You're Invited

“You’re Invited”

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Don’t you love to get an invitation to a special occasion? Like a wedding ceremony, or a 50 year anniversary. You receive the invitation and you’re excited about going, you put it on your calendar and you look forward to it. You have been invited to something very special.

I am pumped today, because God has given me the privilege to extend to you the most amazing invitation you will ever receive!

It is an invitation from God himself, inviting you to come to the great supper of salvation.

Jesus tells the story of the great banquet while he is eating in a Pharisee’s house. The tension around the table was so thick you could cut it with a knife. From the moment Jesus walked through the door the Pharisees had been watching him, trying to find something wrong with him, that’s why they invited him.

It was a very awkward meal, and the tension continue to grow. Jesus healed a man with edema on the Sabbath, and then rebuked the Pharisees for rescue their animals on the Sabbath; and then criticizing him for rescue and a man.

Then Jesus rebuked the guest for seeking the seats of honor, and then he rebuked the host for only inviting those who could return the favor. By now everyone in the room had been rebuked by Jesus, and were angry at Jesus. You can imagine the awkward silence around the table. The Pharisee who invited him is probably thinking; why did I invite him? This dinner has become a disaster!

One of them trying to save the day, made a spiritual comment that he thought everyone would agree with, V:15-“Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God”.

This was a reference to the Old Testament promise of the great, eternal banquet that the King of Kings was preparing for his people. (.)

What a blessing it will be to sit down at that great feast in the eternal kingdom of God.

However, the man who uttered this pious statement was making a tremendous mistake; it was a dangerous assumption. Get the picture, it’s like he’s making a toast to his fellow Pharisees Saying:

(In a Religious voice)”blessed are the likes of us who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God”.

He assumes that he and his fellow Pharisees will be at the great banquet in the kingdom of God because they were the children of Abraham, were religious, and deserved a place at God’s table.

He also assumed that Jesus would agree with what he was saying. Boy was in for a shock! Many people make the same assumption today, they like to talk about heaven; they are confident that they deserve to go to heaven; and they assume that Jesus agrees with them. Yet not everyone talking about heaven is going there. Jesus explains in this parable of the great banquet, the only people who will sit down at God’s table are those who respond to His invitation.

Jesus tells this story to the Pharisees, the religious people who think they have a seat at the banquet table. And he explains to them they don’t have a seat, because they have not accepted the invitation! No one is going to enjoy the feast of salvation, and enjoy the marriage supper of the Lamb; who has not accepted the invitation!

The story that Jesus tells has three scenes.

Scene #1:

1. The Invitation is Sent Out.

V:16-17.

The story goes this way, a very wealthy man made a great supper, V:16-“and invited many”. He went to a lot of expense and work to prepare a great feast.

And when the feast was ready, V:17-“he sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were invited, come; for all things are now ready”.

According to New Testament custom, a wealthy man hosting a banquet would send out two invitations.

The first invitation is mentioned in, V:16, he invited many. This would be done weeks, in advance. Just like we do with our wedding invitations, anniversary invitations today; we say save the date.

The second invitation is mentioned in, V:17-“come everything is now ready”.

In that culture it was the custom to give a second invitation to let the guest know exactly when to show up for the meal. It was like the reminder going off on your phone; tonight is the great banquet.

What is this parable all about?

This great supper, represents the feast of salvation which God has prepared at a great expense, sacrifice, and effort for us.

The banquet was an ancient symbol of salvation; God desires to fellowship with his people and to satisfy them with good things.

Jesus compares salvation to a great supper; to a wonderful feast for your soul!

Salvation is a feast, is not a funeral!

Satan will like you to believe that coming to Jesus Christ means losing… That it means a life of sadness, boredom, rules and regulations.

That if you accept Jesus as your Savior all the fun and good times are over for you! And sadly there are some Christians who don’t help the matter very much; they walk around like the saddest people on the face of the earth.

Jesus said that salvation is like a great supper, it is a feast for the heart and soul! Salvation is compared to the greatest feast that any King has ever made.

Everything to fill the deep hunger and thirst of your heart is found on the table of salvation. Jesus Christ alone can feel the deepest needs in your heart and life!

This parable is about the invitation sent out to you to come to Jesus, to enjoy the supper of salvation that He alone provides.

It is:

a. A Simply invitation.

V:17-“Come, for all things are now ready”.

What a simple invitation this is; he simply says come. This is a reminder that God takes the initiation in salvation, it is God who invites people to come. Oh the great, great love of God, to not only provide the great supper of salvation at the expense of the sacrifice of His son on the cross, but then He also sends His servant the Holy Spirit to invite us to come to Him for salvation. It is not that we seek God, no, the Bible tells us that none seeks after God.

We don’t seek after God, He seeks after us; God knocks at the door of your heart inviting you to come to Him for salvation and forgiveness.

The invitation from the king is “Come”! Come is one of the greatest words in the Bible.

The first invitation in the Bible is given in the book of Genesis, God stood in the door of that Ark and said to Noah and his family;

-“Come, you and all you house into the Ark”

God didn’t say, go into the ark, he said come in the Ark. God said, come in because He was already in there, to fellowship and protect them. All through the Bible you find this great word from God: “Come” over and over God is inviting!

Jesus said, come unto me all you that labor and are heavy burdened and I will give you rest.

Jesus also said, whosoever that comes to me I will not cast out”

The apostle Peter said, God is not willing that any perish, but that all come to salvation.

On the very last page of the Bible you read this gracious invitation.

-“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

What a simple invitation, come to Jesus in repentance and faith, and you will be saved! Someone is thinking that sounds too good to be true, that’s just too simple. Yes it good and it is simply, but it is true!

It is:

a. A simply invitation.

It is:

b. An Amazing Invitation.

V:17-“come; for all things are now Ready”

Everything we need for salvation is “ready”… because God has prepared it all for us through Jesus Christ!

This dinner is free, but it is not cheap, salvation is free, but it is not cheat. We can feast at the table of salvation because Jesus paid the price for our salvation with His blood on the cross!

The price of salvation has been paid, the table is set, all things are ready for you to come and partake!

You insult the King of Heaven and His son the Lord Jesus by trying to bring something to the table.

He has made all of the preparations necessary for your salvation!

What an amazing invitation; come to me for salvation and satisfaction… I have prepared everything, nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling.

God, the king in this story has set the table, provided the food and drink, has everything ready, then says, come all things are ready.

When it comes to your salvation, God has done everything necessary for you to be saved! When the Bible says, V:17-“all things are ready”

The word “ready” means- completely ready, nothing lacking!

It means that you can’t add anything to it! The great dinner of salvation is not a pot-luck dinner were you bring your own dish of good works to add to God’s finished salvation. You don’t fix your own salvation, you don’t add to God’s salvation like it is in need of your works.

Don’t insult God by trying to add anything to what Jesus did on the cross when He died for your sins, and cried out-“It is finished”, the debt is paid in full! All things are now ready! Salvation doesn’t depend on anything that your can do, but totally and completely on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross! Think about all that is involved in that word: “Ready”.

· Take all the tears that Jesus ever shed, every tear says-Come all things are ready!

· Take every groan that every left the lips of Jesus, every groan says-Come all things are ready!

· Take the sweat that turned to blood as Jesus prayed in the garden, every drop says-Come all things are ready!

· Take every drop of blood that flowed from His nailed pieced hands and feet and wounded side, the blood that Jesus shed on that cross says-Come all things are ready!

· Look into the empty tomb and see that Jesus is not in there, He is risen! The empty tomb says-Come all things are ready!

Because of what Jesus did on the cross and through the empty tomb, every provision for your salvation has already been made! I am telling you all things are now ready! Right here is the difference between religion and salvation:

Religion says-go and do.

Salvation says come and be.

Jesus paid it all; all to Him!

This is an amazing invitation because everything has been provided; all we have to do is come.

This invitation is:

c. An urgent invitation.

V:17-“Come ; for all things are now ready”.

God had been offering the invitation of salvation through the Old Testament prophets for hundreds of years.

That was the first invitation, letting the world know through the prophets that the Messiah was coming.

The Savior was coming and through him you would find salvation.

Jesus had come on the scene; he’s the Savior of the world, and he saying; now is the time to receive me as your Savior, deliver, rescuer, Messiah!

Now! Is your day of salvation! The time of the banquet of salvation had arrived; because the Savior was there; so come put your faith in him and do it today! The call of salvation is urgent!

Jesus Christ has provided salvation through his death, and resurrection; now you must come!

God, the Holy Spirit is inviting you today to come receive Jesus, the bread of life; come today, don’t put it off!

-“now is the accepted time; now is a day of salvation”.

Why does God puts salvation in the terms of now, today?

· Yesterday, is gone forever, yesterday is the land of broken dreams and wasted lives.

· Tomorrow, may never come, the Bible says, boast not myself up tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth”.

· Today, is the only day you know you have.

When the invitation is given this morning and you feel a desire in your heart to be saved; come for all things are now ready!

The invitation is sent out.

Scene #2:

2. The Invitation is Turned Down.

V:18-20.

Jesus is speaking to these religious people, the Pharisees. They had received God’s invitation through the Old Testament prophets to receive the Messiah. Jesus the Messiah had arrived, now was a time to respond to Jesus; but sadly the Jewish leaders were turning down the invitation. Imagine how excited the servant was as he went to tell the previously invited guest come, for all things are now ready. He had seen the great table, he had seen the food being prepared, he knew the great effort and cost involved in preparing this great supper.

He rushes out the door to tell the previously invited guest; the supper is now ready. He is thinking that everyone will respond and come; he thinks everyone will say yes to such a great supper! You think this morning that people would be excited, and eager to come to the supper of salvation! But sadly not everyone accepts the invitation from God to be saved!

This is one of the heartbreaks of servants who preach the gospel, and invite people to receive Jesus, to come to the supper of salvation. It is heartbreaking to see people turn down the greatest invitation they will ever receive.

That is what happened in this story; the servant goes out to invite people and they all with one consent began to make an excuse of why they couldn’t come.

Jesus takes us to three different houses, knocks on three different doors, and shows us three people who turned down the invitation by offering an excuse. When you listen to these excuses, they sound acceptable on the surface; but when you think about them they are all lame.

Let’s follow the servant to the first house;

V:18-Read.

A man with a suit on comes to the door, he is a very successful businessman. He has dollar-signs for eyes, and deposit boxes for hands.

The invitation is given, you are invited to the great supper. He says, well, I’m sorry, I just bought a piece of land from the Jerusalem restate company and I’ve got to go and check it out. I cannot come, please have me excused. He smiles and says, have a good day as he closes the door, he thinks his excuse is acceptable.

The servant goes to the second house, V:19-Read.

The server knocks on the door there comes to the door a cowboy, he has boots, spurs, and a 10 gallon hat on his head. He says, Howdy partner, what can I do for you? The servant says, sir you have been invited to the supper of a lifetime, the great supper of salvation. He says, partner, I’ve bought five yoke of oxen and I’ve got to go try them out, please have me excused. He nods and tips his hat, as if his excuse is acceptable.

The servant goes to the third house, V:20-Read.

He knocks on the door, the door opens and there stands a young man with a tuxedo on, a flower in his lapel; on the back of his wagon it says;

“Just married”.

Sir, Mr. Groom you are invited to a great supper, would you please come. He says, oh no, I can’t come, I just got married. And he feels like this is an acceptable excuse. They all made excuses; one had a real estate concern, one had a job concern, one had a family concern. My wealth, my work, my wife: we cannot come!

It happens the same way today; the Holy Spirit knocks on your hearts door, the invitation to be saved is given, and you have an excuse on the tip of your tongue, and if you don’t have an excuse the devil will provide you one.

I’ve been preaching the gospel over 30 years, and I have heard a lot of excuses for why people do not accept Jesus.

Here are a few of the most common ones:

I would come but:

· There are hypocrites in the church.

· I have too much to give up.

· I don’t have that feeling.

· When I can live it, I will be saved.

Excuses are alibis that become lullabies, to lull you into Hell.

Whatever excuse you have, when you take a closer look, it is unacceptable, and will not be accepted by God. Think about the excuses made by the people in the parable Jesus tells.

The businessman, had bought a piece of land, and needed to go see it. This was a lame excuse, this guy was either a fool or a liar. Who would wait to inspect his new property until after he had bought it? And if he had already bought it, he could’ve waited until the next day to look at it. And would you go and look at it at nighttime, suppertime.

The cowboy, said he had bought five yoke of oxen, that’s 10 oxen, without ever looking at them. You mean to tell me this man brought these animals without ever checking them out?

Everyone who heard Jesus say this would know this was a sorry excuse.

The third man, said I just got married, I cannot come. What wife wouldn’t want to dress up and go to a great banquet? Plus they had just got married, she probably couldn’t cook worth a flip; it was his chance to get a good meal. The point of Jesus story is all there excuses were absolutely lame and unacceptable! They did not come to the banquet, because they did not want to come to the banquet!

Jesus had just told the same people, that the people of Jerusalem did not come under the wings of Almighty God because they did not want to, 13:34.

And there is no excuse that will stand up in the Day of Judgment, for why you have not received the invitation to be saved!

The reason you have not come to Jesus, is because you don’t want to come to Jesus!

Think about the excuses that people make today:

1. Hypocrites in the church.

I would be saved, but there are too many hypocrites in the church. Well, I know that; and everybody in here knows that. There are hypocrites in every walk of life.

Shyster lawyers-but there are good ones too.

Quack doctors-but there are good doctors too.

False preachers-but there are true men of God too.

Yes, there are hypocrites; but there are also true blue, born again children of God who are really saved, and living for Jesus.

I had rather come to church and sit between two hypocrites, then die and go to hell with all the hypocrites.

2. I have too much to give up.

There is only one thing God ever asked you to give up to come to Jesus and be saved. And that is your sin! You say, that’s right, that’s why I’m not coming; it’s my sin, I do want to give up my sin. You don’t?

You remind me of the man who went to the hospital, and the doctor told him he had cancer, and it was draining his life away. The doctor said we’ve got to get the tumor out, or you’re not going to live. Imagine he says to the doctor, I’ve known about the cancerous growth for some time.

But Dr. I’ve become attached to the cancer, and I just don’t want to give it up! How ridiculous would that be! No! The man would say get the cancerous tumor out of my body as fast as you can!

Your sin, is robbing you from spiritual life, salvation! Your sin has brought spiritual separation, and will bring eternal separation; unless you repent of your sin, give it up, turn it loose and come to Jesus Christ for salvation!

3. I don’t have that feeling.

I’ve been reading the Bible for long time, and I cannot find one single verse that says you’re saved by feeling. No, you’re saved by faith and what Jesus Christ did on the cross for you!

4. I am going to wait until I can live it.

That’s like saying, I am going to wait until I am well, before I go to the doctor. If you wait until you think you can live the Christian life to be saved; you’ll never be saved! You come to Jesus because you know you can’t live the Christian life, you need Jesus to live the Christian life through you.

Whatever excuse you are using to turn down the invitation to accept Jesus, Junk the excuse and come to Jesus!

-“You are inexcusable…

No excuse will be accepted by God, he has done everything to provide the great supper of salvation, and he has invited you, don’t turn down His invitation!

When the servant went back and told his master that the invitation had been turned down,

V:21-“the master of the house was angry…

It is the anger of wounded love, because the excuses were so lame. The truth was the people invited did not value the king, or his kingdom that is why they did not come.

What manners more to you than Jesus and His offer of salivation?

My property, I’ve got to mow it, my car, I’ve got to tinker with it, my wife, I’ve got to please her.

I’m too busy to come to church or think about spiritual things. I’m tied up with commitments at work. It’s my only day to play golf.

No wonder God is upset, angry, he looks down from heaven and says, “Can you believe it!

I have provided a great supper of salvation through the death of my son, I have sent out my servants to invite people to come and be saved and yet they make excuses.

The reason these religious people would not be at the banquet, is because they would not accept the invitation. (13:28.)

What could possibly be more important than making sure that you have eternal life and that you’re right with God!

What property could be more valuable than a title deed to heaven?

What relationship could be more important than the one you can have with the God who made you and sent his son to die for your sins?

You have been invited by the King of glory, the Lord of heaven, he has invited you to be saved; there is no excuse for not accepting his invitation!

When Queen Elizabeth sends out an invitation to an event, at the bottom of the invitation she writes:

“All excuses ceasing“

Jesus invites you; “All excuses ceasing”.

Scene #3:

3. God’s Invitation is Opened Up.

V:21-24.

The master’s invitation has been turned down, but he still has a feast to give away. Here you see the grace of God, rather than just canceling the supper; shutting the door and saying well, no one will eat of my supper! God in love tells his servant, go and bring in the poor, crippled, and the blind. Go out and find the people who know they have a need, and invite them. Jesus is inviting the people he had talked about earlier.

People who would never have the resources to return his invitation. This wider invitation was a rebuke to the Pharisees and Israel’s religious leaders; they were the invited guest, the men who had received God’s initial invitation in the Old Testament. But when Jesus came and invited them to salvation, they refused to come. So now Jesus was taking the gospel out to all the lost sinners of Israel, including the poor, broken down sinners who had never been religious at all.

Who would invite such an outcast into their home for dinner? Only a God of mercy and grace!

These people on the bottom rung of the social ladder, who could not believe that a great king, who made a great supper, would invite them.

Charles Spurgeon imagined one of the unlikely guest to the banquet saying,” I can hardly believe that I am really in a palace dining with a king… Long live the King, and blessings on the Prince and his bride”!

Can you imagine the crippled man hobbling to this scrumptious feast, the lame man being carried by his friends and sat down at the table, the blind beggar sitting next to the king? People with pitiful rags on their body, only skin and bones in a place like this, sitting at a great supper.

This is a picture of the amazing Grace of God!

If you’re here and you say:

I’m a poor lost Sinner, God says, I am inviting you.

You say, sin has scarred my life, God says, I am inviting you say, I have hit rock bottom, God is inviting you to come to the supper of salvation!

Have you ever looked around to see who’s at the table of salvation? You will see the empty made full, the dishonest made honest, the drug addict made clean, the drunk made sober.

Oh, what a loving God to invite us!! There’s no way we can pay him back; it’s all of grace!

The servant comes back and says Lord there’s still room.

V:23-“The Lord said unto his servant, go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled”.

This shows that the Lord Jesus wants his table of salvation to be full, and the invitation would go beyond the Jews, to the Gentile nations of the world. God is welcoming everyone to come and be a part of his kingdom. The great commission is, to go into all the world and preach the gospel, to go out to the highways and hedges and compel, urge people to come in! God doesn’t want to have this great supper in heaven one day and you not be there!

There is room for you at God’s table, if you will only come to Jesus!

Jesus closes this story by saying in, V:24-“None of those men which were invited shall taste of my supper”.

At the end of the story Jesus speaks in the first person, making it clear that the banquet is his banquet.

Listen, just being invited will not do; you must respond to His invitation and accept Jesus as your personal savior!

Do you think you have an excuse that is acceptable and will stand in the Day of Judgment? Take out an imaginary piece of paper in your mind, and write, dear Jesus on July 15, 2018, I heard your servant Eddie bumpers give your invitation to be saved, but I’m not going to come because. Write down your excuse, sign your name to it, are you willing?

If not, write dear Jesus on July 15, 2018, I heard your invitation, I’m humbled that you would invite me, and I’m going to accept this morning. I am going to come and give my heart to you Jesus!

Three take away’s today:

· There is a Danger to Avoid- Religious and lost.

· There is an Invitation to Accept- don’t make any excuses. Come to Jesus today!

· There is a Mission to Accomplish-you and I are servants, we must go out an invite people to the supper of salvation!