Have you ever heard or used the phrase “beat the bushes?” Beat the bushes refers to searching diligently for someone or something. The word etymology is based on the hunting practice of having someone hit bushes with a stick in order to force birds to fly up into the air to be shot. We have stretched that word to apply to many areas. We refer to salesman “beating the bushes.” We refer to politicians “beating the bushes.”
In church work, when we solicit followers for Jesus Christ we refer to it as “beating the bushes.” Are you beating the bushes for God? We are commanded to do so. For a text I want to look with you at Luke 14:23-24. "Then the master said to the servant, `Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” This text has much to say about our service to Jesus Christ. It helps us understand what it means for a believer to beat the bushes. I want to dissect this verse and gain and understanding of its teachings by examining it one phrase at a time.
1. The first phrase I want to examine is the phrase “the master said to the servant.” This phrase describes our relationship with God and our role in His service.
The concept of being a servant is not an appealing thought. Imagine a group of children standing around talking about what they want to be when they grow up. They will mention doctors, lawyers, teachers, firemen, or professional athletes as role models but they will not mention being a servant.
This phrase implies our position under God. We live under His sovereignty. Our role is that of a servant serving a master.
Our purpose in life is to serve God and bring glory to His name. That means we must be willing to submit to His call to service.
Prayer skit adapted from something that was heard on Christian radio:
Jennifer says --- Ryan, I am going to spend some time in prayer. Please don’t disturb me. (goes across the room and kneels in prayer) “Oh Lord, I am your servant. I want to do your will no matter what it is.”
(Ryan pokes his head in the room) Excuse me, the teacher called and wants to know if you will chaperone at the Ithchus music festival this year? Jennifer --- you know I don’t like living outdoors, That is just not my kind of thing. Tell her no.
Jennifer --- (back to praying) Dear Jesus, You are wonderful and your mercy endures forever. I love you with all of my heart and desire to serve you no matter what it is.
(Ryan pokes his head in the room) Excuse me again, Pastor Jerry called and wants to know if you will help with the Food Pantry ministry? Jennifer --- Tell him no. I don’t like being around that kind of people.
Jennifer --- (back to praying) Heavenly Father, I thank you for the salvation you have given me. I am so appreciative for it --- I want to do some great thing to pay you back. What is it you would have me do? Whatever it is I will do it! (Ryan pokes his head in the room) Excuse me, the nursery coordinator called and wants you to work in the nursery on Sunday.
Jennifer says “No, the nursery children will wrinkle my dress.” Jennifer back to prayer. Lord I don’t understand why you don’t reveal to me what it is you want me to do.
(Adapted from Jerry Smith’s contribution to Sermon Central)
2. The second phrase I want to examine is the phrase “go out.”
Many times churches get this reversed. We focus on getting people to come to the church.
Jesus commanded us to go.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Mt. 28:19
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mk. 16:15
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. Ps. 126:6
And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. Mk. 1:38
This is not to discount the value of inviting people to church and to church events. However, we should see events as a tool. The ultimate responsibility is for us to go and share the good news.
3. A third phrase I want you to see is the phrase “the highways and hedges.” This refers to our focus.
We are to go to the unlikely places.
We are to go to the unlikely people. Jesus reached out to many unlikely people. He reached out to the Samaritan, the tax collector, the demon possessed, the immoral, and societies rejects.
Phil Yancey writes about it in his book, What’s So Amazing About Grace? It’s a picture of what our church is, can be, will be, should be. One of the pictures Jesus often uses of grace is of a wedding banquet. So this is what Yancey writes: Accompanied by her fiance, a woman went to the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Boston to order what was supposed to be their wedding banquet. They poured over the menu, made selections of china and silver, pointed to the pictures of flower arrangements they liked. They both had expensive tastes and the bill came to $13,000. After leaving a check for half that amount as a down payment, the couple went home to flip through books of wedding announcements. The day the announcements were supposed to hit the mailbox, the potential groom got cold feet. “I’m just not sure,” he said, “it’s a big commitment. Let’s think about this a little bit longer.” And he dumped his fiancee. When his angry fiancee returned to the Hyatt to cancel the banquet, the Events Manager could not have been more understanding. “The same thing happened to me, honey,” she said and told the story of her own broken engagement. But about the refund, she had bad news. “The contract is binding. You’re only entitled to $1300 back. You have two options, forfeit the rest of the down payment (thousands of dollars) or go ahead with the banquet. I’m sorry, really I am.” It seemed crazy, but the more the jilted bride thought about it, the more she liked the idea of going ahead with the party. Not a wedding banquet, mind you, but a big blow-out. Tens years before, the same woman had been living in a homeless shelter. She’d gotten back on her feet, found a good job, set aside a sizable nest egg. Now she had this wild notion of using her savings to treat the down and outs of Boston to a night on the town. And so it was in June of 1990 the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Boston hosted at party such as it had never seen before. The hostess changed the menu to boneless chicken in honor of the groom, she said. She sent invitations to rescue missions and homeless shelters. That warm summer night people who were used to peeling half-mud pizza off the cardboard, dined instead on chicken cordon bleu. Hyatt waiters in tuxedos served hors d’oeuvres to senior citizens propped up by crutches and aluminum walkers. Bag ladies, vagrants and addicts took one night off from the hard life on the sidewalks outside and instead ate chocolate wedding cake and danced to Big Band melodies late into the night. Jesus said if you can see that picture, you get some idea of what the Kingdom of God looks like and what I want my church to be. He said it’s like a banquet in my father’s house and my father’s house is real big and it isn’t full yet, so compel them to come in. Go the highways and the byways and find people, and especially find people who thought they were a million miles away from God and make them come. Make it a place where Grace just flows.
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Art Good)
God is concerned with those who are far away and unprepared.
Jim Cymbala preaches at the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York. He tells the following story: It was Easter Sunday and I was so tired at the end of the day that I just went to the edge of the platform, pulled down my tie and sat down and draped my feet over the edge. It was a wonderful service with many people coming forward. The counselors were talking with these people. As I was sitting there I looked up the middle aisle, and there in about the third row was a man who looked about fifty, disheveled, filthy. He looked up at me rather sheepishly, as if saying, “Could I talk to you?” We have homeless people coming in all the time, asking for money or whatever. So as I sat there, I said to myself, though I am ashamed of it, “What a way to end a Sunday. I’ve had such a good time, preaching and ministering, and here’s a fellow probably wanting some money for more wine.” He walked up. When he got within about five feet of me, I smelled a horrible smell like I’d never smelled in my life. It was so awful that when he got close, I would inhale by looking away, and then I’d talk to him, and then look away to inhale, because I couldn’t inhale facing him. I asked him, “What’s your name?” “David.” “How long have you been on the street?” “Six years.” “How old are you?” “Thirty-two.” He looked fifty- hair matted; front teeth missing; wino; eyes slightly glazed. “Where did you sleep last night, David?” “Abandoned truck.” I keep in my back pocket a money clip that also holds some credit cards. I fumbled to pick one out thinking; I’ll give him some money. I won’t even get a volunteer. They are all busy talking with others. Usually we don’t give money to people. We take them to get something to eat. I took the money out. David pushed his finger in front of me. He said, “I don’t want your money. I want this Jesus, the One you were talking about, because I’m not going to make it. I’m going to die on the street.” I completely forgot about David, and I started to weep for myself. I was going to give a couple of dollars to someone God had sent to me. See how easy it is? I could make the excuse I was tired. There is no excuse. I was not seeing him the way God sees him. I was not feeling what God feels. But oh, did that change! David just stood there. He didn’t know what was happening. I pleaded with God, “God, forgive me! Forgive me! Please forgive me. I am so sorry to represent You this way. I’m so sorry. Here I am with my message and my points, and You send somebody and I am not ready for it. Oh, God!” Something came over me. Suddenly I started to weep deeper, and David began to weep. He fell against my chest as I was sitting there. He fell against my white shirt and tie, and I put my arms around him, and there we wept on each other. The smell of His person became a beautiful aroma. Here is what I thought the Lord made real to me: If you don’t love this smell, I can’t use you, because this is why I called you where you are. This is what you are about. You are about this smell. Christ changed David’s life. He started memorizing portions of Scripture that were incredible. We got him a place to live. We hired him in the church to do maintenance, and we got his teeth fixed. He was a handsome man when he came out of the hospital. They detoxed him in 6 days. He spent that Thanksgiving at my house. He also spent Christmas at my house. When we were exchanging presents, he pulled out a little thing and he said, “This is for you.” It was a little white hanky. It was the only thing he could afford. A year later David got up and talked about his conversion to Christ. The minute he took the mic and began to speak, I said, “The man is a preacher.” This past Easter we ordained David. He is an associate minister of a church over in New Jersey. And I was so close to saying, “Here, take this; I’m a busy preacher.” We can get so full of ourselves.
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Davon Huss)
4. A fourth phrase I want you to notice is the phrase “compel them to come in.” This describes our approach. We are to compel them to come in.
To compel implies force but that should not be the case. To compel implies being pushy but that should not be the case.
There are right and wrong ways of compelling people into God’s kingdom.
We could use manipulation. When I was a young preacher I used manipulation to get church members to attend a revival. I told them I hoped their televisions blew up if they did not attend the revival services. Incidentally, that happened to one couple.
We could use force. I once saw a country farmer do this. He had helped his neighbor round up some cows after his fence was torn down. The helper told his friend that if he did not attend church the following Sunday he as going to tear the fence down again.
We should compel people because of a strong inner conviction.
Some time ago an 18-year-old girl from Washington state attended a worship service. For the first time in her life she heard the gospel message. The following Tuesday the members of the church received a letter from her. It read: Dear Church members: Last Sunday I attended your church, and I heard the preacher. In the sermon the preacher said that all men have sinned and rebelled against God. Because of their rebellion and disobedience they all face eternal damnation and separation from God. But then he also said God loved men and sent his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to redeem men from their sins and that all those who believe in him would go to heaven and live with God eternally. My parents recently died in rapid succession. I know they did not believe in Jesus Christ, whom you call the Savior of the world. If what you believe is true, they are damned. You compel me to believe that either the message is true, that you yourself don’t believe this message, or that you don’t care. You see, we live only three blocks from your church, and no one ever told us.
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Brian Archer)
5. The last phrase I want you to examine is the phrase “that my Father’s house may be filled.” The result is that God’s kingdom may be filled with people.
God wants all people around His table.
God has a banquet prepared for all people.
