The Greatest Invitation We Will Ever Receive
The Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 22:1-14
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared January 2, 2023)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to Matthew 22. Today we will study another of the Lord's parables. By this time, Jesus was less than a week away from dying on the cross for our sins. Jesus had gone into Jerusalem on the day we call Palm Sunday. At the time Jerusalem and the villages around it were crowded with over 2 million Jewish pilgrims who were there for the annual Passover Feast. (1)
*The next day, Jesus went into the Temple and drove out all the moneychangers and dove merchants who had turned the Court of the Gentiles into a den of thieves by cheating the pilgrims. Then in Matthew 21:14-16, "The blind and the lame came to (Jesus) in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, 'Hosanna to the Son of David!' they were indignant and said to Him, 'Do You hear what these are saying?' And Jesus said to them, 'Yes. Have you never read, "Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise"?'''
*Another day later, Jesus was back in the Temple. Luke 20:1 tells us that Jesus was there teaching the people and preaching the gospel to them. That's when the chief priests, scribes, and elders confronted the Lord again. And this time, those Temple rulers questioned the Lord about the source of His authority.
*Jesus refused to answer their question directly, because it wasn't quite time for His death on the cross. Instead, the Lord used a question and three parables to help expose the evil that motivated most of those religious leaders. We have already studied two of those parables, and today we will study the third.
*Today's parable is about a wedding invitation. But this invitation is like no other invitation we could ever receive, because this invitation comes from God! Ray Stedman gave some good background information, and said: "In some ways this is the easiest parable of all to interpret because there is an obvious meaning laying right on the surface. This parable grew out of our Lord's controversy with the Pharisees and Sadducees during the last week of His ministry.
*By this time, it was very apparent that Jesus was on His way to the cross. The hostility against Jesus had sharpened tremendously in Jerusalem, as the religious leaders plotted to kill Him. Knowing this fact, Jesus spoke very sharply to those religious leaders, and told them very clearly what was going to happen.
*Part of this information came in today's parable, and built on Matthew 21:43. There, the Lord had already told them: 'I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.' The Lord announced to these corrupt rulers that they were going to lose their position, and that the gospel was going to go out into all the nations." (2)
*With this background in mind, let's read Matthew 22:1-14, and as we read, please think about what we should do with God's great invitation.
MESSAGE:
*Invitations can be a big deal. Any fiancée making wedding plans will tell you that. One of my most memorable invitations was to a 2003 Pastor Conference in Washington D.C. It was hosted by Dr. David Barton of the Wallbuilders ministry, and we learned a lot about our Christian heritage. What a huge blessing it was.
*Invitations can be a big deal. But they are always a big deal when they come from God. And our God loves to invite people to come to Him.
-In Psalm 34:8, speaking through King David, the Holy Spirit says: "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"
-Psalm 66:5 invites us to: "Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men."
-Isaiah 1:18 gives this invitation: "Come now, and let us reason together,'' says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
-In Isaiah 55:1: "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."
-Then in Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus said:
28. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.''
-And in Revelation 22, the last chapter of the Bible we hear these words:
16. "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.''
17. And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!'' And let him who hears say, "Come!'' And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.
*The true and living God of the Bible loves to invite people to come to Him. What should we do with God's great invitation? Today's Scripture shows us 4 things everyone should do.
1. FIRST: EVERYONE SHOULD APPRECIATE GOD'S PREPARATION.
*God's Word speaks about this preparation in vs. 1-4:
1. And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:
2. "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son."
3. and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.
4. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.'''
*The wonderful truth is that God has arranged a spiritual marriage for His Son. And this parable from Jesus helps us see how important this marriage is to our Heavenly Father. In vs. 3, He "sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding." And in vs. 4, He sent out more servants, saying, "Tell those who are invited, 'See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.'"
*Think of the effort that God is putting into this wedding! Weddings take a lot of work, and they can be expensive. But no wedding on earth could compare with the wedding that God is putting together! He is making extraordinary preparations, royal preparations.
*The Lord started before time began, and as He created the world, God had this royal wedding feast in mind. He has gone through incredible trouble to make things ready. In the fullness of time, God even sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. And God the Father did that, because it was the only way He could make us ready for this spiritual wedding in Heaven.
*Christians: God is making extraordinary preparations for us in Heaven. Remember what Jesus said in John 14, on the night before the cross:
1. "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
2. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
*Here in vs. 4, God says, "All things are ready!" And one day they will be. What a great day that will be! The Apostle John was given a glimpse at that future day. And John wrote about it in Revelation 19:6-9, where John said:
6. . . I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
7. Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.''
8. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
9. Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!''' And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God.''
*God is preparing the most amazing things for everyone who believes in our crucified and risen Savior Jesus Christ! But how much do we appreciate it?
*I had to laugh when I read how Georgia pastor Victor Pentz put it. He said: "Most of us have such a puny view of Heaven, we'd rather spend a wet weekend in Waynesboro." Nothing against Waynesboro with a 2015 population 5,942. After all, it's the "Bird Dog Capital of the World." But Waynesboro, Georgia can't hold a candle to Heaven! And we need to appreciate what God is planning for His people. (3)
2. EVERYONE SHOULD APPRECIATE GOD'S PREPARATION. WE ALSO MUST AVOID REJECTING GOD'S INVITATION.
*In vs. 2-7, we see grounds for a stinging indictment against those who reject the king. Again, Jesus said:
2. "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son,
3. and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.
4. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.'''
5. But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.
6. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.
7. But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
*Notice that these evil people went from bad to worse. In vs. 3 they disrespected the king: "They were not willing to come" to the wedding. Then in vs. 4-5 they directly disobeyed the king. He said, "Come to the wedding." But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business." Then in vs. 6, some of them viciously defied the king. They "seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them." No wonder that in vs. 7, "When the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city."
*On one level, these verses surely applied to the religious rulers who rejected Jesus. The Lord's words applied to the chief priests and Pharisees who were listening to Jesus tell this story. But on a broader scale, this story represents everyone who rejects Jesus for the things of this world. Again in vs. 5, "they made light of the king's command and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business."
*Excuses, excuses. The Toronto Star once invited teachers to submit excuses they had received from their students. One said he was late because, "I was kidnapped by aliens and interrogated for 3 hours." Another student said he had failed to turn in his essay, because "The bus driver read it and liked it so much he kept it to show to his passengers." Another kid said, "I got mugged on the way to school. I offered him my money, my watch, and my pocketknife, But all he wanted was my essay." (4)
*Excuses. Stephen Crotts gave some common excuses people use to turn down God's invitation: "Some say, 'There are too many hypocrites in church!' Some think, 'I'm good enough already! I'm as good as, or better than those people who go to church!' But the question is not how good we are in our own view. It is how good we are in God's sight.
*Some people might say, 'I'll have to wait until I get better!' I'm too sinful right now.' But that's like being terribly sick, and thinking, 'I'll have to get well before I can go to the doctor!' And in 2 Corinthians 6:2 the Bible says, 'Behold, now is the day of salvation.'
*Excuses: Some people actually think: 'I'll wait until I have some fun!' But in John 10:10 Jesus said, 'I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly'" (5)
*Many people make excuses to avoid saying yes to God's invitation. Tragically, they are like the people in vs. 5 who "made light of the king's command and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business." Those people traded so much for so little! They traded the infinite blessings of Heaven for the temporary things of earth.
*Who would own that farm in 500 years? Where would that business be in 500 years? Where would their souls be in 5 million years? In the light of eternity, their excuses were tragically pathetic.
3. EVERYONE SHOULD AVOID REJECTING GOD'S INVITATION. AND CHRISTIANS: WE SHOULD INVITE MORE PEOPLE TO COME.
*In vs. 8-10 God tells us to take His invitation out to everyone we possibly can:
8. "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
9. Therefore, go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'
10. So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests."
*God doesn't just suggest that we invite people to the wedding. He commands us to go! With a great sense of urgency, He commands us to go. God knows that time is short, and people are lost. He wants us to care for them the same way that He cares for them. God wants us to tell them about His great invitation to live forever in Heaven.
*Taylor Smith was Chaplain-General for the British Army during World War I. And he had a simple test for everyone who volunteered to serve as chaplains during the war. Holding his watch in his hand, Taylor would say to each, "I am a dying soldier. I have only one minute to live. What must I do to be saved?"
*The men were rejected unless they could say something like the Apostle Paul said to the jailer at Philippi: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved." General Taylor Smith knew that the most important thing people need to hear before they die is the good news about Jesus Christ. (6)
*People need to hear about Jesus, so we need to tell them. And one of the best ways is by giving them an invitation to church. In Acts 10, the Apostle Peter (reluctantly at first) went to the house of a Roman Centurion named Cornelius.
*Acts 10:24 tells us that Cornelius was waiting for Peter "and had called together his relatives and close friends." Peter told them about Jesus, and everybody there got saved! Cornelius had already invited his relatives and friends to hear about Jesus... -- And that made all the difference in the world!
*Most of you know that one of the main reasons why I am on my way to Heaven today is because somebody invited me to church. In 1975, at the age of 24, I was a brand-new teacher at Woodlawn Junior High in West Monroe. And my co-worker, Georgia Savoie invited us to church.
*I got saved about two months later, because somebody invited me to church. Later on, our 3 children were saved, and my mother was saved, because somebody invited me to church. Mary and I will soon celebrate our 48th wedding anniversary this year, because somebody invited me to church. Countless other blessings of love and goodness have come into my life, because somebody invited me to church.
*God wants us to tell people about His invitation to life. And one of the best ways we can do it is by giving them an invitation to church.
4. WE SHOULD INVITE MORE PEOPLE TO COME. BUT FIRST, WE MUST ACCEPT GOD'S INVITATION.
*Again in vs. 9-10, the king said, "'Therefore, go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.' So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests."
*Some of the people were relatively good, and some were very bad. This reminds us that God's invitation is the invitation of grace.
*As William Barclay explained: "Those who were gathered in from the highways had no claim on the king at all. They could never have expected an invitation to the wedding of the King's Son, much less deserved it. The invitation came only from the kind-hearted, generous hospitality of the king. It was grace which offered the invitation, and grace which gathered them in." It was God's grace that came at the highest price: The cross of Jesus Christ. (7)
*Many accepted the king's invitation, so the hall was filled with guests. But there was someone there who tried to come in another way. Ray Stedman said we would call him a gate crasher today. (2)
*We see this man in vs. 11-14, where Jesus said:
11. "But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.
12. So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless.
13. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
14. For many are called, but few are chosen."
*This man tried to come dressed in his own clothes, dressed in his own righteousness so to speak. But our righteousness can never be good enough for Heaven. You see, the people who accepted the king's invitation didn't just happen to have the right wedding clothes out there on the highway.
*They couldn't have afforded royal robes in the first place. But the people who accepted the king's invitation were given the right clothes to wear. We get to hear someone like that in Isaiah 61:10. There, a believer was rejoicing in God's salvation, and he proclaimed, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." (8)
*Everybody has to be properly dressed to go to the Lord's wedding in Heaven. And the only proper way is with the clothes that God wants to give to us, perfectly clean clothes provided by the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, Jesus never sinned, but He took all of our sins on Himself when He died on the cross for us. The risen Christ did that so we could have His righteousness when we receive Him as our Lord and Savior.
*Speaking of this amazing trade, Bill Bouknight said, "My sister Martha is 3 years older than I am, and has always been considerably smarter. This put me at a disadvantage. Teachers in school would compare my work to Martha's and wonder if I came from the same litter.
*When I was 4 or 5 and Martha was 7 or 8, she sometimes took advantage of my financial ignorance. I would have a dime and she would have a nickel. Showing me that the nickel was clearly larger than the dime, she would suggest a trade. I would gladly do so, wondering how my sister could be so dumb as to make such an offer.
*Not all trades are fair. Some take advantage of the ignorant or uninformed. But occasionally one bumps into a trade that is so caring, so loving that it rattles our selfish bones. At the heart of the Gospel is a terrific trade like that: A sinless Christ took upon himself the sin of all people, bore it to Calvary, suffered and died for it. And in exchange covered all believers with His perfect righteousness."
*Then Bill said, "Let's suppose that I am wearing a coat that reveals the state of my soul. Every commandment I ever broke, every needy person I ever ignored, every lustful thought I ever had, every profanity I ever uttered, -- all have left dirty marks on my coat. What a filthy garment it is! I must wear the coat and no cleaner on earth can remove its stains, and smudges.
*Let's suppose that Jesus approaches me. I try to hide because I don't want Him to see my filthy coat. It reveals everything bad about me. But Jesus finds me and says, 'Bill, I know all about your coat. I love you anyway. Give me the coat.'
*Miserable with shame, I turn the coat over to him. Then I watch as He marches off to Calvary. He wears it on the cross, bearing the penalty for every smudge and stain. And at that very moment when He cries out from the cross, 'It is finished' and breathes His last, suddenly I become aware that I am wearing a new coat.
*Instantly I recognize it. It is Jesus' coat! And there's not a smudge or a stain on it. It's a coat of perfect righteousness. Now I can walk into the very presence of God, clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ." (9)
CONCLUSION:
*Almighty God has given all of us an invitation to live with Him forever, dressed in His robe of righteousness. It's the greatest invitation we will ever receive, the most important invitation in life!
*What have you done with God's great invitation? We must accept it by receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Then do everything we can to help more people come to the wedding. Christians: Let's ask the Lord to help us, and if you have never trusted in Jesus, call on the Lord to save you now, as we go back to God in prayer.
(1) Sources:
-BARCLAY'S DAILY BIBLE STUDY SERIES - NEW TESTAMENT by William Barclay - Revised Edition - Copyright 1975 - First published by the Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh, Scotland - The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, PA - "A King's Welcome - John 12:12-19"
-https://bibleportal.com/commentary/section/william-barclay/a-kings-welcome-john-1212-19-7786
-https://bibleportal.com/commentary/section/william-barclay/a-kings-welcome-john-1212-19-continued-7787
-https://biosidmartin.com/how-many-people-were-in-jerusalem-for-passover-when-jesus-was-crucified/
(2) Adapted from: SERMON: "The Chance to Live" - Series: "Treasures of the Parables of Jesus" by Ray Stedman - Matthew 22:1-14 - Peninsula Bible Church, Palo Alto, California - Message No: 12 - Catalog No: 382 - Date: August 3, 1969 - Source: SID ("Sermon & Illustration Database") Kerux database compiled by Rev. David Holwick - www.holwick.com - Typist: Paul Apple - Date entered: 7/1/1999 - Holwick ID: 5095
(3) Online sermon "Heaven: A Sneak Preview" by Dr. Victor Pentz - Revelation 21:1-4, 22-27 - Peachtree Presbyterian Church - 02/08/2004
-https://www.waynesboroga.com/27/Our-Community
-https://www.waynesboroga.com/99/History-of-Waynesboro
(4) Sermons.com sermon "I Don't Have Time for a Banquet" by King Duncan - Matthew 22:1-14
(5) Adapted from Sermons.com sermon "Supper's Ready!" by Stephen M. Crotts, George L. Murphy, Stan Purdum - Matthew 22:1-14
(6) Adapted from "One thousand Evangelistic Illustrations" By Aquilla Webb - #539 "Instant in Season" p. 190
(7) BARCLAY'S DAILY BIBLE STUDY SERIES - NEW TESTAMENT by William Barclay - Revised Edition - Copyright 1975 - First published by the Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh, Scotland - The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, PA - "Joy And Judgment" - Matthew 22:1-10 - https://bibleportal.com/commentary/section/william-barclay/joy-and-judgment-matthew-221-10
(8) JAMIESON, FAUSSET AND BROWN COMMENTARY CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY ON THE WHOLE BIBLE by Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown - 1871 - "The Gospel According to Matthew" by David Brown - Matthew 22:1-14 - "Parable of the Marriage of the King's Son"
(9) Sermons.com sermon "A Terrific Trade" by Bill Bouknight - 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 - 2002
