 Tonight we're going to attempt to look at Luke chapter 14. We're going to be looking at verses 1 through 14 and This is really unfortunate, but next week as we get together I'm going to give to you because I prepared verses 12 through 14, especially I wanted to give you a lot of information and and It really really bumps me out, but Enough excuse making let me give the Bible study and I'll make excuses after it Beginning at first one Luke chapter 14 It happened as he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath That they watched him closely and behold there was a certain man before him who had dropsy and Jesus answering spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees saying is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath But they kept silent and he took him and healed him and let him go Then he answered them saying which of you having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit Will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day and they could not answer him Regarding these things so the Lord Jesus Christ once again has been invited to go to the home of a Pharisee And as we see in verse when it tells us that he was there to eat bread on the Sabbath But as he's there you note with me that the people who were there around him are watching him closely And as they're watching him closely They're watching him closely in order that they might find an accusation against him Especially as it relates to the Sabbath day Because the Jews during the time of Christ considered the Sabbath day a holy day The Lord God had given to him that day as a holy day and therefore as they are looking at that in that way They regard it as a holy day and work ought not to be taking place But before them there is a man and this man has something called dropsy now dropsy is a buildup of the fluids In all and it affects most of the main organs and so this individual who is there before the Lord Jesus Christ has dropsy Now it's interesting for me as I look at this passage to note that They're watching him to see not whether he'll do something bad, but something good And so as he's there doing something he's going to he's about to do something that is very good And so Jesus begins to speak in verse three and he answers and he says to the lawyers and the Pharisees saying this is Lawful to heal on the Sabbath, but they kept silent and he took him and healed him and let him go Then he asks the question which of you have in a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit Will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day and they could not answer him regarding these things And so as all of this is taking place Jesus Christ has developed a reputation the reputation that he has is that of doing good I think it's an amazing thing when we have a reputation where people actually will say if we watch that person Close enough long enough. They're gonna be guilty of doing something good It reminds me a bit of like Daniel when you read the book of Daniel Daniel was a man of God who was used by the Lord in tremendous ways and had a tremendous Reputation amongst the people and on one occasion They wanted to find an accusation against him And so it's recorded in the book of Daniel in chapter 6 verses 3 through 5 That Daniel had distinguished himself above the governors and say traps because an excellent spirit was in him and the king gave thought of Thought to setting him over the whole realm So the governors and say traps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom But they could find no charge or fault because he was faithful Nor was there any error or fault found in him then these men said we shall not find any charge against this Daniel and Unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God And so he had a tremendous reputation a reputation of doing good Well, Jesus has a reputation of doing good also and that's why they're watching him And so as they're watching him Jesus knowing their hearts addresses them and speaks to them and asks them the simple question in verse 5 Which of you having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day You see the fact of the matter is is these people cared more about animals than they did about human beings and Seeing that Jesus caught them at that caught them in that sin Well notice verse 6 they could not answer him and did not answer him regarding those things They wanted to remain silent because they didn't want to incriminate themselves and reveal themselves as being without concern for people If there's anything that Evidence is a relationship with God It's going to be concerning compassion for people if there's anything that ever evidence is that we have a relationship with God It's going to be first that we have a love for him that is primary that is the master relationship that we have in our lives and Secondly that is going to be evidenced by Compassion for those who are in need Jesus Christ when he would walk into a room could be counted on to do something about the individual who was there who had a need So much so that when people wanted to find an accusation against him they could look at him and they could say there's somebody in this room with a need and We'll just wait for a moment because ultimately Jesus will gravitate towards that person and he will meet that need Well Jesus knowing that knowing the condition of their heart actually confronts them about that as he does so He makes it very clear that there is a difference between an animal and a human being The fact is you care more about animals than you do about people But Jesus is saying but I don't and so when you ask that question if you had an animal that had fallen into a pit Would you not pull them out? Even if it was the Sabbath well, obviously they wouldn't therefore they could not answer in regarding these things And so verse 7 so he told the parable to those who were invited when he noted how they chose the best places saying to them When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast Do not sit down in the best place Less one more honorable than you be invited by him and he who invited you and him come and say to you Give place to this man and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place But when you are invited go and sit down in the lowest place So that when he who invited you comes he may say to you friend to go up higher Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at table with you For whoever exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be Exalted and so I Do have notes for this having disarmed them He now addresses their sinful attitudes and what Jesus is doing is he's noticing something. He's noticing how the guests ambitiously secure the most important places at the table When people would go to a meal they would normally recline and the table was formed in a U shape so picture in your mind the letter U and Then picture when you come down to the base and go back up to the U picture that as being three seats The three seats were for the most prestigious guest you have in the center the guest of honor You have the person on the left would be the preferred guest and the person on the right who was the second most honored guest to the guest of honor Jesus is watching these people as these dignified individuals run into the room or Push their way and somehow force their way in so that they might find the most prestigious Places at that table and this is what the Lord is watching as this is taking place That's what it says in verse 7 he told the parable to those who were invited when he noted how they chose the best places And so there they are pushing the way up to the front what they are guilty of is selfish ambition Selfish ambition is the pushing ahead of others in order to gain prestige for yourself and the Bible tells us in Proverbs 13 verse 10 That by pride comes nothing but strife when somebody is Constantly pushing themselves ahead in front of somebody else then all you're going to create is tension Tension amongst the people who are being displaced And so Jesus is watching this group of prestigious individuals as they act like children Pushing in front of one another to find the most prestigious places in order that they might be the most honored at that Table, but Jesus would tell us that pride actually creates strife In Philippians chapter 2 verse 3 the Bible says let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit But in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself The attitude of the believer is actually preferring the lower seat The attitude of the believer is actually not desiring to be known or to have your name mentioned by others We don't strive for attention. We don't have a desire to be the center of attention We actually find our pleasure and our greatest pleasure in simply being a servant and serving the Lord and those around us in ministry Selfish ambition is an especially terrible sin Because it causes the individual who is suffering with it to cease being a servant and Causes them to have an attitude of being served And when a person begins to consider themselves so important that people need to serve them Then the spirit of servanthood leaves the church and is displaced It's replaced actually by an attitude of ambition And so Jesus is noting this in ministry. It's a killer in the Christian life It's destructive because what we need to do is just allow the Lord to do the work that God wants to do and just rejoice in the fact that he makes the decision where we ought to serve and and Where we ought to be One of the things and I'll say this as an anecdote or just a momentary illustration that that was very profitable for me as a young person is I was the guy when I was growing up I was the guy who didn't really have a name I was the guy that people would say and you and so Like I had a friend named Bill and had a friend named Jim two good-looking guys and all and we hung around together So we might go someplace and and meet meet some girls and all and the girl will say one girl will say well It's nice to meet you Bill and it's nice to meet you Jim and you too. Well, I was the you too, you know And and for the longest time I have to be honest with you. It really bothered me. I I hated Bill and Jim You know, I prayed many years that God would make them short and bald, but he didn't But I had I you know, I learned that and and I learned a long time ago that that People won't remember you and they won't remember your name and and so a long time ago. I pretty much died to that I pretty much stopped desiring that I I actually found more comfort in just being one of the people rather than having to be noticed by the people You know what I'm trying to say it it just became more comfortable for me I I still enjoy that much more than having the attention in all But I didn't know that the Lord was actually breaking something from me even prior to me getting saved Because when you when you begin to minister and especially when you have a church like this and people begin to know the church and know the Reputation of the pastor and things like that People can treat you in very different ways and can actually make you think you're important when in reality Of course you're not and people can do that even in this fellowship I've told you so many times that I I I really would prefer people just not shaking when they talk to me because sometimes they do they Actually come up nervously talking to me and I and I wonder is my breath that bad. I mean, you know Give me a mint or something, you know, I'm I'm sorry You know because I really feel more comfortable with people who who see me for who I am just one of the sinners who goes to this church and And and that makes me a lot more comfortable, but this attitude of needing Attention and having to be known. Well, that's something that the Lord teaches against and that's why he says in verse 8 When you're invited by anyone to a wedding feast do not sit down in the best place Lest one more honorable than you be invited by him and and he who invited you and him come and say to you Give place to this man and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place But when you are invited go and sit down in the lowest place so that when he who invited you comes He may say to you friend go up higher Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you for whoever exalts himself will be humbled And he who humbles himself will be exalted. You see Jesus is not advocating false humility he's not saying go and sit in the very least seats so that You'll be noticed and then they'll bring you up. He's not advocating that he's simply pointing out that the host determines places of honor and Isn't going to award you that place through your selfish ambition That's because honor in the kingdom of God does not occur based on pushing for it It simply comes through the Lord So the point he's making is humble yourself and allow the Lord to place you where he wants you to be That's because God resists those who attempt to exalt themselves and humility is the key to greatness In Proverbs 22 verse 4 the scripture says by humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life Proverbs 29 23 says a man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor So God would have us to have humble spirits this this being without the need to be noticed and known by others Now Jesus obviously is the greatest example in Luke chapter 22 We'll see at verse 27 when he asks the question who's greater he who sits at the table or he who serves Is it not he who sits at the table yet? I am among you as the one who serves Jesus was the greatest example of an individual Who was the servant of all and so if Jesus who is God in the flesh Made the determination to serve us. How much more should we serve one another? It's interesting when John is speaking in John chapter 13 And he speaks concerning the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ knows that it is time for him to return to his father That all things had been delivered to him and his last night that he is with their his men and is having and celebrating the Passover supper. It's interesting how now John points out that in that Passover supper After the supper had been ended that Jesus girded himself with a towel Took a basin of water and knelt down and began to wash the feet of his disciples Now the owner of that room if he were present would have had the Responsibility of having a servant there who did that kind of work Because the people who came up into that room were walking the dusty streets of Jerusalem And they would walk with sandals and so when they came into the room their feet were hot their feet were dusty And so it was an act of hospitality to take a basin of water and to wash the feet sometimes they would put a cooling or a soothing ointment on it and You know and just care for the needs now seeing that Jesus was acting as the host He could have had somebody there one of the men to do that task But he chose to do it himself. It's interesting to note though that and that had not been done Supper was already ended and not a single one of his apostles had even thought that they ought to serve one another Even though Jesus for three years had been teaching the single lesson of Servanthood and yet here he is and the last night that he's with the disciples taking a towel Girding himself taking a basin of water and washing the feet of his disciples. We all know the story We know how the apostle Peter said are you washing my feet? You will never wash my feet and how that Jesus spoke to him and said if I do not wash your feet You have no part of me and he says then give me an entire bath I want you to have a relationship with me and Jesus says if a man's feet are washed if he's bathed The only thing that needs to be washed is his feet and he washes his feet then he goes and he says Do you understand what I've just done? He said you call me master and you call me a lord and it's right that you do so because that's what I am if I then being your lord and master have washed your feet You ought to wash the feet of one another and this what I have just done to you I have done as an example unto you and so when Jesus speaks concerning his ministry It is in the context of suffering or in the context of Servanthood and so for the greatest in the kingdom to have any real honor from God It requires the humility of the individual to realize that it is God who places you in the place He wants you to be you don't elevate yourself to that position You just serve him and then he will place you in the place that he wants You to be Sometimes some people can't can't really handle a claim. They can't handle fame They can't handle attention it goes to their head it undermines the work of God in them That person isn't going to be placed in a position where he's going to get a lot of attention or she's going to be well-known It's just not going to happen But if the person has a humble spirit depends on God trusts the Lord isn't isn't pushing for position The Lord will give him more and more to do because you don't take the glory from him in first Peter in chapter 5 verse 6 The Apostle said humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time And so Jesus is less than it's very simply this learn to place others before yourself Learn to take the lower seat for in doing so you reveal that you have stopped pushing ahead of other people So that makes it possible when because you have seen yourself for who you truly are and the way To become a servant is to simply do this die to yourself Do not be seeking honor for yourself Learn to be a servant in Galatians chapter 5 Paul says in verses 14 through 16 all the laws fulfilled in one word Even this you shall love your neighbor as yourself But if you bite and devour one another beware lest you be consumed by one another I say then walk in the spirit you shall not fulfill the loss of the flesh You see the kingdom of God is an upside down kingdom In the kingdom of God the humble are great and the great are humbled And so we are not those who seek personal attention Jeremiah 45 verse 5 says it like this Do you seek great things for yourself do not seek them Because in the kingdom of God we know that God lifts up one person and he brings low the other So as he's speaking here he makes it very clear again in verse 11 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted Verse 12 then he also said to him who invited him When you give a dinner or a supper do not ask your friends your brothers Your relatives nor rich neighbors lest they also invite you back and you be repaid But when you give a feast invite the poor the maimed the lame the blind And you'll be blessed because they cannot repay you for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just And so during that time if I were to give a dinner very often I would give a dinner to the person who could reciprocate I would give to somebody who could give me an invitation back That's how it would work and that's how it was working and Jesus could see that this person's Friendships were all of the same stripe And so what he does now is he actually confronts the the man who gave the feast and he's basically saying this He's saying why don't you include as acts of charity in your associations? Those who would benefit most Why don't you invite the poor? Why don't you invite those who have been injured? Why don't you invite those who are crippled? Why don't you invite those who are blind? In other words, why don't you invite those who in society have the greatest need Rather than giving your generosity to the person who pays you back for it Why don't you give it to the person who has no ability to do so? And so the person in his mind would say well, why would I do that only says in verse 14 because you'll be blessed They can't repay you you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just Because ultimately what happens is God who sees these works rewards you in the resurrection Rewards you when the time comes that you stand before the Lord to receive those things that have been done in the body When you do these things out of love for God and love for people God is going to bless you in return. And so if you have true generosity It simply means that you give to those who cannot give back Now I'm going to keep going with the study. I was preparing for next week and I've got time to do that verse 15 Now when one of those who sat at the table with him heard these things he said to him Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God Well, the room's gotten kind of quiet by that time And have you ever been in a place that is extremely tense and you don't know what to say? That's what's taking place here Jesus has just lambasted the host And so somebody there who's at this particular banquet wants to say something very spiritual From the moment Jesus had come into the room all eyes have been on him That's what it had said in verse one when it simply said they watched him closely And so they've been watching him in order that they can find something to accuse him of And so what they've been looking for is a religious charge now The people That were making those charges against him were people who would strain at a net and swallow a camel And so Jesus thought it right for him to actually bring them into a place of not so much accusation But of chastisement and so what he does is he wants to give to them in response to this A story that will help him to understand Now first as I mentioned in verse 15 this individual doesn't really know what to say So he says blessed is he who shall eat bread and the kingdom of god That's a nice religious thing to say and maybe it'll take the edge off the moment But jesus doesn't go for it. Jesus goes right to the heart verse 16 He says a certain man gave a great supper and invited many and sent his servant at supper time To say to those who were invited come for all things are now ready But they all with one accord began to make excuses the first said to him I've bought a piece of ground and I must go and see it I ask you to have me excused and another said I've bought five yoke of oxen and I'm going to test them I ask you to have me excused still another said I've married a wife therefore. I cannot come I can't have fun anymore So that servant came and reported these things to his master Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor the maim the lame and the blind And the servant said master it is done as you commanded and still there's room Then the master said to the servant go out into the highways and hedges compel them to come in That my house may be filled for I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper These people are lost The people that jesus is speaking to Think that religious comments and sentiments are ultimately going to save them He's already demonstrated to them that they're uncaring and proud and now he reveals them to be spiritually blind And he gives us parable now as you see the parable notice with me some very basic things one We note that there's a very rich man who's giving a very lavish party Notice how jesus refers to it as a great supper with many guests So that makes this a party that no one wants to miss It's going to have the best food and it's going to have the noblest guests And the best part is it's all free all you have to do is come you've been invited And this represents something more represents something more than simply eating It's it's it's everything that goes along with being in a place like that I mean some of us, you know, I don't know if you've done this Perhaps you never have but some of us have driven by mansions before I can still remember Going with some friends of mine many years ago into into uh, Bel Air and in that section and just driving through neighborhoods and seeing these unbelievable houses These beautiful homes and and some of us have seen these beautiful homes And and we really have never been inside of them probably would never receive an invitation to do so But but you can only imagine with all that opulence and all that that wealth What it would be like to to live in those conditions or to go to a lavish party and and that's what it's all about That's what Jesus is talking about. It's not just that you're showing up to have a good meal It's everything else that goes along with that and so The point he's making here is that our natural appetites Can never really fulfill us all they can really do is reveal that we are unfulfilled and the natural appetites always in gender longing because what we really need is satisfaction and fellowship with God The bible in romans 14 verse 17 says the kingdom of god is not eating and drinking But righteousness and peace and joy in the holy spirit That's why in in psalm 16 verse 11 the psalm has said you'll show me the path of life In your presence is fullness of joy at your right hand our pleasures forevermore The best that this world ever has to offer us Whether it is eating and drinking or a beautiful place to be in Is never going to be sufficient To meet the spiritual hunger that we have But yet Jesus uses this banquet to give them the understanding because they're all familiar with banquets That there is a great banquet that will take place one day that will satisfy every need that you have And so according to verse 17 He sent his servants at supper time to say to those who were invited come for all things are now ready So at that time invitations were initially sent out announcing the time of the banquet And the guests at that time that they were invited would indicate their acceptance. It was like an immediate rsvp There'd be a second invitation that was sent out to re-invite the guests But that was really an act of courtesy on the part of the host because if you accepted the first invitation He anticipated you being there and if you did accept the first invitation and didn't show up It was a tremendous insult But these people who initially had said that they would come are now beginning to make excuses We see the excuses outlined in verse 18 19 and 20 The all with one accord began to make excuses Well, the first said to him I've bought a piece of ground and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused Who in their right mind would purchase a piece of property site unseen? And yet that's what this peep this person did he's saying I bought a piece of property But I have to go look at it verse 19. I've bought five yoke of oxen. I have to go test them I asked you to have me excused this guy bought 20 000 pounds of livestock But he didn't test them first and then the third one gives a real interesting excuse I've married a wife and therefore I cannot come I'm still happy. I must not be married now That has a religious ring to it though And then let me tell you why in the old testament book of deuteronomy in chapter 24 verse 5 There's an interesting law there. It says when a man has taken a new wife He shall not go out to war or be charged with any business He shall be free at home one year and bring happiness to his wife whom he has taken You are to be excused from all kinds of things so that you can bring happiness to your wife He's basically using that as an excuse. We're going to see this in a minute But it has a religious ring to it and we're going to see how that applies in this parable in just a moment The law may have excluded him from military service Or things of that nature, but it didn't exclude him from going to a banquet But here's what you see taking place. These are the excuses I cannot come because of my home My work and my marriage Those are excuses that are still being made I cannot come because of my home my work or my marriage. I cannot come You see possessions and affections cover most every reason people reject god's invitation Now it's not that these things aren't important. I should hasten to add that We should care for our material possessions because that falls under the category of stewardship Our homes and our work are given to us by our lord and we should care for them Our relationships ought to be closely guarded also Yet the fact is when we seek first the kingdom of god our other concerns are going to fall into order But when these things become hindrances Then what they become really is spiritual dangers You see what these are are really simply excuses The bottom line is they really don't want to go to the feast You see if it was something that they wanted for themselves they would make an effort for it There's an old saying you will always do that what you want to do and that's pretty much true today If somebody was to say I've got some Front row seats at a concert that this person wants to attend They're going to be there Or if they said I have tickets to the world series or the super bowl or the NBA championships They're going to be there. I want to give you a free trip to paris or a shopping spree in london They're going to find somebody else to check out the fields try the oxen and take care of the home because they're going to be gone Because you do what you want to do So the bottom line is we have to ask ourselves if if we like our car or our home more than we love the lord jesus christ Do we care for these things more? If the kingdom of god is being presented to us Or a large estate, which do we really want the most? One of my favorite psalms is found in psalm 42 And in psalm 42 verses one and two these this is a psalm of the sons of korah The psalm is said as the dear pants for the waterbrooks So pants my soul for you. Oh god My soul thirsts for god for the living god When shall I come and appear before god or psalm 84 verse 10 for a day in your courts is better than a thousand I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my god than dwell in the tents of wickedness So we have to ask ourselves What do we love the most and that's the whole point of this and invitation has been given I want you to come to the great banquet. I want you to have a relationship with me But people make excuses my home my marriage my possessions The things that are mattering to me are getting in the way of a relationship with god I want these material things so much more and I can't really envision eternity All I can really picture is what I have right here and right now So these people want the material things and they want their relationships over the peace joy forgiveness eternal life and satisfaction of eternity People reject the kingdom of god because they really just don't want it Even the religious people of jesus' day acted as if they wanted the kingdom, but in reality they didn't And so they make excuses So what happens well verse 21 the servant came and reported these things to his master And the master of the house being angry said to his servant Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind Since those invited refused to come the master sent for those who normally would not be invited And these people in their wildest dreams would never have considered the possibility of such a feast These are people who are pictured in rags hobbling to the table set before them in complete amazement and wonder It's a picture Of us. It's a picture of the church In first Corinthians chapter one verses 26 through 29 Paul said this He said you see your calling brethren That not many wise according to the flesh Not many mighty not many noble are called But god has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty And the base things of the world and the things which are despised god has chosen And the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are That no flesh should glory in his presence God has chosen the weak things of the world God has chosen the foolish things of the world That's us God has done An incredible work of grace The other day when I was in Calvary Downey doing a A banquet for them The brother who was doing the introduction was reading some of the things that he had gotten I'm not sure if if my secretary sent in this he may have asked some information concerning our fellowship and all And he started reading Some of the things you know as he's introducing Me to the people and as I was listening to it. There were a lot of glowing things being said and so After he said all of those things I walked up and I said that even impressed me You know because sometimes you know sometimes people will see what the lord has done And and people get the wrong idea. I honestly believe that Well, I love the scripture that that no flesh should glory in his presence I presence I I really honestly believe That god makes the determination Of what he wants to do and he simply does it through a person who's available And what jesus is simply saying here is look All of these people who are so wealthy and so religious and so good by the standards of the world Really don't want the kingdom of god. They're not hungry for it But there are plenty of people out there who recognize their spiritual poverty and their need And these people are portrayed as those who enter into this incredible banquet hall And they see all of this food and all of this luxury and all of this beauty spread out before them And as they hobble in with amazement They look around and they say how can these things be? And that's how it's going to be for us guys when we enter into the kingdom of heaven That's how it's going to be for us when our eyes behold jesus christ And we see the glory and the splendor and the beauty of the place that has been prepared for us And as we enter in and we spend time with our master our lord our king And we enter and there isn't going to be a sense of pride like look what I have achieved There's going to be a sense of gratitude. Look what he has done for me Look what he did for me. Look at he made it per he made it possible for me to enter in and that's what jesus is saying When he says in verse 23 the master said to the servant go out into the highways and hedges Compound them to come in that my house may be filled it gives to us the insight that god wants everybody to be there Not just a small amount But everybody God wants us all he wants the world god so love the world that he gave his only begotten son Not just a select few Not just the beautiful people But he wants us all He wants all of us we who have nothing to commend ourselves to him We who are the ones that nobody really wants to be around the one that nobody even remembers your name the one that That that has never impressed anybody. He's the one. She's the one that jesus invites And what he wants them to do is he wants them to understand that there's still room And he says i want you to compel them to come in when he says compel them that means prevail on them with sincere love and fervor You see jesus wants us to have eyes to see Again in john chapter 4 verses 35 and 36 beautiful passage Jesus said do you not say there are still four months and then comes the harvest? Behold i say to you lift up your eyes and look at the fields for they are already white for harvest And he who reeves receives wages and gathers fruit for eternal life That both he who sows and he who reeves may rejoice together You say that harvest is coming when the season Of of the grain ripening appears and that's a few months from now But i want to tell you if you look out there you can see that the grain is ripened already Have eyes to see have eyes to see that there are people out there in need and compel them with love and concern To come to christ love them and tell them the truth have compassion and zeal Don't don't go to bed at night without praying for your friends and your loved ones who don't know the lord Don't go a day without remembering them in prayer before the lord and asking god Will you give me an opportunity to share the gospel with my brother or my sister my aunt my uncle my mom my dad Will you give me an opportunity to be a witness to my boss or my co-workers or the students in my school God helped me to be an example to my neighbors and if i get an opportunity to share with them concerning the hope that Is within me help me to do so with gentleness and respect towards them because lord There's only one way to heaven and i believe that with all of my heart Therefore would you give me an opportunity to compel people with love and concern to enter into the kingdom of god May i have a heart of evangelism may i have a heart to see the loss May i see that the fields already are white for harvest and lord in and that that simply means that it's time now because the fruit Is going to rot on the tree lord give me an opportunity to reach out and to touch somebody and encourage them for jesus's sake That they might come to know him that's the desire of our heart and that's what it ought to be And that's what jesus is saying here i have a great supper Somebody in a great king has invited many people Excuses were made but instead of buying their excuses seeing that they don't want to enter in He sent his servant out and he says you bring in the ones who are out there who weren't expecting an invitation And they come in and they see the beauty of what has been prepared They're amazed and jesus christ is saying very simply here my house needs to be filled But in verse 24 for i say unto you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper Israel had been invited But israel rejected the invitation and because they refused their messiah They did not enter in and though the lord was compelling them the lord the lord was inviting them They were obstinate and continued to refuse But the invitation even today continues He's still inviting us to enter in But the question is is are we making excuses? I have a job I have to take care of my home I don't want to get my My family upset Or I have my religion I can't tell you over the years How many times i've had people say Well, I have my religion I I was raised in a certain way. I have my religion. I had a friend of mine in the military Who told me, you know, my mom raised me at this particular religious faith, david And if I were to come to christ in the way that you're explaining to me from the scriptures He said then I would in fact be calling my mom a liar. I would be saying to my mom You lied to me I can still remember speaking to one young man and I said to him You need to come to christ and receive him as your lord and savior He says I can't do that And I said, why can't you do that? He says because if I come to christ Then it's going to make my mom angry And it's all a religious thing It's going to make my mom angry and I said to him. Are you willing to go to hell for your mother? And he said yes, I am And I looked at him and I said you want to know something I wasn't I was not willing to go to hell for my mother But I was willing to bring my mother to heaven And I said you need to come to jesus christ so you can bring her to jesus christ That's how it works And a lot of people say well, you know what I was raised in this religion. It's good enough for my mom It's good enough for me. It'll be good enough for my family But if you're not saved, it's not good for anything Your relationship with christ is what matters faith in jesus matters Relationship with him, of course, he's not going to ask us. Did you go to calvary chapel and you say yes Okay, you can come in. It's not going to be a thing like that at all What it's going to be like is What did you do with the message of the gospel? What did you do? If if god were speaking he could say what did you do with my son? Did you receive him or did you not? And if I say well, I was a presbyterian That doesn't matter What did you do with my son is the question not where did you go to church? See, we need to have that understanding, don't we we need to know Well, what I did with your son is I loved him. I worshiped him. I received him I followed him I became his disciple because he died on the cross for me And without excuse, I just simply embraced him And then I'll hear the words well done my good and my faithful servant Then I'll hear enter into the joy of your lord that has been prepared for you from the foundation of the world It's not because of works of righteousness, which we've done It's simply because we received christ and received his mercy. We received his invitation We didn't make excuse. We embraced and as we embraced we entered in These people did not embrace therefore they did not enter in