SERMON TOPIC: “The Wedding Banquet”
SERMON TITLE: “Are You Taking God’s Grace For Granted?”
SCRIPTURAL TEXT: Matthew 22:1-10
OPENING WORDS
Indeed, it is a great privilege to be able to share God’s Word with all of you this morning. Let us pray.
OPENING PRAY
Dear Lord, thank You for this morning that we can once again come before Your Presence to worship You and learnt from You. I ask now that You will use me as Your mouthpiece, to speak Your message that You want Your Church to hear. Amen.
Our passage today is on the parable of The Wedding Banquet taken from Matthew 22:1-10. And the title to my sermon is: “Are You Taking God’s Grace For Granted?”
1“Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:
2‘The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.
3He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
4Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
5But they paid no attention and went off – one to his field, another to his business.
6The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.
7The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
8Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.
9Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’
10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.”
INTRODUCTION
Q: “How many of you here have been invited to a
wedding dinner before?”
Many of us have, at one stage of our lives, been invited to attend a wedding dinner. But have you known of any of your married friends who have shared how they felt when the guests they’d invited for the wedding dinner didn’t turn up?
As many of you know, I had just gotten married this year, in May. I remember that my husband and I had been very busy with all the wedding preparations. There were just so much details to look into – from the selection of the Hotels all the way to the dinner guest list. It was like madness! Yet, there was great joy and excitement as both of us, like any wedding couple, fuss about as we welcome the Wedding Day!
Being a perfectionist person, I remember the numerous days I kept working through the Dinner guest list – who sit where, who sit with who…. I tell you, there was so much to look into, because some relatives wouldn’t want to sit with this or that person. Some of them would call me up and insist which table they should sit. The fuss didn’t end even till my Wedding Day itself!
One thing happened that really struck my attention actually. I didn’t know it initially as I was too preoccupied with my Wedding and my guests. It was only after my Wedding Dinner that I learnt what had happened. Apparently, my family was most angry that my cousins (who have been rather close to me) and their parents didn’t turn up at all for my wedding dinner. Worse of all, they didn’t even call my mother to inform her anything. Well as you know, to the traditional mind-set elders, Wedding Dinner is the most important part of the Celebration apart from the Tea Ceremony, as it is a time for the couple to show respect to their parents for their upbringing, and for the guests to rejoice wholeheartedly with the parents of the couple. Hence, my mother took it as a personal insult. It was weeks after my wedding that we learnt that one of my cousins actually met with a car accident the night before my Wedding. So you can imagine the fuss, the disappointment, and the anger that was in the air when my relatives didn’t turn up for my Wedding Dinner.
In this parable of The Wedding Banquet, we see quite a similar scenario. The very guests whom the king invited to his son’s wedding, were the very guests who rejected the king’s invitation and ignored him!
BODY
The king had happily prepared a great feast to celebrate his son’s wedding. The king had kindly sent out his invitation cards to all his guests, requesting for their presence as the king celebrates and rejoices over his son’s marriage. The king had wanted his guests, to rejoice together with him. The king even sent his slaves to remind and call his guests to come for the feast, when all preparations have been made ready.
Imagine with me, the king, all dressed up and all ready to face his guests with pride over his son’s marriage. He happily and excitedly told his slaves, “The wedding is ready to begin. Quick, go and call in my guests so that they too may share my joy and rejoice with me tonight!”
The slaves went off but returned to report to the king, “Your Majesty, we went to invite your guests and told them that your son’s wedding is ready to begin. But they would not come.”
Then the king said, “No, this cant be. Perhaps they didn’t know that I’ve already prepared a great feast for them. Go again, tell my guests that I’ve killed my oxen and fat calves for the feast. I’ve prepared lots of delicious food for them all to rejoice with me over my son’s marriage.”
The slaves went a second time. But the king’s guests just didn’t bother with the king’s invitation. One went to tend to his farm, another to tend to his business. Whereas the rest, took hold of the slaves, mistreated them and even killed them.
When the king learnt of this, he was really angry. His patience has been tested. His kindness has been betrayed. His grace has been dumped. In anger, he commanded his troops: “Go and destroy those who have murdered my slaves. Burn their city and let not one of them escape from my sword!” And the king’s troops went ahead and did what the king has commanded them to do.
Then, the king said to another group of his slaves, “My son’s wedding feast has been made ready but those who had been invited did not deserve my invitation. Now, go instead to the main streets. Never mind who you will meet, go to them and invite them – everyone you find – to come to the wedding feast.” So the slaves went and did likewise until the wedding hall was packed with guests.
From this parable, we see clearly here that Jesus has in mind Israel taking God’s grace for granted.
The king refers to God, the king’s son refers to Jesus Christ, and the slaves refer to the Prophets who have been sent to call Israel to repentance and salvation. The feast refers to the Kingdom of God.
The context of this parable is that the Kingdom of God is at hand. The Kingdom of God has been established through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. God is so eager to share this joy with His people, Israel. And so God sent his servants, his chosen Prophets, to Israel to prepare His people for the coming of His Kingdom.
With pure intentions, eager anticipation, excitement, we see God sending His servants to GO and invite His people to come and rejoice and partake with Him in the Kingdom of God.
Then when Israel took God’s invitation lightly, God didn’t get angry. He didn’t give up. We see God as a lovingly God, a God who is slow to anger, a God who is gracious enough to give chances. So God sent some more servants to GO and invite His people to partake with Him in the Kingdom of God.
Once again, God’s people rejected God’s offer. Israel rejected God’s invitation. They took for granted God’s grace upon them. One went to tend to his personal affairs, while the other went to tend to his corporate affairs, while still others captured God’s servants, ill treated them and even put them to death!
When God learnt of what Israel has done to His servants, when God learnt of how Israel has over and over again, betrayed His love and taken His grace for granted, God became furious. His patience has been tested by His very own people – Israel.
And so God’s wrath came upon Israel. God used the Roman armies to destroy Israel and its Temple. The reference is evidently to the events of AD 66-70, when in the aftermath of a Jewish rebellion against their rule the Roman imperialists invaded Palestine and after a prolonged and horrible war captured and destroyed Jerusalem.
Then God’s attention turned from His people, Israel. Because Israel, God’s chosen nation, has rejected God’s love and grace for repentance and salvation, God then turns to the Gentiles, the group so despised by the Jews, Israel. God viewed that since Israel was not worthy of His grace, then He would give His grace to the Gentiles. Never mind if they were uncircumcised, never mind if they were unclean, never mind if they were not considered God’s chosen nation. God wanted Israel to know that God’s message of His love is extended also to the Gentiles. This is God’s grace, for the forgiveness of Man’s sins, the call to repentance.
Israel has ignored God’s invitation to partake in His grace. Israel has taken God’s grace for granted. And so, God turned His back on Israel and extended His grace to the Gentiles.
APPLICATIONS
The question we have to ask ourselves here, is:
Q: “Are we taking God’s grace for granted?”
We too, have received God’s invitation to come to partake with Him in His grace. We too have heard the voice of God through the Prophets in the Scriptures, through the weekly sermons, in our Lifegroups, through our Christian parents, through our Christian friends, through Christian witnesses along the streets, through the Christian talks held in camps. We have heard the voice of God calling us to repentance, to salvation, to restoration with Him.
But how have we responded to His voice? You might say, “well, I’ve already accepted Jesus Christ into my heart, to be the Lord of my life. So I’m saved and guaranteed of eternal glory with God.”
Yes, you may say that you have eternal life now that you have gone through the sinner’s prayer. But does that mean ‘That’s it!’ ? That ‘that is it’, to gain eternal glory with God is simply by that one sinner’s prayer?
Yes, the sinner’s prayer where we asked Jesus Christ to forgive us of our sins and come into our lives to take full control, is vital. But the life we live thereafter is equally significant. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Are we doing the will of God? Are we diligent in knowing Him? Are we really in love with Him? Are we putting Him first in our lives, before everything else? Are we really grateful for His invitation to partake in His grace that we are also sharing God’s invitation with others?
Or are we too busy and preoccupied to be concerned?
Jesus said in John 10:16-17, “(16) I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. (17)The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again.”
Jesus has one ultimate goal to achieve during His earthly ministry – to be crucified on the cross on behalf of Man’s sins. He knew, that is the purpose why His Father has sent Him. But he did not dwell on His personal suffering that He was going to face. He did not go round thus scolding whomever He encounter saying, “Look, look what you have done! Look at the sins you’ve committed! See the trouble you’ve got me into? Now my Father wants me to die on your behalf, for your sins! You wicked generation! This isn’t right!”
NO! That was not what Jesus did. Instead, Jesus was seen ministering to the people. Jesus taught them about the Kingdom of God, Jesus healed those who needed healing, Jesus walked with them and ate with them. He communed with them.
He did not put Himself first though He knew He is the Messiah, God’s Son. But He put His Father first in His heart. He placed His Father’s will above His own. Jesus understood His Father’s heart, that it is His Father’s great love that has caused Him to sacrifice His Only Son for the sins of the world. Jesus has been sent as a means of God’s grace.
We too may have a certain ultimate goal in our lives. Some of you are students, and some of you are working adults. For you, students, your ultimate goal may be to do well in your studies, especially during this time of your exams. You want to excel in your grades so that it can land you in either the university or a good company with high prospects.
For you, working adults, your ultimate goal may be to excel in your career, to prove to your boss that you are capable in your job. Your pursuit is to climb the corporate ladder, into greater success.
Well, it may be good to have dreams, and to work towards achieving them. After all, who doesn’t wish to own a car, live in the most beautiful house, marry the most perfect spouse and have the perfect family, own as many credit cards as possible, and still have lots of money to spend?
But, if your focus is solely on pursuing these earthly achievements, then it would be time to re-examine yourselves.
Q: “Are you sure you know the Jesus you claimed to believe?”
If you only care about achieving your personal goals and ambitions in life, then I’m afraid you do not know Jesus well enough.
Jesus did not put His will before His Father’s. Instead, Jesus was very clear and focused. Even though he has so much in life to distract and tempt Him with, never once did Jesus fail to put His Father’s will before His own.
Yes, we know that with the bad economy at hand, everybody just got to work doubly hard. As students, you are faced with the pressure to study harder than you already are so that you will make it to the increasing demands of the working society. As working adults, you are faced with the pressure to work harder than your usual performance so that you will not be threaten with retrenchment, and you can climb your way up the corporate ladder.
The common slogan goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.” How easy for us to agree with this slogan and how easy for us to forget that “When the going gets tough, (we should) focus on Jesus!”
Being children of God, we have the privilege of sharing a relationship with Him. God is a loving God, a God who is all excited and eager to invite us to partake in His grace. A God who desires so much of us than we could ever imagine. The question again is:
Q: “Are we taking God’s grace for granted?”
Do we only go to God when there is a need? Do we go to God only when we are hit by sickness and crisis? Do we remember God only during good times? Do we give thanks to God only for answered prayers?
Yes, we are all very busy people. For me, my life is a juggle between my full-time ministry and my marriage. In between, there are a string of things I have to give time to: Time for my parents and family, time for my in-laws, time for my personal friends, time for myself. Just 4 months of married life, I am already feeling like I don’t have enough time! Recently, I was just telling my husband that the days just passed by so fast. Sometimes I really don’t know if I’m spending my life the way it should be. Everyday, I have to check myself, to evaluate after each day if what I have done for that day make any sense to me, and does it mean anything to God. Has my life pursuit been for my personal gain or for God?
Q: How about you? Are you taking God’s grace for granted in your life, as you busy yourself with life’s pursuit and pleasure? Are you trusting in a God who loves you so much that with His grace, you will have sufficiency? That even in your weakness, His grace will see you through every difficulty and every obstacle in life?
If you have not tasted God’s goodness, today is the best time to make your choice. God is extending His invitation to you today, to partake in His grace. As you come forward to partake of the Holy Communion
later, will you come with a repentful heart, renewing yourself with God, partaking in His grace and trusting Him?
LET US PRAY
