A FULL HOUSE
LUKE 14:16-24
INTRODUCTION: Jesus was the dinner guest of a ruler of the Pharisees. At the dinner one of the guests hearing Christ speak, expressed a view held by many Jews that only Jews would be invited to the great feast of the Messianic kingdom. They were content to maintain their mutual admiration society with its good ole boy mentality. They could care less about the growth of God’s kingdom or embracing anyone different from themselves. Jesus speaks to this attitude through a parable of a great supper. This parable not only addresses the attitude of the guest but presents three truths that can be applied us today.
I. God’s Gracious Invitation - verses 16-17
A. The invitation was sent out to inform "many" people of the upcoming supper.
B. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
C. Many hear via TV, radio, preaching, witnessing believers, or by reading.
D. The initial invitation is accepted by all. Note that the servant was sent "to them that were bidden" (those who had accepted the initial invitation).
E. The initial invitation called only for an acknowledgement, whereas the second invitation calls for commitment and action.
F. Revelation 22:17 "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
II. Man’s Callous Rejection - verses 18-20
A. Israel the prime example. John 1:11 "He came unto his own, and his own received him not." They looked for the Messiah but when He came they rejected Him.
B. It’s the only time I can work in my yard. I’m too busy with work. I have family obligations.
C. Excuses are the cradle ... that Satan rocks men off to sleep in. - D. L. Moody
D. Anyone can find an excuse if they really want to find one. The excuse may even seem plausible on the surface. An example of the kind of excuse that seem good to people but that really are invalid is the tongue-in-cheek information about the dangers of eating carrots.
- Nearly all sick people have eaten carrots. Obviously, the effects are cumulative.
- An estimated 99.9% of all Americans who die from cancer and heart disease have eaten carrots.
- 95 % of people involved in car crashes ate carrots within 60 days of their accidents.
- 90 % of juvenile delinquents come from homes where carrots are served regularly.
- Among people born in 1839 who ate carrots, there has been a 100% mortality rate.
E. Mark 7:6 "He answered and said unto them, Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me."
III. God’s Command - verses 21-23
A. Go Out
1. To the streets and the lanes of the city
a. "We must evangelize our community. For if, we do not do it then who will? And if we do not do it here, where will it be done? And if not now, when?"
b. Go to those with needs
c. Evangelism is witness. It is one beggar telling another beggar where to get food. The Christian does not offer out of his bounty. He has no bounty. He is simply a guest at his Master’s table and, as evangelist, he calls others too.
2. To the highways and hedges
a. Go to the strays, the outcasts and dregs of society
b. Mark 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
3. The church is under orders. Evangelistic inactivity is disobedience.
B. Bring In
1. God wants His house to be full. Our God with His burning love for souls will never settle for His house half full.
2. 2 Peter 3:9 God is "not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."
3. Our Lord is clearly not pleased with:
- an empty banquet table (Luke 14:15-23)
- fishing without catching (Luke 5:4-11)
- sowing without reaping (Matt. 13:3-9)
- a fig tree that bears no figs (Luke 13:6-9)
- lost sheep that are not brought into the fold (Matt. 18:11-14)
- a lost coin that is sought but not found (Luke 15:8-10)
- a ripe harvest that is not reaped (Matt. 9:36-38)
- a proclamation without a response (Matt. 10:14)
4. The love of God is great; it requires a multitude of guests and will not tolerate empty seats.
5. Our Lord seemed to be very much concerned with numbers. The fish in the miraculous catch were counted. The leftovers after the feeding of the five thousand were counted. And the five thousand themselves were counted! Converts at Pentecost were counted. And in the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd would never have known that one of his flock of one hundred was lost, unless he had counted them!
C. Compel
1. Compel - to constrain by threat, entreaty, force, or persuasion
2. If we can convince people that we are onto something that’s full of joy and meaning, they’ll stampede one another to follow us.
3. Our Facilities ought to be Compelling
a. Haggai 1:2-4 "Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’S house should be built. Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste?"
b. Ezra 7:27 "Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:"
4. Our Worship ought to be Compelling
a. Worship is the language of adoration addressed to God in the heart language of the worshipper and the language of God’s instruction equipping us to live for and serve Christ.
b. We live in a postmodern culture. We need to address the heart language of the postmodernist. We cannot expect to operate the same as we did in the 40’s and 50’s.
c. Since our congregations are made up of saints from various generations, the challenge we face is to have creativity to address the heart language of all generations in the congregation providing continuity with our heritage and utilization of new forms, words, and music styles while never abandoning the truths we hold dear.
d. Worship without creativity is like inviting a congregation to come and chew on Kleenex for an hour.
5. Our Fellowship ought to be Compelling
a. John 13:35 "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
b. Galatians 5:14-15 "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. [15] But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another."
c. People join churches more because they want warmth than light. We like to think it’s our stunning proclamation of the truth that keeps them in the pews. Sermons may get them into church the first time, but what keeps them coming are friendships that foster inward awareness and support.
d. A church newsletter mentioned a man who visited eighteen different churches on successive Sundays. He was trying to find out what the churches were really like. He said, "I sat near the front. After the service, I walked slowly to the rear, then returned to the front and went back to the foyer using another aisle. I smiled and was neatly dressed. I asked one person to direct me to a specific place: a fellowship hall, pastor’s study, etc. I remained for coffee if served. I used a scale to rate the reception I received. I awarded points on the following basis:
„h 10 for a smile from a worshiper
„h 10 for a greeting from someone sitting nearby
„h 100 for an exchange of names
„h 200 for an invitation to have coffee
„h 200 for an invitation to return
„h 1000 for an introduction to another worshiper
„h 2000 for an invitation to meet the pastor
„h On this scale, eleven of the eighteen churches earned fewer than 100 points. Five actually received less than 20. The conclusion: The doctrine may be biblical, the singing inspirational, the sermon uplifting, but when a visitor finds nobody who cares whether he’s here, he is not likely to come back."
6. Our Witness ought to be Compelling
a. There is a road winding over a desert waste and through barren hills where for many miles the only water is a spring that flows from a rock at the summit of one of the low mountains. At best it was only a pencil-like stream, but to those who traveled this road before the days of automobiles it was most welcome. To help people get the water someone had left a tin cup there. But as time went on, the cup became rusted and filthy. Many a person did not try to get a drink because of the repulsive condition of the cup. How carefully ought we to live so that crudities and harsh mannerisms--to say nothing of attitudes incompatible with a Christian life--do not turn people from the pure fountain of salvation! ("Choice Illus." W.W. Clay pg. 44-45)
b. From time to time, we hear statistics about how people first came into church membership. These figures trace back to the Institute for American Church Growth, which asked 10,000 people about their pilgrimage. What led them in? Answers were: Special need, 2 percent; Walk-in, 3 percent; Pastor, 6 percent; Visitation, 1 percent; Sunday school, 5 percent; Evangelistic crusade, 5 percent; Program, 3 percent; Friend/relative, 79 percent. - Wayne Zunkel, Leadership, Vol. 5, no. 3
c. If you want your neighbor to know what Christ will do for him, let the neighbor see what Christ has done for you. Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887)
d. When Christians live the gospel, sinners will listen to the gospel. Let’s reach out to a world in need with the Word it needs.
e. Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
