Everybody’s Welcome. Nobody’s Perfect. Anything’s Possible.
The Story of the Great Banquet
Dr. Marty Baker / Luke 14:16-23 / February 6, 2022
Welcome to the Stevens Creek Church. We are glad to have you here and I especially want to welcome our South Campus, our Dream Center Experience and our online campus.
I start with something funny. Did you hear about the kindergarten Sunday School Class that was learning about heaven?
The Teacher asked students, “Where does God live?” Little Johnny raised his hand and said, “I know.” “Well, tell us.” He said, “God lives in our bathroom.” The teacher was shocked and said, “What do you mean? God lives in your bathroom?”
He said, “Every morning when my mother goes in to put on her makeup my father knocks on the door and says, “Good lord, how long are you going to be in there?”
Once again, we are so glad that you are here. Today is a milestone moment; it is a historic day here at Stevens Creek. Today we are launching Stevens Creek Church – Grovetown. If you would have told me this nine months ago, I would have said, “There’s no way. Not now.” This campus was a surprise to us, but it was not a surprise to God.
I believe that this is the beginning of what will be lasting ministry in this community and just think … you and I get to be a part of what God is doing.
I want to say thank you to all of you who have supported this ministry. Your prayers, your work and your generous support have laid the foundation for this ministry. Patty and I really appreciate you are doing.
Today, we are starting a three-week series called, Everybody’s Welcome. Nobody’s Perfect. Anything’s Possible. This is a series to help you understand the heart behind Stevens Creek Church. In fact, our story can be summarized in three simple statements.
Stevens Creek Church exists to help you take your next steps toward God.
We are all on a spiritual journey. Some of you are here investigating Christianity. The thoughts about God and Jesus and church and Christmas and Easter are new to you. Take a deep breath and come back next week. We simply want you to take your next step.
The same could be said to those of you who have been Christians for months or even years… we want to help you take your next step. One of the best ways for you to do this is to join a small group. You can sign up for a small group in the lobby after service.
In November 1987, nearly 35 years ago, we gathered with 24 people in a borrowed living and shared a vision of reaching this community for Jesus Christ. I wanted to remove the barriers so that all people could hear the life-giving message of Jesus Christ.
We shared a common hope that lost people could be found and broken people could be healed.
There are hundreds of stories in our church of people’s whose lives have been changed by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.
Today, I want to introduce you to Karl McGinnis. Listen to his story.
VIDEO STORY: Karl McGinnis
Karl’s life was changed because someone encouraged him to come to The Creek. This church is for all of the people. Regardless of where you are in your spiritual journey, you are welcome here. That’s the third statement.
Stevens Creek Church is a place where everyone is welcome.
I grew up in a church that said that you are welcome, but the only people that felt welcome were the ones that looked like us, talked like us, voted like us and believed like we did. This negatively affected our ability to reach our small town. In fact, my home church went seven years and only had one baptism. Today, our preschool class is larger than my home church.
Over the next few minutes, I want to go to the New Testament, book of Luke, chapter 14 where we see a story about a great banquet. In this parable, we see God’s heart to include people from all walks of life.
Luke 14:16-23
16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.
17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’
19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’
20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’
23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.
If you want to fully understand this passage, you have to look at this parable in light of the customs of their day. In those days, people typically received two invitations to a celebration. When a feast was first proposed, a nonspecific invitation would go out to the intended guests, announcing the event and highlighting its significance. In our day, it would be like a “Save the date.”
In those days, they did this because planning was so unpredictable. The host did not have the luxury of running down to the grocery store to stock up on supplies, so they may have to wait for certain ingredients to become available or they may have to wait for the cow to fatten up before they would slaughter it.
People typically sent out the first invitation without a specific day or time stipulated. Guests would then anxiously wait for the much anticipated second invitation that said, “The feast is ready, it’s time to party!” Those invited never quite knew when that second message would finally be delivered, but they prepared to be ready to go as soon as the invitation was extended.
The banquet that Jesus was referring to was a big deal; it was a great banquet. It was a big-time feast. They did not use plastic-plated deli trays or pre-made appetizers. They did not have rubbery chicken-ALA-king or dry sheet cakes. It was a meal fit for a king.
In those days, people knew how to throw a party. Today, so many of the banquets we go to begin a 7:00 pm and we are out by 9:00 PM. In those days, people came early and stayed until all the food was gone and their energy ran out.
Banquets were huge celebrations. It was an event that people look forward to attending; well that is, most people.
As the story goes, there were several people who excused themselves from the party. At times we have all made excuses. We’ve all had our schedules change for one reason or another and are forced to give an excuse for not being somewhere.
As a pastor, I am frequently on the receiving end of somebody’s excuse. They want to explain to me why they were not in church. A few months ago, I went into a restaurant and saw a church member that I had not seen in a while. He said, “Hey pastor, I am coming back to church since the church is now open.” Well, at that point, the church had been open for 18 months. Let’s all agree … after Easter, no one can use the pandemic as an excuse. I am giving you some grace.
Sometimes our excuses are elaborate and have very little truth in them. That’s what’s happening in our parable today. Jesus is telling a story about a generous host who wants people to come and share in a rather glamorous feast, but several of the people made excuses for not attending.
Luke 14:18-20
18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’
19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’
20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
On the surface, these seem somewhat logical, but let’s look a little deeper. The first one said, “I’ve just bought a field and I must go and see it.” How many people buy land sight unseen? Very rarely do people make large land purchases without walking the property, examining the lay of the land, and admiring the view. This excuse was not realistic.
The next guy said, “I’ve just bought five yoke of oxen and I want to try them out.”
In those days, five yoke of oxen would be like buying five John Deere tractors. If you are going to buy a tractor you are going to kick some tires and test drive it. Before anyone buys a yoke of oxen, he is going to check them out first. He is going to see if they are strong enough for the job.
The final excuse seems a little more logical. The guy said, “I’ve just got married so I can’t come.” That man was not out of the gate good and he was hen-pecked.
Luke 14:21
21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
In this parable Jesus is teaching that God has a heart for hurting people. He specifically mentioned the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. When we see this, we automatically think about certain groups of people, but I believe that God’s heart is broader than we imagine.
When Jesus refers to those who are poor, could that also include those individuals who are poor in spirit? These are the people who are depressed and discouraged.
This parable is saying that God has a place for people whose lives are broken and hurting. There’s room for people who are not perfect.
What about the crippled? We normally think about crippled people as those individuals who cannot walk. Could this include those individuals that have been crippled by life? There are some here today that have been crippled by something that has happened to you ... maybe a setback, a divorce, an unexpected death of a loved one. You can find comfort in Jesus Christ. If you are grieving a loss, there are people here at The Creek that will walk along side of you. You don’t have to go through the grieving process alone. We have a small group just for you.
Luke 14:21
… 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
What about the blind? We see the blind as individuals who are sight-impaired, but the Bible also refers to people who are spiritually blind. There are many people who are blinded by the world and cannot see the light of God’s love.
What about the lame? These are the people who have never been given a chance to walk. For whatever reason, they simply can’t get on their feet. They need help so they can go on a new path.
Maybe some of you feel like that today. You feel as though you just can’t get ahead. You feel as though you cannot break through. I believe that God has a place for you and a plan for your life. There is a place for you.
Luke 14:22
22 "'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
God is bigger than we think He is. His heart is bigger. His compassion is bigger. His plans for you are bigger than you imagine. Just when you think that you have asked too much, God says, “There’s more.” There is still room.
Luke 14:23
23 "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.
This story teaches us about the heart of God. He loves people who have lost their way and people who are broken. This story is about redemption. It’s about restoration, but it is also about responsibility.
The master told his servant to go. We, as believers in Jesus Christ, are servants. We are his servants and we have the responsibility to go and make them come in.
We take this so lightly. We have bought into the cultural view of tolerance to the point that we do not care if someone dies without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We are too afraid that we may offend someone so we remain silent.
You cannot watch a good movie without telling ten of your friends how great the movie is. You cannot go to a good restaurant without telling a number of people how good the food is.
Yet, how often do you share your story of how God has blessed your life. Don’t be timid. Tell your story. Tell your friends how you felt before coming to Christ and how you feel today. Tell your friends what it feels like to be forgiven.
Your friends are not looking for a lesson in theology, they are looking for hope.
When you talk to them, don’t talk down to them. Don’t preach to them. Don’t judge them. Just love them enough to share some good news. Just tell your story. Just tell that Jesus has changed your life and that He is room at the table for them too.
Jesus is telling us to go. He said, “Make them come in.” We need to be pro-active. We need to take the initiative.
But here’s the problem…we like empty seats. We like empty seats at a movie theater. We definitely like empty seats if we are flying coach on an airplane. You pray for an empty seat next to you because it gives you more room and you can spread out.
But I need to remind you that an empty seat next to you in church is a serious matter, because…
Every empty chair represents someone who is missing.
Every empty chair represents a life that God can’t touch in that church service. It represents a person whose burdens cannot be lifted, whose heart cannot be mended, whose needs will not be met that day.
At Stevens Creek Church, we pray that one day this place will be filled, every single seat. Today, we are opening up nearly 400 new seats in Grovetown.
We pray that these empty seats will be filled with people who are currently far from God, who don’t know that God loves them, who are trying to navigate this life without the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in their life.
These people are our friends, our co-workers and our neighbors. Many of them are carrying unbelievably heavy burdens and they do not know that there is a better way to live.
Luke 14:23
23 "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.
Notice the words, the master told his servant. We are servants of the Lord.
Some people say, “ Marty you are just trying to build a big church. Isn't our church big enough?"
We don't grow for our benefit. We grow because everybody needs Jesus, because people need the Lord.
The wrong question is "how big should we get?" The right question is "Should anybody be left behind?" A church that doesn't want to grow and reach out is basically saying to the world you can go to hell.
We must understand that people matter to God and they should matter to the church.
You matter to God. One of the most popular verses in all of the Bible is John 3:16.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The message of the Great Banquet is this: God loves you. For God so loved the world … take the word world out and replace it with your name.
For God so loved: Marty, Patty, John, Haley, Michael. Put your name in it. This is personal. God loves you.
You may think you’re hopeless. You may think you’re unworthy. You may think you’re too old or you’re too young. You may think you’re too bad or you’re too good. Or you may think you don’t need God. You do.
It does not matter where you have come from…what matters is where you are going.
In a few minutes, I am going to lead you in a prayer. I want you to Ask Jesus to be the leader and the Lord of your life. Accept the fact that Christ has paid your debt of sin on the cross. Receive his gift of forgiveness and walk in His Spirit and His power.
I'm asking you right now, what are you going to do with Jesus? You can either trust Him or you’re going to turn away from Him. I believe that today is your day.
Closing Thoughts and Prayer
