Prioritizing God's Invitation: A Call to Commitment

Again, our Lord teaches concerning the Kingdom of God by means of a parable. This parable was given not only for the enlightenment and understanding of those who heard it in the first century, but by the superintendence and inspiration of God, the Holy Spirit has been preserved for our edification. [00:01:43]

In this story, everything goes south because we read that when the servant came to give the second invitation to those who had presumably accepted the first invitation, saying, “Come, for all things are now ready.” that we are told that all of those who were so notified, with one accord, began to make excuses. [00:08:00]

The first one said, “I bought a piece of real estate, and I have to go look at it, so I cannot come.” Wouldn’t you like to have him as a client for some land for sale in the Everglades? He goes and buys this piece of property without even looking at it? What kind of a person is that, to buy a piece of land sight unseen? [00:10:22]

Then the third one said, “Well, I married a wife, and I cannot come.” Oh? You married a wife? What, yesterday? You didn’t know the date of the banquet? You didn’t know the date of your wedding you accepted the invitation to come to the feast? What more wonderful, grand opportunity would you have to celebrate with your new wife than to come to this opulent festival? [00:11:44]

So, the servant said, “That’s already been done, and still there is room in the banquet hall.” So the master said, “Then go into the highways and the byways. That is, go outside the city. Go to the strangers.” Here you sense the meaning: “Go over the borders of Israel. Go to the Gentiles. Go to those people who were no people and let them be now known as my people.” [00:13:26]

I like to take just a couple of moments for some brief application of this parable to us today. I see three immediate ways in which we are like these people who fail to show up. The first way is this: that every one of us who is a church member, either of this church or some other church, in order to join that church made a pledge, a vow, a commitment to participate in the life of the church. [00:15:34]

In a word, we are people who make commitments all the time in every aspect of our lives that we don’t always keep. So, in that regard we’re like the people who said, “Sure, I want to come. Count me in. I’ll be there.” but when push comes to shove, they’re nowhere to be found. That’s who we are in our fallen condition. [00:16:42]

These were people who put second things first. Jesus had said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Everything else will then be added unto you.” But no, these people, they had their gazed fixed in the horizontal plane, on the terrestrial plane. Their eyes were fixed on the things of this world. There’s nothing wrong with buying a field. [00:17:20]

I often wonder how people can live in this world and not think about eternity? How can they not ask themselves the question, “What is it all about? Why am I here? What is ultimate truth? What is all ultimate reality? There’s got to be more than this.” Every bone in our bodies, every fiber of our being screams that the significance of human life far transcends the daily activities that we’re engaged in. [00:19:03]

Finally, you must be sick by now of hearing me say that my greatest concern in the church is this: that people who have made a profession of faith don’t possess the profession that they’ve made. I’ve said so many times that no one ever got into heaven by a profession of faith. If you have faith, you’re supposed to profess it, but professing it doesn’t mean you have it. [00:20:30]

The feast is Jesus’ feast. It’s his banquet, and he said, “None of those who were invited shall taste my supper.” Let’s go back to the beginning. Let’s not end there. It can’t end there. Back to the beginning. “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God.” Why are we here this morning? This morning we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. [00:22:19]

The apostle also gives a warning if you’re not a believer. Don’t participate. That would be an act not only of hypocrisy but of blasphemy. This is holy ground. This is a sacred feast prepared for all who believe, but those who do not believe are not invited. That’s for your protection, because if you’re an unbeliever and you come and you eat and drink unworthily, you eat and drink unto your own damnation. [00:22:24]