Compel Them to Come In
15 ¶ When one of those at the table with him heard this, (Dinner edicate- lower seat) he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God." (“Home at Last”) 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 have 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 make them come in (compel them- KJV), so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’" Luke 14:15-24 (NIV)
1. There is no end of the excuses we can find for not obeying God. (vs 18-20)
Christians and non Christians. [Daniel Webster’s excuse – “hang it where it suits you”]
2. Those who were found by the servant are those who accepted and were saved. (vv. 21-22)
3. The Master says that that is not enough and sends His servant with different instructions. (vv. 23-24)
“Make them” or “Compel them” to come in implies three extremely important truths.
1- “COMPEL THEM TO COME IN” IMPLIES THE AWESOME RESPONSIBILITY WE HAVE.
1- I am not a proponent of “Mugging for Christ”, but there is the opposite danger.
2- “Make them”: (KJV)= “compel them”: Gr. anagkazo= “drive or force them”;
MAT 5:41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. (KJV)
MAR 15:21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, …, to bear his cross. (KJV)
(1) To constrain by persuasion. (Our speech and life example)
(2) To constrain by threat. (Threat assessment - Hell)
(3) To constrain by force. (especially our children - see WEEDs in KNIGHT TODAY pg. 32)
3- Same responsibility as a Firemen seeing a fire! (Life guard / Doctor)
4- Believers have an awesome responsibility!!!
2- “COMPEL THEM TO COME IN” IMPLIES THEY WON’T COME IN BY THEMSELVES.
1- They won’t come because:
(1) Indifference (3) Bitterness
(2) Hurt (4) Confusion
2- Paraphrase “Go get them - they won’t just come in”.
MAT 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and then teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you; and be sure of this--that I am with you always, even to the end of the world." (LB)
3- What would happen if we searched for them like “lost children”?
3- “COMPEL THEM TO COME IN” IMPLIES THE DIRE URGENCY OF OUR MINISTRY.
1- When God shuts the door, no one else can enter!
(1) Noah (Gen 7:16)
(2) Lot (Gen 19:16)
(3) Jesus’ Second Coming (Mt 25:10 = The parable of the Ten Virgins.)
2- It’s time to get serious about loving the lost. It is time to get serious about winning the lost!
3- The world’s greatest need is know God and have an assurance of tomorrow!
4- The greatest thing a man can do is to be a soul-winner!!! (Dan 12:3)
1. We need to use every means at our disposal to compel mankind into the kingdom of God.
2. Throw away whatever excuse you may be using!!!!
3. Love finds a way, indifference finds an excuse!
Daniel Webster ill fitting sling.
As a boy, Daniel Webster worked in his father’s fields. One day, told to do the mowing, he made a thoroughly bad job of it; sometimes his scyth struck the ground and sometimes he swung too high and missed the grass entirely. He complained to his father that the scyth was not hung right. Various attempts were made to hang it better, but with no success. At last, his father told him he might hang it to suit himself, whereupon he hung in on a tree and said "There, that’s just right."
Providence Used As An Excuse
Joke
When Billy was little, he was a real demon. One day he came home from elementary school and didn’t realize that the pastor was inside talking with his parents. Without going into the house, he went around to the back yard to play. Suddenly, he spotted a big, ugly, hairy rat under a bush.
Billy thought, "Boy, my mom and dad would be so proud of me if I killed that rat!" So he grabbed his baseball bat, tiptoed up behind the rat, raised the bat over his head and...WHAP! He hit the rat with the bat. Then he stepped on it and smashed it with his foot, picked it up and bashed it against a tree, ran it through with his switchblade and killed it.
Little Billy wanted his folks to see what he had done so he picked up the bloody rat and raced inside, still not realizing that the minister was there. With great excitement he exclaimed, "Mom! Dad! Look at this rat I just killed. You would’ve been so proud of me. I clubbed it over the head with my baseball bat. Then I stepped on it and smashed it with my foot, picked it up and bashed it against the tree, ran it through with my knife and..."
Just then Billy looked up and saw the preacher. With a pious demeanor he held up the rat by it tail and with a solemn voice said, "...and the Lord called him home!"
Rusty & Linda Wright, _500 Clean Jokes_, p. 31.
