They profess themselves to be so wise and they pretend as though they have the answers.

Church, but when they stand before God they will have no words and no answers. No reasons nor excuses. Their mouths will be stopped.

Psalm 107:42 “The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: And all iniquity shall stop her mouth.”

When you’re confronted with your sin, and you have not on the proper garment of Christ, you will see: Romans 3:19 “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”

His protest was Paralyzed

He was Bound and Punished (v13)

It’s not just that he was punished, but that he was bound - he had no way to free or flee.

Church, once you are cast into Hell, there will be no way to free or flee. You will be there as the ages roll. Crying out for a drop of water to cool your tongue!

I pray that none of you experience that.

The good news is, none of you have to - but you will if you ignore the message of Salvation. If you do a the Pharisees:

Make light of it

Ignore it

Are hostile to it

The questions is, what will you do with it?

Conclusion