Untitled Sermon (2)

The Invitation

Luke 14:16-240

The Preparation

Jesus had gone to Pharisee’s house for a dinner

Speaking to the attendants about how to pick a place at a feast

People had been picking out places of honor

And Jesus said “No, don’t do that”

Ending with, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” ESV

Then tells them who to invite

Not your friends and relatives and the rich and famous

Instead, invite those who have no means to repay you

Poor, crippled, lame and the blind

The feast, the big dinner

As we read Jesus’s words, it is fairly clear to us that He is speaking words of prophecy

Clearly, the invited who refused to come (for various reasons, which we will talk about later) were the Jews

God had been preparing for this time ever since the garden and Adam

Preparing a people chosen for Himself, a nation called out

Special to Him, Ps 17:8 “as the apple of your eye”

But over and over they had turned from Him, and had run after other gods

And now He had sent His son with the feast to end all feasts

Now it was ready!

They had previously received invitations

Common practice to invite well ahead of time, then to send a personal invitation when the feast was ready

But what did they do - what will we do - with His invitation?

Those initially invited rejected the invitation - these would be the Jews

Throughout O.T. God had called to them

But when His great supper - the culmination of all His preparations - arrived … excuses!

What are the excuses?

Bought some land - and have to go look at it - who buys land without looking at it?

A scam waiting to happen!

I have to go see it - something to see

Will go to look at earthly possessions and ignore eternal possessions

Certainly lots of interesting, wonderful things to look at, but to the exclusion of eternity?

Thinking that “I will look after that after I’ve seen everything (bucket list)

I have to go try them out - something to do!

He was going to prove the oxen, the things we have in this world, instead of the eternal Word of God.

Hey, time to prove that when nothing else is pending!

English Standard Version Chapter 2

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever

I’ve married a wife - so I can’t come (at least the others answered with a “please excuse me”)

So there’s no problem with marrying, or family, or relationships, or buying something

But when those relationships come before our relationship with God…then we are in danger

How many spouses allow their spouses to come between them and God?

God must come first!

If we read on, He speaks to the crowd telling them that if they don’t hate their family and relatives

Hate in this context means “a relative preference for one thing over another” (Vines)

None of these will taste of my supper - and I certainly want to be there!

The Lord’s response

When the servant reported these things, bible says that the Lord was angry

When we make excuses to God - especially after He has made all the preparations and has graciously invited us - yes, He will be angry

The New King James Version Psalm 7

God is a just judge,

And God is angry with the wicked every day

His response is to turn away from them - “None invited shall taste of my dinner!”

So He sends his servants out to others

Lanes and streets of the city - the poor, lame, crippled and blind

And then to the highways and byways and along the hedges

Compelling them to come

Calling out to the lost over and over because there was still space at the banquet

With good reasons to come...

Come, for all things are now ready

Every spiritual and temporal blessing for all time and eternity is now ready in Christ Jesus

Poor - those starving on the world’s leftovers, living on stale scraps, God calls to them - all is ready - for you!

Those searching door to door to find something satisfying in the glut of the world’s pleasures

He calls to the maimed - the hoelessly mutated -

Physically shunned

Morally - a destroyed, mal- or non-functioning conscience

Helpless, but come for healing

The halt or lame - crooked and deformed.

And though they may attempt to walk straight, to walk steady,

But they can’t manage it - they keep falling over and over

Come, for all things are ready - for you

The blind - who can walk but can’t see where they are going; they have no vision or direction

Unconscious of their danger

But God is calling them as well

The feast is ready - the marraige supper of the Lord is all ready

Jesus has prepared all things

We have the invitation

We are the servants, called to go out into the streets and lanes, the highways and the byways

We are called to bring the invitation

But it’s the Holy Spirit who compels them to come - reaching into their hearts,

Just as He compelled us to come