Children’s talk- Josh’s party
London
Josh, 13th birthday
Dad, who had a big business with lots of workers and a big house in Chelsea, threw a party
Posted invites to his friends: David, Rebecca & Paul (brother and sister), Rachel and James (sister & brother)
Show invite. Child to read?
They all RSVPed to say they would make it
Josh’s birthday came
Then Josh’s Dad sent out two of his chauffeurs, Bill and Ben, with a Mercedes to David’s house in Kensington- shouted through closed door that it was too far away and he didn’t want to come
Two more servants, Milly and Molly, drove Josh’s Dad’s BMW to Rebecca and Paul’s house- Rebecca, 12, answered the door but said she was sorry but she had to go and water all the plants in her garden and then visit her pony; Paul upcoming young businessman, aged 15- out selling boxes of matches in Covent Garden
Lastly, Rosie and Jim went to pick up Rachel and James in Josh’s Dad’s Rolls Royce. They couldn’t believe it! Rachel came out of their house and started pulling Rosie’s hair. Moses was even worse- he came up to the Rolls Royce and started shooting out all the tyres with his air rifle. When Jim got out to speak to him, he shot Jim in the eye with his gun, and Jim fell to the ground still as a stone. You would have thought that would have stopped them, but they carried on punching and kicking Rosie until she had to run away all the way back to Josh’s Dad’s house in Chelsea
What do you think Josh’s Dad said? What do you think he did?
Sent out invites to everyone: all they had to do was come and take the ticket on the door
Get children to do this… [prime Chris? Get Chris to draw his own]
When Josh’s Dad came, what do you think he said…?
Story is about Jesus… coming back…big feast…everyone invited… many ‘clever’, ‘good’ and ‘rich’ people reject Jesus, and many ‘simple’, ‘bad’ and ‘poor’ accept him because they are only too glad to be asked. Which are you in your own eyes? Humble enough to come to him, and also to use the ticket he provides?
Talk
Intro (before reading)
Recently, the media has been full of talk of a very important, imminent event. Speculation has reached fever pitch and there have been differing venues concerning the venue, those invited and even what is going to be in the goodie bags (luxury Coach wallets for the men, diamond necklaces for the ladies). Yes, you guessed it, it’s Ben and Jen’s on-off wedding! Whether or not you envy, disregard or sympathise with them, celebrities put a high price on getting their weddings just right. Posh and Becks spent a mere $800,000 on theirs in 1999, after having giving each other £40,000+ engagement rings!
Unfortunately for Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, lots of gremlins have got stuck in the works, and at present their wedding is off. J-Lo has problems with Ben’s gambling, and his mother has been casting doubt about the suitability of the thrice-divorced Lopez as a future wife and mother of Ben’s children. Ben has been seen with other women, Jennifer alone on the beach and the goodie bags have been given away, I heard, to homeless people!
Today we are going to be looking at a very different wedding, which certainly wasn’t and isn’t going to be called off… Yasmine is going to come and give the reading.
Pray. Encourage folks to open their Bibles.
Context
Jesus has just told two parables in chapter 21. In the first, He speaks of two sons who were told to go and work in the vineyard. One said he wouldn’t, but did, and the other said he would but didn’t. In the second parable, Jesus speaks of some wicked tenants who refuse to pay their rent and kill the son of the landowner. In both cases, Jesus is speaking to the religious leaders and warning them that “the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it” (21:43). Naturally they are enraged at this and are thinking about killing Him, thus fulfilling the very parable Jesus has spoken about them (21:46).
Amazingly, it seems as if Jesus is answering their unspoken thoughts (“answered”- NKJV) as he gives this third and final parable, in some ways the most devastating of the lot.
AD70 destruction armies of Titus, but… two minds about saying at start who king and son are, but it should be obvious- God the Father, God the Son. The wedding feast being spoken of is “the marriage of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:7). This is when the Bride of Christ, that is the Church, that is all true believers in Jesus will be united with Him in heaven. This is such a joyous, deeply intimate moment, that it is described as a marriage, and indeed all marriages are just a mere shadow of this ultimate union.
So when Jesus is telling this parable, we can be confident that he is talking about different responses to this final wedding feast, as he is in so many parables towards the end of Matthew. The question: will you be there?
I am going to be focusing briefly on five different types of person in the story:
1. The indifferent rebel
2. The violent rebel
3. The hypocrite rebel
4. The responsive guest
5. The loyal servant.
I’d like you to be thinking about which one of those categories you fit into- it might be more than one- and which you would like to fit into.
1. The indifferent rebel (3-5)
King, like Josh’s Dad, has arranged the marriage. The guests have already been invited, it’s all been arranged (3).
Refusal (3).
King not petty- rather persistent (4)- “sent some more servants.”
Also, lays out the treasures of the feast (4) and shows how it’s all up for grabs! Hint of CROSS- sacrifice.
But- deeply tragic- Rebecca & Paul- “they paid no attention and went off” (NIV) or “they made light of it and went their ways” (NKJV). Things in themselves not bad- farms, businesses. Idols taking place of God. “Seek ye first.” Man with money gun.
Most common category of human being. The average Joe. 90%+?
“Open sin may kill its thousands, but indifference and neglect of the Gospel kill their tens of thousands” (JC Ryle).
Do we put God first? Procrastinating, relegating, seeking own welfare.
2. The violent rebel (6,7)
Amazing! Free invitation! Met with such hostility- why?
If someone came to offer you an invitation to best feast ever, wouldn’t you go?
Why rejecting so violently?
John 3:19- “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and the men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
Pride- Friends ‘Hootie’ tickets episode; Mick O’D
Maybe you never show outward violence- but is your heart violent towards God and towards the people of God?
3. The hypocrite rebel (11-13)
The King was so generous- not only was the offer of the feast open to all, but he even provided the wedding robe, the enduma, himself.
Chris tried to get in with his own ticket; this man tried to wear his own clothes- how foolish! What was he playing at?
Notice- only the King can see that the man is a hypocrite- pretending to be a true guest, but rejecting the King’s necessary garments.
What are the garments? The garment is Jesus Christ. “Nothing but true faith shall abide the fire of His judgement…with the invitation came the garment, a response of dependency on the one who called, to do it” (Charles Price). Our pride is such that we might be prepared to try to enter the feast, but do it in our own way rather than the way God has provided, the narrow gate, of His Son Jesus Christ. In the Bible Christians are those who “were baptised into Christ [and] have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27). Paul says, “Yes indeed I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith” (Philippians 3:8,9).
“All our righteous deeds are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64)
“I need nothing…not realising that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked…I counsel you to buy from me white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen” (Revelation 3:17-18).
The man’s mouth is closed as with a muzzle- LUCID DREAMS- terrifying!
Instinct in man for works-righteousness incredibly strong. All cults & religions. All religious people and secular people. What about you? “If you do not stand by faith, you will not stand at all” (Isaiah 7:9). Are you trusting in Jesus ALONE or your own goodness to get you into the feast?
4. The responsive guest (8-10)
“None are excluded but those that exclude themselves” (Matthew Henry). There is no guest list, no bouncer on the door! In fact, the bloke on the door is actually giving you the clothes you need to get in. Text from Helen this morning- toothbrush, towel, T-shirt! It must be a kind of madness not to go, or to beat up the people inviting you, or to try to get in without the clothing offered!
“Highways” (9, 10)- more, crossroads, every direction, the WHOSOEVER, free offer, open door, anyone
“Filled with guests” (10)- encouraging to know that despite widespread rejection, there will still be many who are found in Christ on that final day- from every tribe and nation
Will you be that responsive guest? Let go of your farm, business, violent rebellion or hypocritical pride in your own goodness. Accept the invitation and the garment offered, which is the gift of Jesus Christ’s own righteousness. “No one will ever be able to say at last that it was God’s fault if he is not saved…the Gospel is a complete provision for all the wants of a man’s soul” (JC Ryle).
5. The loyal servant (1-14)
“Call those invited” (3)- Jewish people?
Be prepared to die (6)
Invite “as many as you find” and “all whom we find” (9,10)- both good and bad, making no distinction, because that’s the great thing about grace- it’s free. All have sinned, so really all we find are bad. All need the garments provided.
Trust and obey
Conclusion
Sum up five guests
Urge congregation to be numbers 4 & 5! Be ready for that day…be part of the Bride, the wife of the Lamb
Come as you are, but do not remain as you are. Repent of your sins, and discard your own self-righteousness and accept only the robe of righteousness that Jesus freely gives. And you will be saved.
