A Feast For The Least
A FEAST FOR THE LEAST
Luke 14:15-24
There is a spiritual hunger in every heart that longs to be filled just as surely as three is a physical hunger. Psalm 84:2 reads, “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the Living God.” Now that kind of hunger can be satisfied only through a relationship with the One True God. Some may try to satisfy that craving through other avenues, but ultimately, they get up from the table of false gods unfulfilled. Solomon said, “God has placed eternity in the hearts of men.”, and only the Lord can satisfy our hunger for the hope of eternal life, the forgiveness of our sins, and a purpose for living.
In Luke 14, Jesus told a parable in which He likened the kingdom of God to a sumptuous banquet. The church, the kingdom of God on earth, should be a place where the spiritually hungry can be fed on a regular basis. And it’s not the building, it’s not the atmosphere, it’s not the location that makes us the church. It’s the food we serve here; the plain meat and potatoes of God’s Word that nourishes our souls. So let’s look at Jesus’ parable about a banquet and I want you to see the comparison, the cancellation, and the commission of the church.
I. THE COMPARISON
In verse 16, “Jesus replied, ‘A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.’” The church is compared to a banquet where nourishing food is served. The Bible often compares spiritual truth to a nutritious meal. For example in the book of Amos the 8th chapter, verse 11 and 12 we read, “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will send a famine through the land. Not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from North to East searching for the Word of the Lord but they will not find it.”
Awhile back there was an article in the paper about a mainline liberal denomination that was concerned because they have lost 2 million over the last 7 years, and they’re wondering how to reclaim those people. But it’s really not that hard to figure out. Many at the core of the leadership of that denomination have denied the inspiration of the bible. They have ridiculed the miracles as fables, and take moral stands that are contrary to the Bible’s teaching. So when spiritually hungry people go into those churches, and they’re not fed the Word of God, they walk away frustrated and instinctively begin to search elsewhere for food. And the church can change its music. It can change structure. It can add drama. It can change its service times. But people still stagger away hungry. Nothing will satisfy the craving in the heart except the Word of God. Jesus talked about that. He said, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” He said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry.” He said, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”
Since the Bible says we’re to hunger for the Word of God, think with me about some of the analogies between spiritual hunger and physical hunger. For instance, whether you’re talking about physical hunger or spiritual hunger . . . it’s a good sign to get hungry. A healthy person gets hungry on a regular basis. We could eat a big meal and say, “I don’t think I’ll want to eat for another 3 weeks.” 5 hours later we ask, “Are there any leftovers? I think I could use a little sandwich.” If you’re healthy, you get hungry. A person who loses his physical appetite for a long period, has serious problems. That’s why Jesus said, “Blessed are you when you hunger and thirst after righteousness, for you will be filled.” If you can go weeks without worship or the study of God’s Word, and it doesn't bother you, you are spiritually sick. But if you miss church on the weekends and you haven't been spending regular time in God's Word and you say, “You know, my day just doesn’t go right. Something's missing in my week if I’m not worshipping.”, that’s a sign of health.
Another analogy is that our appetite changes as we mature. A little baby craves milk because he’s not yet capable of eating meat. As the child grows older he wants baby food and then more solid food. Eventually they begin to clamor for Happy Meals. You see, there’s spiritual milk for infants, but slowly the appetite changes. What appealed to us 20 years ago now seems bland. And what we couldn’t swallow 20 years ago, we now love to chew on. I Corinthians 3 says, “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly, mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food. You were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you’re still not ready.” So, a growing church has to provide a variety of meals. Certain Sunday School or midweek classes teach basic Bible beliefs as sort of a Happy Meal for growing Christians. We also offer other deeper Bible studies as sort of the lobster and steak for the more mature Christians. Our appetite changes as we get older. Hebrews 5 says, “Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teachings about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature who, by constant use, have trained themselves to distinguish good and evil.”
Another analogy is, healthy people have different appetites. Comedian Jeff Foxworthy said that his little daughter brought him a peanut butter sandwich on crackers. And since she made it, he ate it and said, “That was yummy. Thank you.” She said, “Daddy, would you like to know how I made it?” And he said, “Well, maybe.” She said, “I took some peanuts and I chewed them up and put them on the crackers. And I took some raisins and chewed them up and put them on the crackers, too. Would you like some more?” He said, “You know, honey, I’m as full as a tick right now. But I’m sure your mother would like some.” You know, people have different tastes. Some people like peanut butter with raisins. Some people actually like broccoli. Some of you prefer preaching that focuses on prophecy. Others of you are really tuned in when the sermon focuses on the family. We all have different tastes.
Another analogy is, we all need a balanced diet. According to the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, there are four food groups; milk, meat, fruit and vegetables, bread and cereal. And a balanced diet includes a little of each. Now there are one-issue Christians who crave one kind of teaching and want to discard all the others. It may be the second coming, or missions, or prayer. But we all benefit from a balanced diet and would eat the foods even though we don’t crave it. That’s one of the reasons we have different sermon series. One might be doctrinal. One might be exegetical as we work through a book of the Bible verse by verse. One might be about the family. That’s also one of the reasons we have different speakers thought the year in this pulpit. It’s good for you to be exposed to different styles. If all your food comes from the same cook, eventually everything begins to taste alike. We need a balanced diet.
Another analogy is, taste buds can be damaged. Smokers will tell you that smoking can dull the palette. Things don’t taste as good as they once did if you are a smoker. Now, if you are feeding on the world’s menu, spiritual food won’t taste as good. If you’re out drinking with your friends late Saturday night and you come to church on Sunday morning, the bible doesn’t appeal to you as much. You begin to complain, “It’s not as good as it used to be.” Proverbs 10:3 says, “The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.”
We also need to remember that we’re not the only person at the table. You know, if you asked me what my favorite meal would be? It would be something like this.
· I’d like a tossed salad with crisp lettuce and garnished with fresh tomatoes, a couple of cheeses, real bits of bacon, and ranch dressing on the side.
· I’d like a nice New York Strip steak seasoned and grilled medium-well to perfection.
· I’d like a baked potato with real butter
· and fresh sweet corn on the cob smothered with butter,
· and a warm loaf of French Bread that’s crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
· And then I’d like it all topped off with a dessert of New York Cheesecake smothered with fresh strawberries.
Let’s just dismiss right now and go eat! But you know what? Maybe some of that sounded good to you, but if I were to ask you what your favorite meal is, your menu undoubtedly would be quite different from mine. And I can’t always have my favorite meal for supper each night. You know why? Because I’m not the only one at the table each night in our home. I’ve got four kids who’d rather have a hot dog or a hamburger cooked on the grill than a steak. They’d rather have French fries than a baked potato.
And you know what? If I had my favorite spiritual meal, it would be a service where we’d started out with about 10 minutes of an up-tempo blend of gospel hymns and choruses. Then we might slow it down with a few Gospel hymns so we could get ready for prayer and communion. Then maybe we’d do one praise chorus with a praise band and someone could sing an upbeat Gospel song. And then we’d have someone like Chuck Colson come in and preach about defending the faith in our modern culture. But when I come to church, I have to take into consideration; I’m not the only one here. It’s not all about me. There are some others who are fed by lots of contemporary music, and they would gag on an hour of apologetics every weekend. They need other kinds of food. And when I look around and I see other people being fed and other people happy, just as I'm happy when my wife is happy, I’m happy when you’re happy. The church is to be like delicious joyful banquet where everybody can be fed.
II. THE CANCELLATION
Well, even though this man had made elaborate banquet plans, many of his friends called in last-minute cancellations. And the church has to anticipate some shallow excuses. Look at verse 18, “But they all alike began to make excuses.” Now, in Bible times, invitations were sent in two stages; first was the announcement of the upcoming banquet and people were expected to respond with their intention. A host had to know how many guests were coming so he’d know how many animals to butcher and how to prepare enough food. It was much more complicated than just running out to the grocery store to pick up another steak or two for the grill. Then, just before the feast was given, the host sent his servants out to tell his guests that the meal was ready and they should come. Warren Wiersbe points out that each of these guests in the parable had already agreed to attend the banquet. The host expected them to be there because food was prepared for them. But instead of eagerly coming to the feast that was prepared for them, the guests insulted the host by last-minute cancellations. They gave these feeble excuses.
The first was a feeble business excuse. The man said, “I just bought a field and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.” Chances are this man had not bought a field sight unseen and he was going to see it for the first time. He may have been a real estate developer who wanted to go plot how he was going to develop his land.
Another guy made a pleasure excuse. William Barclay calls it a novelty excuse. Verse 19, “Another said, ‘I’ve just bought five yoke of oxen and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’” You know what it’s like to get something new; new car, new boat, new place on the lake, new motorcycle, new computer. You can’t wait to see how it works! This guy bout 10 oxen and he couldn’t wait to see how they teamed up together.
The church today faces some pretty fierce competition from the world of entertainment. You can flip a switch and immediately you’re sitting at the feet of the world’s greatest entertainers. Television, videos, PlayStation 2 games. You can push a button and you’re sitting at the feet of the world via the Internet. You can get into a car and drive 90 miles and you can go to Disneyworld. And there has to be constant action today to keep people’s attention. The one thing that kids today hate is to be bored. This is boring! There’s nothin’ to do.
Please understand, we’re not here to entertain you. To be honest, Christianity is not always the most exciting life, but it is the most fulfilling life. But Jesus said, “If anyone’s going to come after me, he’s going to have to deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” There’s nothing really exciting about working for an hour to get 3 kids ready to come to church. There’s nothing dramatic about getting up 15 minutes earlier each day and reading he Bible. It’s not spectacular to live within your means, pay your bills on schedule, go to work on time, and be faithful to your mate. That’s not nearly as exciting as the party life, but it’s better. But those who are so shallow that they only what to go where the good times roll, are like this man, “Well, nice banquet, but I bought 5 yoke of oxen. I’ve got to go test them.”
The third man gave a family excuse. Verse 20, “Still another said, ‘I just got married so I can’t come.’” Now this is the one excuse that most of us can readily understand. There’s a sign that hangs in some paint stores: “Husbands choosing colors must have notes from their wives.” You know, a wrong marriage can be a barrier to participation in the Lord's banquet. That’s why 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?” Some of you listening to me right now have limited your involvement in the church because your mate is not a Christian or does not share your commitment. Now I Corinthians 7 says that you are to stay with that mate. I Peter 3 says you are to try to live them over by your congenial personality. But your spiritual development is somewhat limited because of your marriage.
· I want to get baptized, but my mate grew up in another church and I fear I would alienate my spouse if I did.
· I’d love it if we prayed together, but you know my spouse is kind of a private person.
· I can’t come to a Saturday morning men’s group because my wife thinks it’s really fanatical to come that early.
· I’d love to tithe, but my partner doesn’t share that conviction.
· Oh, I’d love to be able to talk to my husband about what’s going on in church and share my spiritual growth, but he doesn’t come.
Do you know how frustrating it is not to talk about the thing that means the most to you with the person you love the most? And you understand this man who said, “I'm sorry. I can’t come to the banquet because I’ve married a wife.” That’s why, young people, it’s so important that you marry someone who shares your faith in the Lord. It’s a wonderful thing to see people going to the banquet together and growing together in the Lord. Marriage ought to be an experience where we grow old together in the Lord as well as physically and emotionally. But for some it’s not. It’s just the opposite. “I can’t come because of this situation I’ve got at home.”
III. THE COMMISSION
Well, as you might guess, these shallow excuses angered the host but he gave his servants a new commission to go out and invite others who were hungry. “The servant came back and reported this to his master and the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.” We are God’s servants. And we’re challenged to go out and bring others into God’s kingdom. Even though there ware going to be some who will give shallow excuses, we’re to keep inviting because our Lord does not want any to perish but all to come to repentance.
Verse 22, “Sir, the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.” Now, look around you today folks. REALLY. Take a moment to scan the three sections of pews here today. We’re far from full. And those empty spaces in the pews ought to bug you every week. It is our goal to fill this place up.
The master in the parable said, “Make them come in.” I don’t think that means we force people at gunpoint. But the KJV says, “compel them to come in.” We compel people by loving them. We compel people by living an authentic life for Christ in their presence. We compel them by logic, being able to give a reason for the hope that we have. We compel them by being attractively aggressive in making invitations. I heard about a homebuilder who had just finished a home for a new family. When they moved in he handed them the keys to their new home and said, “I want you to do me a favor.” “What’s that,” they asked. “I want you to come to church with me this Sunday. If you don’t like it, I will buy you a steak dinner.” That homebuilder called his preacher before that Sunday and said, “I don’t want to put any pressure on you, but the sermon better be good this week.” I think there are times in our witness for Christ that we become too passive, too tactful. We ought to be attractively aggressive in inviting people to come to the feast.
The host said, “You go out into the streets of the town. And then he added, you go out to the country lanes.” In other words, you stretch the boundaries. You go beyond the normal circle of outreach. That’s why in 2003 year we sent in excess of $70,000 to mission work outside of Seminole. Since people are hungry for something more than this world, the church has got to be a place where we continue to reach out to every nook and cranny of his world and compel them to come in so the Lord’s house may be full and they might be fed.
Let me close with a story from II Kings the 6th and 7th chapters. The city of Samaria was under siege by the Assyrian army. They encircled the city and wouldn’t let anything or anyone in our out. Eventually, the food supply ran out and the people literally began to starve to death. Those remaining because so hungry that the Bible says, “A donkey’s head sold for $50. And a pint of dove’s dung sold for $3.” On one of the episodes of the TV show Survivor, the contestants were so hungry at one point that they killed a rat to eat it. But in Samaria, they were so hungry they scrounged through dove’s dung to get little morsels. Even worse than that, some killed their own children and cannibalized them. They were starving. But there were 4 lepers at the gate. And the lepers said, “You know what? We’re going to die of starvation like everyone else if we stay here. Why don’t we just walk into the Assyrian camp and surrender? They’ll probably kill us, but maybe they’ll spare our lives and give us something to eat.” So they walked directly into the enemy camp. But to their astonishment, when they got there, the tents were there, the provisions were there, but there was no sign of a single Assyrian. They didn’t know that the Lord had caused the Assryians to hear the sound of horses hoofs and they thought at some foreign army had come to rescue the Samaritans and they fled in a panic leaving everything behind. And these 4 lepers stuck their heads into a tent and there was a banquet table filled with food. And they sat down and they stuffed themselves. And they went into another tent and there was silver, and gold and clothing and they took these things and buried them for safekeeping. And they kept looking around the camp and the one of them said, “We’re not doing right. This is a day of good news and we’re keeping it to ourselves.” So they went back to the city and said, “Come on out to the enemy camp. There's plenty to eat.” At first the people were skeptical, but they checked it out and it was true. And the whole city was spared. The Bible says, “And so it was true that two gallons of flour and 4 gallons of barley were sold that day for $1 just as the Lord’s prophet had said.”
Now there’s a hunger in people’s hearts that only Jesus Christ can satisfy. Many of us here today have discovered that spiritual food and we have feasted on it. But it is not right that we have discovered it for ourselves and do not share it with others. We’re commissioned to go into the country lanes and the alleys of the city and compel them to come in that the Lord’s house might be full, they might be fed, and that they one day will sit at the marriage feast of the Lamb. At the table of grace the plate is always full. And everyone's welcome at the table of grace.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no man can boast.” This morning if you have never received God’s saving grace into your life, come in your faith today and you can be saved. As we stand and sing, we invite you to come . . .