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Luke 14:1-24 for Family Service
What do you think of when you think of Jesus?
[SLIDES
for all these]
Scary Jesus?
Hippy Jesus? Baby
Jesus? Dead Jesus?
What about laughing Jesus?
What about Jesus the party planner?
In Luke’s gospel Jesus is always at
parties. There are 16 dinners in
Luke’s gospel that Jesus is either at or speaking about. 16!
So much so that the enemies of Jesus called Him a glutten and a
drunkard. Those who didn’t
understand Jesus thought He had some serious eating and drinking problems
– that’s how much He seemed to love feasts and banquets and parties.
And do you know why Jesus loved parties? Because Jesus is just like His
Father. Jesus and His Father God
had been planning a party from before the beginning of the world. Before you were born, before the earth
was born, before the sun, moon and stars were born – plans were being
made for one almighty party.
[SLIDE – off]
Turn to Luke 14, it’s the Bible reading we’ve
just had. (p1048). Here Jesus is
at a party. And it gets people
thinking about the huge party that God had promised to throw. See v15:
When
one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus,
"Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom
of God."
This man knew about the promised feast. He’d read his Old Testament. He had read promises like this one
from Isaiah:
Isaiah 25:6 On this mountain the LORD Almighty will
prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine--the
best of meats and the finest of wines.
Here’s a promise of a massive party. The best food, the best drink and all
peoples are invited. Well what’s
the occasion for this party? What
is God so keen to celebrate? Well
here’s how the verse goes on:
7 On this mountain He will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations; 8 He will swallow up death
for ever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; He
will remove the disgrace of His people from all the earth.
This party will celebrate when God swallows
up death forever. That will be
worth celebrating. Do you see how
the Bible calls death a shroud that enfolds us, a sheet that covers
us? It’s like a big black bag
that we’re all in and we can’t get out of. But God says, He will get rid of that bag. He will swallow up death. Death threatens to swallow us up – but
God steps in to swallow up death.
Our tears run down our face, but one day God Himself will wipe
them away. And that day is coming!
Now we celebrate when our team scores a
goal. We celebrate when one new
life is brought into the world.
Imagine the celebration when death itself is swallowed up and this
shroud is removed. Imagine the
party on that day.
This is why in Luke 14 the man says ‘Blessed
is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.’ Blessed is just a word for happy – Happy
is the person who eats at this feast.
[SLIDE – off]
Well Jesus replies to him from verse 16:
16 Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and
invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his
servant to tell those who had been invited, `Come, for everything is now
ready.'
So here is a picture of God the Father
sending His Son Jesus to invite people to the banquet that they’d
planned.
And the first thing to say about this party
is how much God wants people to come. “Come” He says “for everything is
now ready.” There’s no entry fee. There’s no dress code. There’s nothing
you have to do, everything’s ready. Dinners is served. Just come.
God’s very nature is to be inviting. Did you know that?
Let me show you just a few verses from the
Bible. Here is God inviting
us.
Isaiah 55:1
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have
no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and
without cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your
labour on what does not satisfy?
God’s very nature is to be inviting. Just have a look at this verse it
comes just before Luke 14. Here
Jesus stands outside Jerusalem and He says this…
Luke 13:34
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem… how often I have longed to gather your
children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you
were not willing!
Jesus looks back over centuries of trying to
gather His people. And He says
He’s been like a mother hen trying to gather her chicks under her
wings. It is Jesus’ very nature
to be inviting.
Let me quickly give you two more. Here is a famous verse about Jesus’
invitation. He says:
Revelation 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and
opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Jesus stands at the door knocking – this is
an invitation – and it’s an invitation to eat with Jesus.
Then, the very last chapter of the
Bible. These are almost the last words
of the Bible. How about this for
an invitation:
Revelation
22:17 "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let
them come; and whoever wishes, let them take the free gift of the water
of life.
God the Father and His Son Jesus are in the
business of inviting. Whoever is
thirsty, whoever wishes, take the free gift of the water of life.
Now if you are reading these verses, if you
are hearing me speak to you, you are being invited. Right now, you are being invited to
come to Christ.
Don’t say ‘I’m not religious enough.’ Don’t say ‘I’m not good enough.’
Nothing stops you coming to this party except not coming to this
party. The invitations are out,
there’s no entrance fee, no dress code.
Just come.
[SLIDE – off]
But, in our story, incredibly, some people
make other plans. Look how the
story goes on in v18:
18 "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, `I
have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' 19
"Another said, `I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my
way to try them out. Please
excuse me.' 20 "Still another said, `I have just got
married, so I can't come.'
Do you know, people say ‘no’ to the
invitation of Jesus all the time.
And do you know what people prefer? Land, oxen, a wife.
[SLIDE – land, oxen, wife]
That’s what they prefer!
One person wants to check out their newly
acquired field, one person wants to check out their newly acquired oxen,
one person wants to check out their newly acquired… well you get the
idea.
[SLIDE – off]
It’s interesting – in v18, these are people
who already have land, money, family.
They’re not busy trying to make it. They’ve made it.
And because they’ve made it, it’s holding them back. They’re living the 1st
century dream. And really they’re
living the 21st century dream – they’re on the property
ladder, they’ve got wealth, they’ve got family. It doesn’t occur to them that their land can wait, their
oxen can wait. It doesn’t occur
to them that they could bring their wives along. Instead they put land, oxen and wives ahead
of this offer. And so
they reject the invitation.
Well how is that going to go down. Verse 21 tells us:
"The
servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the
house became angry
Why is he angry? Because this is a personal snub. Think about it: If we’re friends, and I throw an important
party – why am I upset when you don’t show? I’m not upset thinking, ‘you don’t like my party
music’, I’m not upset thinking ‘you don’t like my party
food’. I’m upset thinking ‘you
don’t like me’. You have chosen the company of others to my
company. And if the party is
important to me, and if you are important to me, I expect you there. This is how God feels.
He is throwing a massive party in honour of
His Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible
continually tells us that the best thing about the kingdom of God is the
King – Jesus. Jesus is everything
that will make this party great.
And so rejecting this invitation is not just to reject a great
party – it’s to reject the One who’s inviting you. It’s to reject the company of
Jesus. Saying no to this
invitation is saying no to Jesus Himself. So do you want the company of Jesus Christ? It’s free, you can have it, but do you
want it? Or is land, wealth or
family keeping you away. Jesus
finished His story in v24 with some shocking words:
24 I tell you, not one of those men who were [first] invited will get a
taste of my banquet.'"
If you keep on choosing status, wealth,
family over Christ, you won’t get a taste of His banquet. You’ll have a taste of the 21st
century dream. You’ll have
everything the world is running after.
But you won’t have Christ.
The invitation is extended only so long – you cannot keep choosing
against Christ indefinitely.
Jesus speaks about a day when the door of the banquet hall will
close. It would be a tragedy if
anyone here found themselves on the wrong side of that door. Come, everything is ready.
Well finally, we will consider very briefly
how the party planner responds to rejection. Well He doesn’t go into a sulk. It just makes him fling open the doors even wider. Verse 21 continues:
[he
orders] 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.' 22
"`Sir,' the servant said, `what you ordered has been done, but there
is still room.' 23 "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.
His house will be full. Full of the poor, the crippled, the
blind, the lame. Filled with
those from the roads and the country lanes. I’m sure these people don’t have any land or oxen
or wives. They’re not successful
in the world’s eyes. But they
have gained admission to the greatest feast there will ever be. The
Father will fill His house with those who value the company of His Son
Jesus. Those who prefer the
trappings of the world will be left outside. Those who know Christ is
better will fill the house.
[SLIDE – final]
So – have you accepted the invitation? Perhaps even now there are some who
are saying to Jesus ‘I’m coming’.
He never turns away those who come. There are those who are prefering land and oxen and
wives. I promise you, they don’t
compare. Don’t put those things first.
Come. Then there are those
of us who have already come to Jesus.
Do you realize just what an inviting God we serve? Do you see that our God’s very nature
is to be inviting? He will
have His house full. He will go
to the very ends of the earth to bring them in. And He involves us in the
inviting. If you’re seeking to be
godly, you’ll be seeking to be an inviter. Because that’s who our God is. That’s who Jesus is.
So get thinking and get praying for who you can invite. As one little opportunity, there’s a
service next week which will be especially attractive to outsiders. Think and pray. How can I extend God’s invitation into
the world?
Let’s pray:
“Blessed
is the person who eats at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
“Come,
for everything is now ready”
“My
house will be full.”
Father, draw us all to yourself. Some of us need to realise that land
and wealth and status and family must come under your Son. Help us to see things rightly. Some of us need to accept this
invitation for the first time.
May they come. All of us
need to see you as the great Inviter.
Help us to extend your invitation to our friends and
families. And may we look forward
to the day when we eat at this feast in your kingdom. In Jesus name, Amen.
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