Sermon for 11/3/02
The Invitation
Matthew 22:1-14
Introduction:
A. My favorite invitations are the ones that come in the mail in nice envelopes with pretty pictures and fancy stationary and say something like, “Mr. and Mrs. John Doe request your presence at the wedding of their daughter…” It makes us feel important.
B. I love weddings. Not my own wedding (don’t want people to make a fuss over me), but everybody else’s. I love officiating at weddings and I love just attending weddings. I don’t enjoy getting all dressed up, but I would more than gladly wear a tuxedo to go to any wedding. It is a wonderful event; all the pageantry and all the fairy tale "ness" of it. I think it is funny to see how the wedding will go wrong. So much time and preparation to get everything right and something always goes wrong. I love the music, love songs. The ceremony is alright, but the climax is the reception for me. If anybody leaves after the wedding, they are missing the best part. Oh, the stuff about the bride and the groom coming in and feeding each other and letting each other drink from fancy cups is OK, it’s is a nice warm up. However, what I love is when the couple comes in and they cut the cake. After they are done, then everybody gets in line to get some of that golden manna from heaven. Wedding cake is the best food this side of heaven. It better be because it costs so much. I was an attendant in one wedding and the groom told me that the cake cost over $1000. I went and got a piece and it was the greatest looking and best tasting cake I have ever seen or experienced. I liked it so much I went back and got two more pieces. I would have gotten more except they had the wedding party go back into the sanctuary and take pictures.
C. Some people hate weddings and will not go. I don’t understand it. If we could leave out the pictures and the tuxedos, everything would be perfect, especially the cake. You can’t miss out on the cake.
WBTU:
A. Going over the parts of a worship service.
B. Last week it was the sermon.
C. This week we are going over the invitation which immediately follows the sermon. Part of the sermon. Preaching clearly communicates the message and then demands a response.
1. In some groups, they don’t have an invitation time.
2. Other groups offer what is called an altar call.
3. Other groups, like this one, offer an invitation time. Why? Because it is a Biblical concept.
a. In this parable of Jesus, it talks about accepting or rejecting the invitation. People need a chance to accept or reject. What are you going to do with Jesus?
b. (Rev 19:7 NIV) Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.(Rev 19:8 NIV) Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Rev 19:9 NIV) Then the angel said to me, "Write: ’Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’" And he added, "These are the true words of God."
c. Peter definitely offered an invitation at the day of Pentecost. Mentions that 3,000 people came forward, were baptized. How did they know?
D. When is it appropriate to come forward during the invitation time, especially if you are already a Christian?
1. To inform the congregation of a prayer need in your life.
a. Already a Christian
b. James 5:14-16.
c. Going through a trial, sickness.
d. Going through a battle.
e. Had this a few weeks ago.
2. To confess to the congregation.
a. Already a Christian
b. James 5:14-16
c. Preacher is speaking on a particular topic; you have had this sin in your life. Want counsel and prayer to break out from the sin.
d. (2 Cor 10:4 NIV) The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
e. As a Christian person, we should not commit habitual sins. (1 John 3:9 NIV) No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
f. Reconciliation. Harboring bitterness and hatred.
g. Take action. Probably want to do this in private. Need counsel.
3. Want to be a member.
a. Like the church, like the people, like everything.
b. If you are a Christian, an immersed believer, we have you come forward to have the church meet you and to pray for you.
c. Afterward, let you in on some of our goals and expectations, but we give you the right hand of fellowship. Part of the group.
d. Praise God that you take this seriously and want to be an active part.
Thesis: I want to talk about the most important invitation and this is the invitation to salvation. Most important part of the invitation!
For instances:
I. Introduction:
A. The evangelist Knowles Shaw baptized more than 11,000 persons before his tragic death in a train accident. His last words were, “Oh, it is a grand thing to rally the people to the cross of Christ.” The evangelistic invitation is designed to rally people to the cross.
B. The end result of an evangelistic sermon should be an evangelistic invitation for people to accept Christ for salvation. This is the natural climax. It is the moment Heaven has been waiting for. It is the most important moment of the service for the sinner.
C. Our aim in preaching should be vs. 9. Invite them to the feast. Compel them to accept the invitation.
D. Peter on the day of Pentecost preached before thousands. When he finished the preaching, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter, What shall we do? This should be the reaction to any gospel sermon.
E. What shall we do?
1. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ- He who does not believe is condemned already.
2. Have sorrow and want to make a change. Repentance.
3. Confess before others Jesus as the Christ. (Rom 10:9 NIV) That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
4. Be baptized, immersed. Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38.
II. Matthew 22:1-14
A. VS. 2-8 is probably talking about the Jewish people.
1. However, many other people will turn down the invitation.
2. The feast was full of fellowship, fun, joy, life and beauty; but some persons chose not to attend.
3. This invitation was a privilege, not an excessive and burdensome demand.
4. It is foolish to run from God’s mercy and generosity.
5. God will have His banquet no matter who refuses to come.
B. Vs. 9-10 talks about Christians, the heirs of the promise. We who are going to the wedding supper of the Lamb.
C. Vs. 11-13.
1. This man shows up without wedding clothes! Big deal!
2. The party clothes were provided by the host in those days. More than once my wife has gone to her closet only to exclaim, “I don’t have a thing to wear!” In ancient times you didn’t have to worry about it. When you arrived, your host provided you with a party dress so there was no excuse for this man to be without. He was offered the right clothes but he refused to wear it.
3. That is why he was speechless when questioned by the king. As a result, he was thrown out. He was not permitted to participate in the wedding. More than that, he was thrown into punishment where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth.
4. The king addressed his as friend. Some sort of connection there. They were supposed to be sharing together in the wedding feast, but the man insulted the king. By not wearing the wedding garment, he was demonstrating an attitude of contempt for the king and the relationship they shared.
5. Who does the man without a wedding garment represent? He represents those who refuse to submit to the demands of accepting the Gospel. They associate themselves with the church but in the final judgment they are not part of it.
6. Without Christ, we are wearing filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). We need something to cover them before God. When we become a Christian, God gives us a robe of righteousness to cover our filthy rags. So now in Christ he sees his own righteousness. There will not be anybody in heaven that is not as righteous as God. God is absolutely righteous. So are we in Christ. You and I stand as in the righteousness of God. It’s not our righteousness, its God’s. The rags are still there, but they are covered by the garments of salvation so that God does not “see” our sin. What He “sees” is the perfect righteousness of His own Son.
7. How then do we put on the wedding garment? WE put it on by faith. We are saved by faith.
8. There are two parts to faith: a passive and an active part. The passive part believes that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God and that he came and died and rose again for my sins so that I can be covered by his blood, by his righteousness. The other part is active. If I believe that, then I will base my life around those facts. That journey begins by being baptized into Christ. Faith without works is dead. Just believing is not enough.
9. Baptism is not the “how” or “why” we are saved. How are we saved? By faith. Why are we saved? Because of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. When are we saved? When we put on Christ. When do we put on Christ? At baptism (Gal 3:27 NIV) for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
10. Baptism separates the tire kickers from the car buyers.
11. When we are baptized, we put on Christ like a robe. He is our robe of righteousness, the garment of salvation, the wedding garment.
Conclusion:
A. Everyone is looking for a spiritual experience. Baptism is the ultimate spiritual experience.
B. Baptism is something that is done to you, you are receiving. The primary actor is God.
C. We even do it dramatically. If we wanted to do it easy we would fill up the baptistery to about 6 or 7 feet and just dunk the head.
D. Baptism participates in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism is central to the gospel story.
