The Excuses, Part 2

If you have your Bible, I would invite you to turn with me to the Gospel of Luke, the 14th chapter. Over the past several years, I've had the opportunity to visit people's home for dinner. It's always interesting to have conversations around mealtime. In fact, you'll notice that throughout the Bible, when you read in the New Testament, you'll notice that a lot of the instruction that Jesus Christ gave was centered around banquets, mealtime events.

It seems that those are where the questions are asked the most. That's where discussion can really begin to flourish. A lot of times as teachers, we think that the best place to teach people is in a classroom setting. And we have an outline, and we begin to teach them and preach to them and tell them what we think they need to know. But a lot of times we're teaching people where they're not asking questions. But when you come to mealtime, a lot of times your children, your friends, have questions that they want to ask.

And so because they're asking them, they're ready to learn. Oftentimes, Jesus would teach when questions weren't even asked. He'd asked the question, and then he would teach. He would give a parable. He would explain to the people there, the important truths of the kingdom of God. Over the years, being in different people's homes, I've often seen this in print. Maybe you have it in your home. Jesus Christ is the head of this home. He is the silent listener to every conversation. He is the unseen guest at every meal.

You ever read that? You ever heard about that? Maybe you had that in your home? Think about that for a moment. He is the unseen guest at every meal. Truth be known, I'm not sure many of us we want to have Jesus for dinner. We're not sure we want him to listen in on our conversation. We're not sure that we'd like him to begin to examine us and probe deep into our lives and begin to ask questions about our lives in our story in Luke chapter 14, Jesus has been invited to a dinner, been invited to a man's home for a meal, and little do they know what they were going to receive from the Lord that day.

In fact, as the food on the table grew cold, the discussion around the table became extremely heated. In fact, we don't even know if they ever really got to the meal or not, because Jesus would spend some time addressing the issues at hand. This leads us to our instruction. You've got to understand the scene. I mean, it's so quiet. So somebody pipes up and says, Blessed, blessed is everyone. Why? Because one day we're going to eat bread in the kingdom of God. All right. Sit down. Pass the condiments.

Let's get down to business. Let's get back to the meal time now. That's the setting. Jesus couldn't let that path. He had to give them a lesson about eternity. Christ gives the parable. And in this parable, you will note that there is an invitation. There is a rejection to that invitation. And as a result of that, there is a reaction. And then there is a conclusion. It says, but he said to him. Who's the him? The man who made the statement. So Christ is going to respond. He's going to give another parable.

he's going to give a parable concerning man and all of his excuses as to why he won't come to the ultimate feast. Christ says this.

A certain man was giving a big dinner and he invited many. And at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, come for everything is ready now.

Stop right there. This is the invitation. Now understand this. Christ, at the outset, is talking to them in a parable, but is emphasizing the ultimate feast, the married supper of the land. There was time for that feast to take place, so a servant would go out and compel them to come. Second thing I want you to notice is the rejection says this, but they all alike began to make excuses.

The first one said to him, I bought a piece of that I need to go out and look at it. Please consider me excused. And another one said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out. Please consider me excused. And another one said, I have married a wife, and for that reason, I cannot come. Notice this.

The first two excuses centered around material possessions. The third excuse centered around personal affections.

These people saw something more important to them than this banquet. Something had come to the forefront in their lives. But the point being is that Jesus Christ himself offers the ultimate feast, a feast that would include a perpetual feast of peace, of hope, guidance, rest, joy, deathlessness, tranquility, heaven, righteousness, ultimately everything, salvation. Jesus Christ offers the ultimate feast, but people over and over every day turn their backs on the feast that Jesus Christ would offer them.

Why? Because of their possessions. because of their affection. They mean more to them than Jesus Christ. You see, the real reason these people didn't come to the feast is because they didn't want it. All their excuses were lame. I was thinking about this today and thinking, you know, there are many applications we can make to this, even as Christians. You know, Christ offers us so many things. Christ wants us to have a unique relationship with him and him alone. And yet so many times we bypass that.

So many times other things take up the pre-examines. preeminent in our lives. And Jesus Christ has just kind of moved away, moved out of our lives. So many times Christ is taken even out of our Christmas. We get so consumed with family coming and gift buying and the wrapping of those gifts and making enough money to be able to buy the gifts that we forget about the Christ of Christmas. Other things begin to take the preeminence in our lives. And that's a sad thing for us as believers. You know, we need to wake up and and to be aware that Jesus Christ needs to be the sole purpose of our existence.

No other individual, no other thing, no other occupation should be before our relationship with the living God. And yet isn't it not true that so many times God has put in the back burner? He is. And that's sad. We as Christians should long for the pure milk of the word, but we don't do it. You see, God wants to have a relationship with us. He wants to have sweet communion with us. He wants to have a relationship with us that goes beyond anything we can ever imagine. But it's us, not him. That's the problem.

And we need to remember that. The man in the parable, he prepared the feast. Everybody had already been invited. They had already made a commitment to come. When the time came for them to arrive, they said, you know what? Other things are more important to me than this. This just isn't that important to me. And so they gave. excuses. So there came a reaction, a reaction from this man. It says these words, verse 21, slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry.

Angry? Yeah. Angry. Why? I mean, if they lose the opportunity to be at the feast, It's their problem, right? Why would the owner, the host, become angry? Well, if you had already made a commitment to come, and then the time came for you to arrive and you said, no, it was considered a slap in the face to the host who was throwing that banquet. It was degrading. It was humiliating. It was telling him that he means nothing to you, that you are more important than he is. Others might come along and say, well, wait a minute, unexpected things come up, right?

Yes, they do. But these things aren't unexpected things. The oxen, trying them out, the land, and perusing that land, those things are not unexpected things that just come up. They can be done at any time. But for these people, they became the priority. something was more important to them than the banquet. You see, the issue is not that they couldn't come, the issue is they wouldn't come. They could come, but they would not come. I think about that and think about why is it people don't want to respond to the gospel invitation.

It's because men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. Man loves darkness. He doesn't love the light. He rejects the light. His deeds are evil. So look at verse number 21.

Go out at once, he says, into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind, and the lame. So the owner says, I want you to go out and invite the uninvited. I want you to go out and I want you to look at the lame, the blind, the crippled.

I want you to bring those people in. You see, you realize that in those days, those people with those debilitating diseases were not even allowed to worship with a common man. They were outcasts. They were considered inferior to a well man. And Christ says, I want you to go to the inferior people.

I want you to go to the low life. The physically blemished, I want you to invite in. One author said it this way. Of course, their disabilities also forced many into poverty, making them ragged outcasts, but now the sumptuous, feast, the lavishly appointed tables, and the endless entrees of exquisite cuisine were set before many who could not even see it at all, blind beggars. The lame and crippled hobbled, hobbled to the tables, their eager eyes reflecting the bountiful feast, pitiful rags draped from bent limbs as they eased awkwardly into place.

Amazing. Go out and invite those people in, and the servant came back and said, master we did what you commanded and still there was room and the master said to the slave go out into the highways and along the hedges and compel them to come that my house may be filled i don't want you only to invite those people those jewish people that are outcast i want you to go beyond the jewish people i want you to go to the gentile people i want you to go to the people who don't even think they will ever have a place with me go and compel them to come in it's the word it means to force them to come Why do you have to force them to come in?

Because they don't believe the bankers for them. Who me invited? You got to be kidding me. He doesn't want me to come. Oh, yeah, he wants you. No, no, no, no. Yeah, he does. No, no, no. Compel them, convince them, persuade them. I want them to be a part of my feast. So you do whatever you've got to do to convince them to come, because I want them with me. And so the gospel would go to the Gentile world because the hall of the feast must be filled. Notice with me the conclusion says this, for I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.

Jesus was never in to winning friends. I mean, that is just a supreme indictment against them. No, he told him. He said, none of you here will ever eat with me at my feast. Wow. None. What a way to ruin the day. One guy pipes up, blessed is everyone, every one of us, who will partake in the ultimate feast in the kingdom of God. And Jesus says, ain't going to happen.

You guys aren't going to make it. You're not going to be there. Because none of you who were invited shall be there. See, they didn't have been invited. All those Jewish leaders had already been invited. Why? Because they were invited long ago. They were the ones who were originally invited. They were the custodians of the law. They were the leaders of Israel. And yet they were doomed to judgment. God had invited them. They had received two invitations to the Messianic banquet. They had read about it in the Old Testament.

They knew about the lavish banquet through the law and the prophets and the writings of the psalmists. And they answered, yes, yes, we're going to come. We want to be there. And so when it came time for Christ to come and would say, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is here. It's at hand. Repend and believe the gospel. They said, we ain't coming. We don't want to come. Something else is more important to me than you, Jesus. And Jesus said, I want to let you know that none of you, none of you, will be a part of my.

feast in my house in my kingdom and it just ends right there doesn't tell us how we left the house doesn't tell us if he ate dinner there i doubt it we don't know what happened that's how it ends you guys just aren't aren't going to make it why because your phrase oh blessed are we who will eat of the feast in the kingdom of god was pious jargon why because worldly comfort and worldly pleasure was more important to them than Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Simple as that. There was such urgency in Christ's method.

He was combative because he wanted repentance. He wanted them to see the error of their way. So the question comes to us, do we really want to attend the feast of God? Or are other things more important to us? It cost Christ, everything. to prepare the feast. Everything. Cost him pain, tears, his flesh, his blood. And now he invites us to come and drink his blood that he shed. And to eat the bread that cost him everything. But those present in that room on that day missed the opportunity. They would not be penned.

By way of implication, I want to share with you two points. Two points. And that is this. if you respond to the invitation, if you respond to the invitation of God, and the Bible is filled with God's invitation to man, come, come, he says, come and drink the water of life freely, without cost. Isaiah 55 speaks of it, the end of Revelation speaks of it. Christ in Matthew 11 again would say, come into me all you that labor and heavy late, and I will give you rest. Come to me. Here in the parable of the invitation.

come you respond to God's invitation there is salvation there is celebration there is satisfaction there is satisfaction if you respond if you refuse there is condemnation there is damnation and there is retribution where are you have you responded to the invitation you see when you respond to the invitation of God you are able to reap the benefits of salvation not only does he free you from sin Satan, but he allows you to live the life he is designed for you. This one who is given to us, this one who is born, his name shall be called wonderful.

That tells us that he will fulfill all your desires. Not only is he wonderful, but he's called counselor. That means he will facilitate every single one of your decisions. He is called the mighty God. That means he will fortify every one of your defenses. He is called the everlasting father. That means he will fashion your destiny. He is called the prince of peace. That means he will free you from your distress. I can't think of a greater gift than to receive the free gift of eternal life in order that my desires will be fulfilled.

My defenses will be fortified. I'll be freed from my distress. my decisions will be facilitated by the king of kings and lord of lords and that my destiny will be fashioned by the one who has written all of my days before there was even yet one of them that's our go and god says if you respond to the invitation ah there's salvation freedom from sin freedom from from Satan freedom from death i'm going to release you from those bondages on top of that there'll be a celebration of life There'll be a satisfaction in life.

I love what the psalm has said in Psalm 34. O taste and see, the Lord is good. How blessed it is a man who takes refuge in him. O fear the Lord, you as saints, for to those who fear him, there is no want. The lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing. That's our God. That's what he wants to do. He wants to take you from where you are and change everything about your life. in order that you might have what he wants to give. God wants to do that for you.

If you respond to the invitation, there is salvation, there is the ultimate celebration, there is complete satisfaction. If you refuse, if you refuse, nothing but condemnation, damnation, and retribution. That's it. In fact, it says this over in John chapter 3. John chapter 3, verse number 18, He who believes in him is not condemned. Not condemned. He who does not believe has been condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God. He who believes is not judged.

He who believes is not condemned. But he who believes not is condemned already. He's condemned already. In fact, John says this in John 3, verse number 36. He who believes in the sun has eternal life. But he who does not obey the son, should not see life. But the wrath of God abides on him. You see, the person who walks in darkness has the wrath of God abiding on him. He's condemned already. He's already been judged because they have not responded to the invitation. They've refused the invitation.

And something very unique, very unique about Christ. And what he will do to those who refuse to respond to his invitation. You see, there is no peace for those who are wicked. The Bible says that.

There's no peace for the wicked. Because the peace that the Lord Jesus Christ wants to give you is a peace unlike the world can give you. The world can't give you peace. There is no peace in the world. Nothing you buy, no gift you receive, no place you go for vacation will ever give you peace. Because peace that comes from God is an internal peace. He says, the peace I give to you is not like the world's peace. It's my peace. In fact, the prophet Isaiah said this way, he will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.

They'll have perfect peace. But isn't it interesting that those who refuse the invitation to come to the ultimate feast in the kingdom of God will become that which the birds of the air will feast upon at the end of the tribulation? I find it very interesting that our Lord offers us an ultimate feast to partake in, to fellowship with him, to commune with him, to have a joyous satisfaction in. And yet, and yet, it's almost as if if you don't come to dine with me, you will become dinner for the birds of the year.

Revelation 19, let me read it to you. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, he cried out with a loud voice saying, to all the birds, which fly in mid heaven, come, a symbol for the great supper of God. In order that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of commanders, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves and small and great. They saw the beasts and the kings of the earth, and their armies assembled to make war against him who sat upon the horse and against his army, And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image.

These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with a sword which came from the mouth of him who sat upon the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. Wow. God says, I want you to come.

I want you to partake of the ultimate feast with me. I want you to be a part of the marriage supper of the land. Earlier in that verse in chapter in Revelation, chapter 19, it says, rejoice and be glad for the marriage of the supper of the land has come. Blessed is everyone who's been invited to the marriage supper of the land. You're the blessed one. You're the fortunate one. You're the graced one. And then right on the heels of that, the king comes. And those who were invited and accepted the invitation and came were blessed.

But those that did not, their flesh would be eaten by the birds of the air. God says, if you don't want to eat with me, you will be eaten.

Can't get any simpler than that, can it? And God says, this is the way it's going to be. And he told those Pharisees on that day, not one of you here. Not one of you will sit down with me in my kingdom and will eat because you have refused the invitation. They missed it. It was right in front of them. The opportunity ate with them. The opportunity confronted them. The opportunity came and went. They missed it. I don't want you to miss the opportunity. I don't want you to miss it. If Jesus Christ has called you and you have yet to respond, don't let another day go by without saying yes, Lord, I understand.

understand the invitation to the banquet hall. I want to come. And God offers that invitation because he wants you, more than you want to be there, he wants you to be with him. Don't give an excuse. Let's pray you.