2021 01-03 Sunday Morning Service

220 to 1 through 14 and Jesus answered and spoke to them again by Parables and said the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain King who arranged the marriage for his son and sent out his servants to call those who are invited to the wedding and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants saying tell those who are invited see I have prepared my dinner my oxen and fatted cattle are killed and all things are ready come to the wedding, but they made light of it and went their ways one to his own Farm another to his business and the rest sees two servants treated them spitefully and killed them when the king heard about it. He was Furious and he sent out his armies destroyed those murderers and burned up their City. Then he said to his servants the wedding is ready. But those who were invited we're not worthy there for go into the highways and as many as you find invite to the wedding, so those servants went out into the highways and gather together all whom they found both bad and good and the wedding hall was filled with guests who won the king came in to see the guess. He saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him friend. How do you come in here without a wedding garment and he was speechless and the King said to the servants bind him hand and foot take him away and cast him into outer Darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth for many are called but few are chosen.

This is one of the most powerful of all of The Parables. It is a parable about a royal wedding Feast. It is very specific way and its historical context and yet in general has far-reaching implications. First of all, let me establish in our thinking the historic setting. This is Wednesday of the last week of Jesus life and Ministry. Friday he'll be crucified. Sunday the rise from the dead for three years. He's been teaching the gospel of the Kingdom for claiming himself as the Son of God. The savior of the world has been offering himself and his kingdom to the people of Israel his own people chosen by God. And now the three years has ended and the people have rejected him and the leaders have rejected him and are extremely hostile to him. And by Friday, they will turn him over to the Romans for execution. On Saturday it arrived before the festivities of the Passover. He stayed in Bethany in the home of Mary Martha and Lazarus on Sunday. He found a great multitude of the pilgrims there for the Passover it come to Bethany to see him and hear him and he spend Sunday with them. On Monday, he arose writing the cult entered the city of Jerusalem to the hosannas and hallelujahs are the people who were hailing him as Messiah and savior and believing and wanting to believe with all their hearts, but he was the military Messiah that they had hoped for it would overthrow the romanovs oppression and free them from their bondage and they waited for him to attack the Romans Monday night. He went back to Bethany and in the morning, he came into Jerusalem, but he didn't attack the Romans he went directly to the temple and attacked the Jewish religious system. On Tuesday, he cleansed the temple you throughout all the money changers and all the sellers of merchandise that had turned it from the house where God had intended to be to the den of robbers and he cleansed it. That was Tuesday. This is Wednesday and he's back in the temple now that it's cleansed and he is come there to preach again the gospel of the Kingdom. The good news of Salvation has come to call men to himself in as he teaches. He collects a tremendous crowd in the people are listening. Jesus is the center of attention and the religious leaders are tremendously threatened by this because he speaks of an internal righteousness. He speaks of a true salvation that they know nothing about in their external self-righteous religion and he is a threat to their system and so in the process of moving about the Temple of teaching he is confronted by these religious leaders and it verse 23 of chapter 21, they stopped him in his tracks and they say to him by what Authority are you doing these things and who gave you this Authority in other words show us your credentials show us the approval that you have to go about saying and doing what you do who gave you authority to throw out the businesses in this place to end all of the money changing who gave you authority to speak without any rabbinical Authority. And they're angry bitter and hostile and they're already planning his death. And so he answers them in the answers done with a Trilogy of Parables. The first one is in chapter 21 verses 28 through 32 of parable about two sons. The second one is a parable of a Vineyard that was leased out to tenant farmers in verses 33 through 46 and this is the third Parable in the trilogy. In chapter 22 verses 1 through 14 and each of the Parables is alike in that their message is a message of judgment. The parable say this you have rejected me all of the Old Testament prophets spoke of me all of the Miracles that I have done validate my claim to be the Son of God the Messiah all of the words that I have said a firm that which you have consistently and for three years repeatedly rejected me and now God rejects you that's the essence of The Parables the table has turned and they are Parables of judgment. They climax in this third Parable and I said, I want us to see for scenes in this parable. Sing number one will call the invitation rejected notice and verse 1. And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by Parables and said he gave them the message if they needed to hear and he gave it to them in Parables, which are simply stories used to convey spiritual truth. And any good teacher knows that you must teach in analogies. If you were to convey an abstract thought or concept nude someone the best way to do that is to start with something. They're very familiar with and you go from the known for the unknown and Jesus was the master of analogies. He understood everything that is here is understood. So we started with things they could understand and move two things that they couldn't Jesus used all the things of common life and turn them into spiritual Messengers which conveyed profound spiritual truth. He draws from them a story with all of them would not only understand but which would set them up with a great spiritual truth is conveyed. It is a story first two says about the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus always talks about the kingdom of heaven. So what is the Kingdom of Heaven it is the Dominion where God rules were God is King. It is the Dominion of redemption the kingdom is that place where God rules were God's subjects live. It is a spiritual Kingdom. It is a community of people who are redeemed with come to Salvation for under the rule and guiding in the leading of God. And so this is about God's world and he says it's like a certain King who made a wedding feast Wedding in those days was a big long Feast normally around seven days. You had the people come to your house for the wedding feast and you fed them and you cared for them for 7 days and it wasn't until the very end of the time. That you put the hand of the Bride in the hand of the groom and they went off to consummate the marriage. It was one grand celebration. It was the highlight of life as any wedding is today the highlight of family life in a wedding made by King for his son would be the wedding of all weddings. And so this is not just a wedding Feast but a wedding Feast thrown by a king. In what our Lord as identifying here is the greatest celebration those people could imagine in their culture. And he says the Kingdom of Heaven is like the greatest celebration imaginable Throne by the wealthiest person imaginable for the most honored person imaginable. He wants to capture all the best that life could ever imagine to you. And so he says there was a king who made a wedding Feast for his son. I mean, this was the blow out of all blowouts in that culture now, let's look at verse 3 We sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding and they were not willing to come now. This introduces us to a middle eastern culture. Custom in those days people didn't have watches and they weren't as rigidly tied to time schedules as we are today and they didn't have the ease that we have in procuring food and all that goes into a long festival for multitude of people and so preparation was very difficult. And so what happened was this notice and verse 3, you set out other servants saying tell those who are invited in other words. There was a preliminary invitation certain people would have been given invitations to come to the king's wedding feast in as far as we can tell from the text. They had accepted those invitations so they are the already invited. Now when the moment is ready to begin the service are sent out to these people to say it's now that we begin in the servants go out to collect the already invited ones and unbelievably it says it verse 3, they would not come. This is mind-boggling. You can imagine when the Lord saying this that there are certain gasps in the crowd. I mean, if you'd been given an invitation to a week-long festival connected with the royal wedding you probably go if you were invited. They wouldn't come it's inconceivable. And now we're beginning to see the parable have an impact because the people including the religious leaders are going to have to be saying that's ridiculous. Nobody in their right mind would do that for several reasons one you would spurn the honor the King has given you to free food isn't a bad deal.

And thirdly you don't mess with Middle Eastern monarchs. You don't show you may lose your head. What was the king's response? He's a kind King. He sent out other servants saying tell those who are invited see I have prepared my dinner my oxen and fat of cattle are killed and all things are ready. Come to the wedding. I mean, I've got a tremendous extent to collect all this it's already it's all prepared and verse 5, but they made light of it and went their ways one to his own Farm another to his business. They treated it with indifference. They just walked away from it and you can know the people are saying these people are out of their minds. Why would they ever do such a thing? No one would ever do this? This is a far-fetched story and the Lord was just setting them up. Now we're not coming to the Grand Royal Wedding Feast. We're going to go to the farm Andover to the store doesn't make sense. Such selfish preoccupation with our own Enterprises such a forfeiture of joy and celebration and such an insult to the king such an affront to his graciousness precipitation was the highest honor in the country. And if you think that's bad look at verse 6, and the rest sees his servants treated them spitefully and killed them. Sure, seems like The Parables getting ridiculous. Now. They killed the guys who came to call them to a feast. That's what it says outright hostility is added to indifference and both reflect Rebellion against the king. What's stop here? What is this mean? The stories clear? The Kingdom of Heaven is the sphere of God's rule by salvation. It's the community of the redeemed. So who's the king God who's his son Jesus Christ and the idea of a great banquet is a Jewish idea. You can read it in the talmud that the Jews said that when the Messiah comes God will put on a banquet and all Banquets and we'll Feast with the Messiah. So Jesus, even fix up a very Messianic concept out of the Jewish thinking God is calling people to come to his kingdom and honor his son and who are the invited guests who are these people that are called and verse 3 and called and verse for will they're the ones already having been invited who are the already called people of God Israel. You can start in Genesis 12:2. We're God called out of the loins of Abraham the people of Israel and said, I'm going to make you a great nation a nation through whom the Earth will be blessed and anyone who blesses them will be blessed and anyone who curses them will be cursed. And they shall be as a sand of the Sea and the stars of the heaven and God was going to multiply them and all of this and he called out that special Nation. They were they called they were in Egyptian bondage and God called Israel to be his people. He called them and carried them for 40 years through the Wilderness and carry them into the promised land. They gave them a land that flowed with milk and honey. And God have a special design for that already called people they were the unique people of God. They were Gods channel to reach the world God's point of contact for the doctrine of salvation and the truth of righteousness. And so it was the already invited ones that were called. And who are the servants to go out to call the already having been called ones creatures like John the Baptist like Jesus himself like the apostles sent to buy to to preach the kingdom and so here were the already having been called the nation of Israel. The kingdom is offered to them. The king says here's my son hears my kingdom come and honor my son and he sends out his preachers. What do they do? Some of the people treat them with indifference and some of the people murdered them. They killed John the Baptist to cut off his head. They killed Jesus James was the first of the Apostles Apostles to go and he was beheaded and the rest of the Apostles or a list of Martyrs. They killed the preachers. There are some people who are indifferent and there are some people who are hostile. Do you want to know something different people in the parable are the people who were preoccupied with the farm and the merchandise their preoccupation with stuff? They're more into Earthly possessions than Heavenly realities they hang around the stuff that you can't pack in a casket haul out with you. That's the indifferent people. So swept up in material things. They had no thought for Spiritual things so busy with business, they couldn't understand salvation was offered to them finding their satisfaction in the pursuit of gain finding their satisfaction in wealth. Now false religion is hostile. Look at the history of persecution around the world in the persecutors of the truth are the purveyors of false religion. And that is why in Revelation 17, when you see the final world system a religion that comes together in the end times. It says that final world religious system is drunk with the blood of the martyrs because it is false religion is stamps out truth in hostility. Secularism is indifferent. It's not interested. And so when Jesus came and God called his people Israel to a glorious celebration. There were the secularists they were indifferent and there were the religionists and they were hostile it's still so it always has been because air seeks to stamp out the truth. So the parable is simply understood. The invitation was rejected. You think those Jews knew that he was talking about them. You think they got the message go back to Matthew 2145. Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard his Parable they perceived that he was talking of them. Sure. They knew no way you can escape it. Let's go to the second Point rejectors punishment verse 7 when the king heard about it, he was Furious and he sent out his armies destroyed those murderers and burned up their City. Point of sending out Group 1 and group 2 was only to show the generosity kindness forgiveness grace and mercy of the king. It's only meant to demonstrate how gracious is King is and how willing he is to call again. And again as Jesus did as John did as the apostles did Pauline over and over day after day year after year for the duration of time until the great Devastation and destruction came in the land of Israel. So both groups are preachers because they're pointing to the Sun and calling to the kingdom of the Sun but his patience has a limit is patience as an in and when they have killed he responds in anger and it is Justified for unrighteousness as slang righteousness. And any man who understands good and what is Right would react as he reacted and he sent out his armies destroyed those murderers and burn up their City. Even in our society today, we understand that murderers pay with their life for the most part. We understand it even though we struggle with that capital punishment issue. So what was done was just the murders were destroyed and their city was burned up. The order was given for the burning of their city-wide verse 8, then he said to his servants the wedding is ready with those who were invited. We're not worthy. Why weren't they worthy worthy worthy because they weren't good enough or moral enough or ethical enough because they didn't do enough Good Deeds know they weren't worthy because they wouldn't accept the invitation. That's all he says worthiness is not dependent on moral virtue. They would have been worthy if they had just accepted the invitation to understand. It's a very important point. You see when he goes back to call another group and verse 10 he calls those that are bad and good at says so it isn't that he's looking around to find the most noble the most more the most self-righteous people in the world and say they're worthy worthy of this is pied saying yes to the invitation. They weren't worthy because they wouldn't come and that which makes a person worthy to enter the kingdom and commune with the sun and celebrate at the wedding Feast is not some set of design morality with saying yes to an invitation, they weren't worthy and because they refused salvation in the sun. They couldn't come there's a limit to God's patience who is endurance. They have reached the limit. Back in chapter 21 verse 43 in the prior Parable. He said something similar. Therefore I say to you the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation during the fruits of it. It's going to be taken away from you and given to people who will appreciate it and demonstrate its fruits. In other words, you're you have historically the casting off of Israel. As a nation in the unique place is God's called people which they haven't had enjoyed. Why because they rejected the Messiah they rejected the Savior and they were set apart and he says your city's going to be burned in 70 AD. It happened. rejectors of the Sun or judged in a fiery judgment the third point of the parable and verse 9 and 10 Rossini invitation rejected the rejectors punishment and now the new guests are invited. Therefore go into the highways and as many as you find invite to the wedding, so those servants went out into the highways and gather together all whom they found both bad and good in the wedding hall was filled with guests. Everything is ready. And there's nobody to come so something new has happened. It's been taken away from the nation that rejected and now it's going to be given to a new people go to the crossroads where people are Milling to the byways and highways and get everybody. So the point is go everywhere and get everybody go into all the world and preach the gospel to make disciples. That's the Mandate. That's what Paul says in the Book of Romans when he says the fall of Israel is the rising of many. Through their fall we have come to Salvation We have replaced them in this particular time. God still has something for Israel. They're going to come back into his favor. You're going to come back into his Redemptive plan. That's why they're we gathering in the nation today. But in the meantime, he has stretched out his arms, and he has sent his message to everywhere to everyone. As many as you can find invite them all isn't that the heart of the Gospel message? That's where we are now, isn't it? Their fall became our Rising God will not be frustrated. The festivals going to have some guests the celebrations going to go on and if it isn't going to be one group, it's going to be another one and notice what it says in verse 10. So those service went out into the highways and gather together all whom they found both bad and good in the wedding hall was filled with guests bad people can come. What kind of bad in good is this? This is bad and good in terms of human morality. I mean, let's face it in life. There are certain people that are bad in certain people that are good. There are criminals and non-criminals. We're not talking about religious things. We're not talking about Christians and non-christians. It's just general and life that there are humanly good people and humanely bad people but when it comes to calling people into the kingdom, there's no discriminating God isn't going around looking for the moral people. I mean God is calling everybody bad and good and the thing that makes them Worthy is not their inherent goodness or Badness with their willingness to accept the invitation. In the wedding hall was filled with guests. 1st Corinthians, 6:9 and 10 it says do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God do not be deceived neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor homosexuals are sodomites North Eaves nor Covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. They can't come he says they can't come in if they're still like that, but they can come if they're willing to come on God's terms because the good and bad the moral in the immoral the criminal and the non-criminal he calls the worst of people and the best of people everybody everywhere will come And then finally the last little scene in this Parable very important the Intruder expelled. We've seen the invitation rejected rejectors punished the new guests invited. And now the Intruder is expelled watching verse 11 who won the king came in to see the guess. You saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. This is pretty tacky. It's a CD character you go to a wedding at the Kings place you got to do. What's right. Wait a minute here when you just go out on the highways and byways and start sweeping people in off the street. You can't expect the whole law. What's the point it's interesting to make here? Is it there was only one guy who wasn't properly Garmin it and there was a proper way to be a tired. He was easy to spot. I mean, you've got a whole mob of people showing their best and the guy in rags. Didn't sign You Can't Hide listen, there are no gatecrashers in the Kingdom. No party crashers. They're going to stick out the Kings going to him and verse 12 and said so he said to him friend. How do you come in here without a wedding garment that he was speechless just think if he had an excuse he would have given one sure he would have said hey, you know, it's at the cleaners. It isn't coming back till Tuesday. I mean, what am I going to do or we could have said this is all I have played the pie at the deal. He was speechless. He had no excuse which means that everybody could have had a garment including him. You just didn't do it. Verse 13, then the king said to the servants bind him hand and foot take him away and cast him into outer Darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Why did they do that? Because if they didn't do that you'd come back again. So they tie him up. So he can't come back in again put him in the outer Darkness. Apparently the light had been turned on in the middle of the festival it was evening by now, but him out there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. You'll have great regret or you'll have great regret miss the celebration or he'll be so sad weeping gnashing his teeth. Put him out. What is this saying? It's saying that they're going to be people who try to crash the kingdom and they come in and they hang around and they joined the church and they get involved and their part. I mean, they've been out there on the highways and byways in the preachers go out and they call them to come. And they come in and they don't have the proper garment, but they want to stay in order to keep them out. Got a tie them up with them out. Who are these people? There's a sort of like the people in Matthew 7 who say Lord Lord have we not cast out demons? Have we not done many wonderful Works in Your Name Lord Lord we preach but he says out. I never knew you who are you? These are Kingdom Crashers. These are the tares among the wheat, they are not properly garment added. What garment go back to Matthew 5:20. It says fry say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. You will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. What is it that is necessary for entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Righteousness in a righteousness different than the Pharisees which was just self righteousness in a god-given righteousness is just what Hebrews 12:14 says pursue peace with all people and Holiness without which no one will see the Lord. You don't go into the presence without manifest righteousness without manifest Holiness. The Jews would understand this. We were listening to him because they would remember one of the most beautiful texts of the entire Old Testament. It would be very familiar to them. It's Isaiah 61:10 and it says this I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God for he has clothed me with the garments of Salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness. So they knew that righteousness was the Rogue and the King looked at this man. You saw no righteousness with no right living thinking we're speaking. You saw no Holiness. No godliness. He said you don't belong here. You can't crash the Kingdom on your own terms that which proves you belong is Manifest righteousness. This is a repeated truth in the gospel of Matthew over and over again that which marks a True Believer is Manifest righteous not to be hangs around other believers. Not that he identifies externally with the ongoing activities of the Kingdom. And you know, it would be easy to read this text and say why we condemn Israel for what they did. Listen, we're past that when we get to this part what we're looking at here in versus the 1114 is US looking at the Gentiles. Yes is Realtree to Jesus with indifference and hostility? And yes, they're City was destroyed and their nation and they've never yet been able to rebuild their Temple. Yes, they've been set apart. And yes, we've been brought in by the gracious preaching of the Salvation message that extends to everyone everywhere. But at the same time if they have been guilty of indifference and hostility, and we have been guilty of gate-crashing. If the Jew has been guilty of hostility and indifference and so have many of us for the world is filled today with people who in their secular Pursuits or utterly indifferent to Christ and there are others in a religious Persuasions were utterly hostile to Christ and 2nd Corinthians 5:21 and says, he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him. When we come to love Christ and receive Christ, we receive the righteousness of God. That's our robe good and bad people come. Once you come in you have a robe. You could be a moral person without a robe and be thrown out. You could be formerly immoral person closed in the Holiness of Christ. Welcome to stay. That's the issue. Jesus is saying to these people God rejects you because you rejected celebration in honor of his son. And then he says wall of the rest of you in the world. But don't think you can come on your own terms. You must be closed with his righteousness by faith and his death and Resurrection in the whole thing closes with a very simple statement in verse 14 for many are called but few are chosen. Call goes out to so many but only a few are chosen Paul often talks about the call in Romans. And when he does so it's an internal call. It's the true call the Salvation don't confuse Paul's discussion there with this obviously from the parable in the context. The call referred to here is an external call The Gospel invitation is sent out to everyone. Yes, there is the will of man in receiving the invitation and then there is the will of man and rejecting the invitation make a perfect balance to that is the god is Sovereign and those who come choose to come so many are called. She was chosen.

father God may we not think better of ourselves? Maybe remember that all come on God's terms. faith in the Lord Jesus Christ Well, your kids are bad for just a moment closing. If you listen in the spirit of God is. Your heart if there are people in this church this morning were indifferent or hostile. foreclosed in the rags their own self-righteousness

the king would succumb use accept invitation. It's open to everyone everywhere. Is not inviting you to suffer here in this Parable is not inviting you to some kind of mind-numbing work. Is inviting you to a celebration the Glorious maternal Royal Feast it is all that the best of Life Could Ever Be Imagined ring and it's all influenced won't you come?

You are dismissed.