Come To The Banquet

Come to the Banquet

Luke 14:15-23

Introduction- Good morning church!

Some of the best things happen when you hear God’s Word and respond.

Wither you are in a church or you are listening by internet, know that God’s Word can change your life forever. To have deep faith is to trust the truth of God and respond and apply that truth.

Each time you do that your faith grows.

It goes deeper into your spirit and becomes a part of you.

Leap of faith usually happens when you have no other option, but biblical faith is having faith in Jesus even when circumstances don’t show it because you know that Jesus would never break a promise.

In a minute we are going to pray that the Lord would take us out of our comfort zone and we would learn a valuable lesson. The lesson is to accept the greatest invitation of life that anyone could ever offer you. SALVATION BY FAITH IN JESUS

To decline would be eternity without Christ and to accept would be eternity with Christ with all the benefits.

The reason most do not come to Christ is because of pride. They don’t feel that they need a savior. They are good people. They do not do bad things.

Our passage shows us humility and being humble. The two things that will keep us from being prideful.

Let’s Pray-

Father, we come in the matchless name of Jesus and we come to see that everything you did once you came to this earth was to provide a way of salvation that we could not provide for ourselves. May your word come alive and fill us with hope and encouragement as we live out our lives for you. In Jesus Name! Amen!

Let me give you some background-

Jesus shared a meal at a prominent Pharisees house. He was carefully watched! The Pharisee wanted Jesus to mess up, to heal on the Sabbath. There in front of him was a man with dropsy- (Fluid build-up)

Jesus asks the experts- Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? They all remained quiet. Jesus took hold of the man and healed him on the spot.

If you had a son or an ox that fell into a well on the Sabbath, would you not immediately pull him out? Again, they said nothing!

Jesus in scripture noticed how the guest picked the places of honor, he tells them a parable- a parable is a teaching moment by example.

A visual if you will of what Jesus was trying to show them.

They did not always do well with parables.

You know how well it worked on places of honor because they fought to see who would be on Jesus right and Jesus left.

He provides a teachable moment using the very things the crowd could understand.

Jesus shows us that we need to be humble.

If you will not learn the lesson of being humble, Jesus is more than willing to show you but it comes with some hard knocks.

Jesus says-

“When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, give this man your seat. Then humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, friend, move up to a better place. Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guest. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

You need to know this before you understand the text-

Luke 14:15-23 Read from Bible

Is the story of the Great Banquet ignored!

It is the critique of the abuse of wealth!

Matthew and Luke record the parable, but only Luke acknowledges that it is simply a banquet of the rich for the rich.

Frustration comes as the rich put out that invitation and the rich snubbed him and didn’t show up.

The host ticked off puts the word out to fill his banquet from the streets and alleys and in the Greek means to compel them to come in so the banquet hall would be full!

Some versions say the highways and the byways- streets and alleys and not only ask them to come but compel them to come so that the banquet hall will be full!

One dinner guest proclaims- “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”

Some commentaries believe this is the messianic invitation to the Jews which they rejected.

Most believe that Jesus has now opened up the banquet so that all can recline at the table with Jesus if they accept the invitation. Amen.