Iliff and Saltillo United Methodist
January 16, 2005
“Excusing Ourselves Out of the Kingdom”
Luke 14:15-24
INTRODUCTION: Jesus was talking with some Pharisees and one of them commented, “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God,” referring to the marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19:9. Jesus responded by telling the parable of the Great Banquet where many missed out on the banquet not because it was withheld from them but because they “excused themselves” right out of the kingdom of God.
From my research I found that it was customary to send two invitations to a party--the first to announce it, and the second to tell the guests that it was all ready. The guests in Jesus’ story had received the first invitation which came much earlier and apparently had accepted it. God’s first invitation to the Jewish people came through the Old Testament prophets. They accepted this and believed the prophets. In the Parable of the Banquet, they insulted the host by making excuses at the last minute. Jesus was saying that they also insulted God by refusing to believe His Son Jesus. When the invited people--the Jews--refused, the servant was sent into the streets to invite the needy to the banquet. God sent His son to the whole world to tell them that the Kingdom had arrived--the banquet now was ready for them.
In this scripture there are many significant things that we can apply to our lives today.
1. They Didn’t Value the Banquet or the Person Giving it: The invited guests didn’t consider the banquet or the host very important. Although they had plenty of time to arrange their schedules if they had REALLY WANTED to go. Matthew Henry says, “they couldn’t be civil to their friends or kind to themselves.” They were saying to the host, “we really don’t care that you went to all the time and expense to prepare the banquet for us or that the food is getting cold. We have other things to attend to--more pressing things right now.”
How must the host have felt? Probably disappointed that they wouldn’t take the time to come and eat the meal. Verse 21 says the host became ANGRY. You can’t blame him.
You can probably think of a time when you went shopping for a lot of extra food, worked hard to get ready for an event and few people showed up. You probably felt a variety of emotions--let down and disappointment because people seemed to care less about coming even though they had originally accepted. They had a “ho hum attitude.” It wasn’t important to them. No big deal.
The same is true today of the cold response that the gospel message meets with. There is not much importance placed on the church today or the good news of the gospel to many people. Many Christians who rarely come to church are in fact saying, “I don’t value the banquet very much. I don’t place much of a priority on what Jesus did on the cross for me. I’ve got other things to do that are a lot more important right now. I’ll come to church another time. Sorry. It’s no big deal. It’s only church.”
How must the Lord feel?
2. People Didn’t Intend to Miss Out Completely: You will notice that none of the persons who were invited to the banquet came right out and REFUSED the invitation. Verse 18 says, “but they all alike began to make excuses.” The people didn’t INTEND to miss out completely. Each of the excuses they made was different from the other but they all arrived at the same end. Even thought it was a reasonably good excuse, they were still held as REFUSERS of the banquet. They were saying, “we have other things to attend to--more pressing just now. It was not a flat NO--it was an excuse. Some one once said that “An excuse is the skin of a lie.”
So far from declining to come, each represented himself as ONLY HINDERED by something in the way just now. It wouldn’t always be that way. When this hindrance is removed later on, they would be ready to come. Or at least that was the impression they wanted to leave with the host. “I would really LOVE to come, but.... Ask me again, at a later date. I can’t come now, but I don’t want to miss out on your invitation. Maybe next time.”
So it is today when people are not ready to receive the gospel message. The excuses are many and different greatly from one person to another. They may sound very reasonable at the time. Or they may sound really FLIMSY. When the hindrances are removed, then I can come to the Lord...then I can come to church...but right now I can’t because....
The excuses that the people gave the host in this parable represented three categories of life’s excuses. Most of our excuses fall in one of these categories. In verse 16 the first person said, “I have bought a piece of LAND and I need to go see it. Please excuse me.” The land would have been there the next day.
The second said, “I have bought some oxen and I have to go try them out. Please excuse me.” This man was adding some livestock to his land. Couldn’t that have waited another day?
The third said, “I just got married and I CAN’T come. Couldn’t he have brought his new bride?
The three categories represented things that people have faced down through history in their daily lives. Luke 8:14 identifies these categories as:
1. the cares of the world
2. the deceitfulness of riches
3. the pleasures of life.
Maybe these people used one or more of these excuses in the past to get out of doing something. Some excuses may have worked better than others of them.
Today it is the same way. We are all excuse makers to some extent. You probably know which excuses that you use work the best for you. Which things get you out of doing something that you really don’t want to do. Are these excuses the REAL reason? Or when we are making excuses, are we a little bit cowardly about coming out with the real reason. When we invite people to church, maybe they say will I don’t intend to come, but I don’t want to hurt their feelings. Maybe we say the same thing, “I don’t want to hurt my friend’s feelings so I’ll just make up an excuse.”
In the parable the first guest said, “I’ve got to go see the field.” The cares of this life--maybe responsibilities on the farm kept him from enjoying a great banquet. What are the cares of your life that cause you to miss out on some really good things in your life? What “daily benefits” that God would like to load you down with never come your way because you are off and running, tending to the “cares of life.” We try to make acceptable excuses, yet it is really depriving us of the rich blessings of God. For example, the cares of this life keep us from knowing more about the Bible or answers to prayer or of being a part of the peace that Jesus brings as we come into His presence. We say, “I don’t want to miss out completely, but I just can’t take time now.”
The second man had to go try out the new oxen and this represented the livestock he bought for his land. The deceitfulness of his accumulation of possessions kept him from coming. I’ve got to take care of these things first. All three of the excuses were lawful--there was no harm in going to see the land or in trying out the oxen, but they became snares that kept them from participating in an enjoyable and relaxing day. They weren’t sinful things. Buying the field was OK, but it came between them and the invitation. The other two things were the same. They cared too much for these things and too little for the banquet offer.
Today what excuses do people make to avoid God’s banquet? Some are as flimsy as a “bad hair day.”
I John 2:16 says, “for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father but of the world.” These again speak of the three categories that our excuses fall into. Things that pull us away from seeing God pour out his very best in our life.
In what ways have you missed out on God’s blessings and God’s best in your life this week by making excuses? It may not be to a banquet that we are missing out on. It may be we are declining the invitation to receive what God has in mind for our life simply because other things are more important to us at the moment. We don’t end up missing out “ENTIRELY.” Just too busy today. We are saying, “I’ll catch you later God. Please excuse me. I’ll come whenever I can. I’ll go to church whenever I get finished with other things. I’ll study the Bible whenever I have a chance. I’ll....whenever.”
If we look at it this way, is it any wonder that we often feel stressed out and have no peace and no joy as we live out our Christian lives?
In this parable, the Jewish people excused themselves right out of God’s best for them. At their excuses the host became angry and said, “go out to the highways and byways and bring in the poor, the crippled, and the blind and the lame.” All of these are invited to my banquet. Jesus was telling the Jewish people, “You have been given the first invitation into the banquet--into the kingdom of God. But you didn’t value it. Now it is open to those who would seem unworthy and undesirable--the Gentiles. EVERYONE is now invited.”
After the servant went out to invite all the others, he came back to the host and said, “and there is still room.”
There is still room today--let us not excuse ourselves out of the kingdom of God or the great things that God has for us. Let us examine our priorities and our values--where have we been missing out simply because we have gotten into the habit of making excuses? We may not want to miss out completely--but why settle for just a snack when we can participate in a banquet. Why settle for junk food when we can have a home cooked meal??
It is time to reevaluate our priorities. Scripture says that “all we like sheep have gone astray every one unto his own way (Isaiah 53:6). The scripture goes on to say and “the Lord has laid on him [Jesus} the iniquity of us all.” Jesus took upon Himself all of our sins and I think he took on Himself all of our “flimsy excuses” and desires that we will begin to value what He did for us on the cross. He doesn’t want us to miss out on good things. Scripture says that He came to give “life and that MORE ABUNDANTLY.”
How many want ABUNDANT LIFE???
3. Leaving the Banquet Spread and the Door Open: You might think it seems cruel that the host got angry and said, “None of these people will eat of my meal.” However, many of our opportunities do not last forever. How many things do we let slip through our fingers because we procrastinate, stand back in hesitation, take a “I’ll get around tuit some day attitude.” We often “bar our own doors and stand in our own light,” says Matthew Henry. We exclude ourselves more than other people keeping us from things most of the time.
The scripture pertaining to the banquet was “all things are NOW ready.” II Cor. 6:2 says, “NOW is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation” and it may come and go quickly.
Matthew Henry says, “There is a season of grace that will soon be over, and therefore people need to come NOW and do not delay.”
Although the host had the banqueting table spread and the door was open, the opportunity only lasted for awhile. Matthew Henry says that “Grace despised is grace forfeited.” In spite of the gospel invitation going out freely today--church doors being open and the banquet table spread, many people are missing the opportunity simply because they excuse themselves right out of it. Scripture in John 6:44 says that the Holy Spirit draws people to Christ. Many times people will feel the drawing to come, but they will make an excuse or outright say “No, not today” and then the drawing of the Holy Spirit seems to stop. Genesis 6:3 says, “My Spirit will not always strive with man.”
King Agrippa in Acts 26:28 said, “Almost thou persuaded me to be a Christian.” Another person, Felix, in Acts 24:25 said, “Go thy way for this time: when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” I don’t know if the “more convenient time” came to him.
The host in this scripture told the servant to “go out quickly.”
1. don’t lose any time because all things are NOW ready.
2. call them to come TODAY while it is called TODAY
Compel them to come in--make it an URGENT invitation. It wasn’t that he went out and put handcuffs on them and dragged them in. But he was to go and let them know--THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
The door is OPEN
The banquet is NOW READY
The table is SPREAD
Come in NOW--TODAY
We need to see the Open Door and come in. Do we exclude ourselves from the banquet. Do others excuse themselves to the point that the banqueting table has been put away, the dishes washed, and the doors locked for the night? When our time on earth is done, our opportunity will be over.
Right now as Tom Bodett says, “I’ll leave the light on for you, come on over.” Jesus is saying, “Come all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Rev. 22:17 says, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come, “and let him that heareth say, Come, and let him that is athirst come and WHOSOEVER will, let him take the water of life freely.”
Let us not “excuse ourselves right out of the kingdom of God.”
Shall we Pray:
