“God’s Irresistible Hospitality”
Luke 14:16-24
9/9/02 Round Up Sunday
Intro: Did you ever get an offer too good to be true? I get them all the time. The telephone rings, normally about supper time, and you pick it up. You know right away by the static on the other end that it is a salesman. Then the spiel starts: Hello, Mr. Ring - I know right then it’s a telemarketer; he has gotten my name wrong- just because you are a valued credit card customer we are going to send you $40 of gasoline vouchers. I reply, “Thank you!” They say, we are also going to enroll you for 3 months free in our shoppers program. I say, “no thank you, I’m not interested.” They say, well thank you. I respond, “Just send my $40 of gasoline vouchers.” They say, you can’t get them unless you join the club.
This past week the phone rang and a message came on, “Just for picking up the phone you have won . . . “ -- I forget what it was, but I knew it was too good to be true.
I saw an offer on the internet - free big screen TV’s - nothing to buy. Too good to be true! There’s always a catch. Or at least, we think there is. We’ve been told that “nothing in life is free.” But sometimes we find there really are free things.
At our last church we did a free car wash for people in the community. We wanted to let them know we had a Bible School coming up, and we hosted a free car wash. People would pull up - “How much?” We’d say, “it’s free!” They replied, “What’s the catch?” It’s sometimes hard to accept that there are things for free.
One of the greatest examples of giving is modeled for us in the gospel of Luke, chapter 14. Please turn with me there. If you’re using a pew Bible, it’s on page 62 in the New Testament, the back half of the Bible. We see here the grace of God seems to good to be true, but it really is given so freely to each one of us. Let’s look at the passage. Read Luke 14:16-24. -- Pray
What do we see in this passage? First, we see
I. An invitation too generous to refuse - When we think about our God, what do we think of? Some people think of a bully, a tyrant just waiting to beat us when we step out of line. Some people think of someone who wants us to follow every little rule and regulation. Rather than that, I would say this morning that when we think of God, we should think of the most gracious, generous person we could ever imagine - someone who wants only the best for us, who wants to give us every possible blessing.
Now, that’s not to say that God gives us everything we want: rather, he wants to give us what is best. We might ask for a new car to show up the neighbors, but he gives us an old car to teach us patience that we so desperately need.
Look at the example of our gracious God in the banquet host. He has fixed a great banquet, and invited many to his party. He sends out his invitations, he gets all the arrangements made, every little detail is prepared, and he then sends a second invitation to remind all those who have been invited.
What a gracious God we have. One who constantly calls us to come be with him. One who has prepared everything for us to enjoy. He gives us an invitation too generous to refuse.
But, as so often happens, we fail to accept God’s invitation to us.
Look at what we so often give -
II. An excuse too foolish to be true - Do we see ourselves in the excuses of these guests? What are the excuses we offer - normally they are the same as these guests: possessions, profession, or people. Look at their excuses in verses 18-20.
*The first guest gave an excuse based on his possessions. He said he had just bought a field and needed to see it. Was that true? If it was, I know some salesman who would love to sell them a few more fields sight unseen. The truth of the matter is no one buys a field without seeing it first. Remember, the host had sent first one invitation, then sent a second after a period of time.
The guest would have had plenty of time to see the field and check it out. He was simply using the excuse of his possessions to keep his from accepting the invitation.
*The second guest uses the excuse of profession - he was a farmer, he had just bought some oxen, and now he needed to go try them out in his field. Once again, the excuse is not valid. He knew of the invitation for some time, but he was choosing to let his work be a priority over the banquet. Sometimes we let ourselves to too busy to accept god’s invitation to us.
*The third guest uses the excuse of people: he says he has just taken a wife, and he can’t come. He blames his rejection on his wife. We do that a lot, don’t we. We blame others for our failures. The truth is, the guest would have had plenty of time to plan his wedding around the banquet. He didn’t just suddenly get married: this is something he would have had plenty of time to plan. His excuse also in not valid.
Now, let’s look at the response of the host -
III. An love to strong to resist - How does the host respond to the excuses? He invites others, whoever will come to receive the blessing of his great banquet. He doesn’t go running after these invited guests. He has already prepared the banquet, now he gives the opportunity for anyone else to come. He sends his servants out to the backstreets, the alleys, the forgotten paths, and offers an invitation to anyone - no matter their wealth, their social status, their culture. Any and all are welcome. The host so graciously offers a hospitality and a welcome that seems too strong to resist.
Now, this is the lesson Jesus gives here in Luke 14. What does it mean for us? I’d like you to ask yourself that question.
“Where do I see myself today in response to the gracious love and invitation to spend time with Christ?”
When we think about an offer to good to be true, think about this: the God of all the universe, the creator, the God of all power, who knows us completely, who knows our every thought and action and still loves us completely, -- this very God invites us to be with him! But how do we respond to his invitation?
Application: Ultimately, this passage deals with the offer of salvation. God has freely provided salvation from all of our sins, from all the ugly things about our life, forgiveness from every evil thing we have ever done. Yet so often we reject this invitation. We give excuses.
**EXCUSES - excuses given on accident forms
We say we’re good enough, we say we’re too busy to follow God, we say we’ll do it later, we say other Christians are hypocrites. It may be that there are some here today who have never accepted the gracious invitation of salvation. God is preparing a home in heaven for all who will receive his invitation. Yet, there are many who will never get there, because they don’t receive the invitation.
There is a second application of this passage, however, and that is for the Christian.
“What is it that keeps us from spending time with God and serving God completely with our lives?”
That is the question we need to answer. Sometimes we end up giving excuses. Today is Round Up Sunday, a day we try to help everyone get back on track with priorities. We so often get so busy over the summer. Now we transition to the fall routine, and we need to make sure that God is a priority for us.
**No cop-out Sunday
Think again of the excuses offered in this passage.
*Sometimes possessions keep us from serving God - We have too much - we have the house at the lake to keep up, the new car to wax, the lawn to mow - it seems there’s always something to keep us busy.
*Sometimes profession keeps us too busy: we choose to work overtime and we can’t make it to church. We work all day and we’re tired so we just want to sit in front of the TV for 4 hours in stead of spending time with God or spending time serving God. We let work get in the way of our relationship with Christ. If you’re too busy for God, you’re too busy! We set our priorities! We always find time to do that which we think is important. If your work gets in the way of time with Christ, just remember that God can easily take that work away from you!
*Sometimes people keep us from time with God. We get too busy with friends, going places doing things, and God just sort of ends of being neglected. We have good intentions and plan to spend time with God, but we never quite get to actually spend time with God.
Today is a great day to get our priorities back in line. Our God is so very wonderful. He doesn’t seek to beat us up, but graciously and lovingly calls us to come to him.
*A group of boys one day were playing baseball in a vacant lot. One boy Tommy hit a home run, but it ended up going right through Mr. Johnson’s window next door. Immediately all the children left the lot. No one came back for the next few days, and Mr. Johnson faithfully fixed his window. After a few weeks, the boys, seeing the window had been fixed, started playing ball again. Mr. Johnson went outside one day, and said to the boys, I notice that one boy isn’t here playing with you. They told him Tommy’s name and where he lived. Mr. Johnson went to Tommy’s house. Tommy came to the door, frightened to see Mr. Johnson there, but Mr. Johnson said, Tommy, I know you broke my window. But I just wanted to let you know that the window has been fixed, I have paid for it, and all your friends are back playing ball again. Won’t you come back and play with them?!
In the same way, our God calls us to be with him. he has paid the price for us and doesn’t want to hear our excuses. In stead, he graciously welcomes us to spend time with him.
This morning, what is keeping you from accepting God’s offer to you.
*Does God want you to be more faithful in church attendance?
*Does God want you to be more faithful in reading his word?
*Does God want you to be a more faithful witness?
*Does God want you to give up a habit?
*Does God want you to change your lifestyle to be more like him?
*Does God want you to accept his salvation?
Let’s make our commitments to God today.
Shall we pray!
- Invitation to stand to make a commitment to accept God’s invitation. Salvation - service - lifestyle-priorities.
-Invite to come forward.
