Why Do We Do What We Do?
Why Do We Have an Invitation Each Week?
Prior to Lisa and I getting married (and most of you did this as well), we invited as many people as we could to our wedding. We obviously wanted our physical families to be there and to share this special moment. We wanted our spiritual families there, we had already served three churches and we wanted all of them to be there. We invited friends, and family, our postage bill was outrageous, but we were willing to pay the price to have people come to our wedding because we were so excited about beginning our life together, that we wanted everyone that could to share our joy. We didn’t want to leave anyone out. But when it came time for the wedding and we looked around only about ½ of the people we invited actually came to the wedding. They had excuses like, "it’s too far away," or, "I just don’t like weddings," or, "I can’t come to Indiana to see anybody get married." Others had some prior engagements that they just couldn’t make it.
I can’t help to compare this to the parable that Jesus told of the great banquet that we find in Luke 14:16-24. "Jesus replied: ’A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ’Come, for everything is now ready.’ 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.’ Another said, ’I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Still another said, ’I just got married, so I can’t come.’ 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.’ ’Sir,’ the servant said, ’what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ Then the master told his servant, ’Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet."
Preaching clearly communicates the message and then demands a response. 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? Invitations are all through the Bible especially the New Testament. John wrote in Revelation about the invitation and this is what he said: "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. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. 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" (Revelation 19:7-9).
In Acts, chapter two, Peter definitely offered an invitation at the day of Pentecost. The Scripture mentions that 3,000 men came forward and were baptized. How did they know when to come? Peter probably asked if anyone would like to come to Jesus and be baptized. In fact if we look at Acts 2:37-38 we see these words, “when the people heard all of this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ Peter Replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” And in verse 41, we see the response. “those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”
You see the invitation was offered and there were some who definitely accepted the invitation. But it is also clear that there were some that didn’t, for reasons that we may never know. It is the same when we offer the invitation here; there are some that will answer the invitation and will come forward but there are those who don’t for some reason or the other.
When is it appropriate to come forward during the invitation time, especially if you are already a Christian? Maybe you have a serious prayer need in your life and you need the entire church body to pray for you, or maybe you want somebody to pray with you. You may be going through a sickness or a trial or battling something in your life. You may just need encouragement. Whatever it is, you just are in need of some great prayer.
For an immersed believer the invitation is a time for you to become a member of the church. You want to be a part of this congregation. You like the church, you like the people who are and you like everything that you see about the church. If you are a Christian, an immersed believer, we have you come forward to have the church meet you and to pray for you.
Today I want to talk about the most important reason that we have an invitation each week and that is the invitation to salvation.
The evangelist Knowles Shaw baptized more than 11,000 people 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 invitation is designed to rally people to the cross.
The end result of hearing God’s Word should be an invitation for people to accept Christ for salvation. This can be some of the most exciting times in the church. It is the moment Heaven anticipates, because the scripture says in Luke 15:7, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” It is the most important moment of the service for the sinner or for those outside of Christ.
Peter on the day of Pentecost preached before thousands. When he finished the preaching, they were cut to the heart, and asked Peter, What shall we do? This should be the reaction to any gospel sermon. What shall we do? The Bible lays it out in such a simple way. We are to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter also says that he who does not believe is condemned already.
We have to have sorrow for what we have done and we must want to make a change; which is called repentance. In other words, we need to turn our backs upon sin and turn our faces toward Christ.
Then we need to confess before others Jesus as the Christ. Romans 10:9 says that, "if you confess with your mouth, ’Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved.”
Be baptized, which means to be immersed; to be dipped or to plunge. Mark 16:16 says, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Everyone is looking for a spiritual experience. Baptism is the ultimate spiritual experience. Baptism is something that is done to you, you are receiving, because that is when God’s Spirit comes upon you. Baptism participates in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism is central to the gospel story.
That is what the invitation is for, so that people will come to Christ. But is the invitation open only on Sundays following the sermon? No! It is open at any time. Through my years of ministry I have been called out at all kinds of hours because people have thought about their salvation and are ready to accept Christ, and they wanted to be baptized right now. However, just as we read in our Scripture earlier, people will make all kinds of excuses not to accept Jesus or they make all kinds of excuses not to be a part of the church.
I am amazed at how many people go through life without ever stopping to think about their relationship with the Lord. They have time to work 40-50 hours a week. They have time to go on family vacations. They have time to raise their kids and have fun and play games, but they don’t have time for the most important person in the whole world! They don’t have time for God! And God is saying, "Come on now, let’s talk about this! Let’s put aside the sins and the mistakes of the past! Let’s talk about the future. Let’s talk about the things that are truly important!
The scripture says in Isaiah 1:18 to, "Come NOW! Come NOW and let us reason together!" You don’t know how many people have said to me, "Brent, someday, I’ll give my life to Christ. Someday, I’ll make my peace with God. Someday, when my life isn’t so crazy and hectic, I’ll get back to church."
But more often than not, ’someday’ never comes. You know why? Number one: Because people who procrastinate about their relationship with God have their priorities out of whack. And secondly: because God’s promises are not for ’someday;’ they’re for right now! Isaiah 55:6 says "Seek the Lord while He may be found!" The implication is that if you don’t look for Him now, you might not find Him later! And 2Corinthians 6:2 says "Today is the day of salvation!"
There’s a scene in Rocky III where Apollo Creed is training Rocky Balboa for his return fight with Mr. T. Rocky is having a hard time getting up for the fight. His mind is on a million different things. And Apollo says to him, "What’s the matter with you? This guy will kill you to pieces! We’ve got to get down to some serious training!"
And Rocky said, "I can’t today, Apollo, maybe tomorrow."
Apollo got in his face and said, "THERE IS NO TOMORROW! THERE IS NO TOMORROW!"
That’s what God is saying here. "There is no promise of a tomorrow. There is no guarantee that you’re going to get a second chance at this. So take me up on this offer today!"
Another reason that we have invitations each week is so that if we answer the invitation we can have the rewards that are waiting for us when we leave this earth. Some of those rewards include forgiveness, freedom, and an intimate relationship with an all-powerful God who answers prayer, and having your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. But the greatest of these rewards is being in Heaven with God for eternity!
I love Psalm 103 because it lists all of the rich rewards we have in this life when we give ourselves to the Lord. Verse two says, "Forget not all his benefits." And then it goes on to list the benefits. "Who forgives all your sins, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, and crowns you with love and compassion?”
Those are the blessings that God wants to give to every single person in this room. Is there a better time to come back to the Lord than right now? Is there a more golden opportunity than this?
No there isn’t. Hebrews 3:7-8 says, "TODAY, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart." Remember, there is no guarantee of a tomorrow. Now is the time to make things right. Now is the time to give your life to Christ. Now is the time to make your peace with God! Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool. Will you accept this personal invitation from God? I hope you do.
The invitation today is simple. You have heard why we do an invitation each week so today’s invitation is a no excuse Sunday. If you want to give your life over to the Lord, then there should be no excuses. If you want to be a part of this church, then today is a no excuse Sunday.
