The Greatest Invitation We Will Ever Receive Series

The Greatest Invitation We Will Ever Receive

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared January 2, 2023)

BACKGROUND:

*Please open your Bibles to Matthew 22. Today we will study another of the Lord's parables. By this time, Jesus was less than a week away from dying on the cross for our sins. Jesus had gone into Jerusalem on the day we call Palm Sunday. At the time Jerusalem and the villages around it were crowded with over 2 million Jewish pilgrims who were there for the annual Passover Feast. (1)

*The next day, Jesus went into the Temple and drove out all the moneychangers and dove merchants who had turned the Court of the Gentiles into a den of thieves by cheating the pilgrims. Then in Matthew 21:14-16, "The blind and the lame came to (Jesus) in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, 'Hosanna to the Son of David!' they were indignant and said to Him, 'Do You hear what these are saying?' And Jesus said to them, 'Yes. Have you never read, "Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise"?'''

*Another day later, Jesus was back in the Temple. Luke 20:1 tells us that Jesus was there teaching the people and preaching the gospel to them. That's when the chief priests, scribes, and elders confronted the Lord again. And this time, those Temple rulers questioned the Lord about the source of His authority.

*Jesus refused to answer their question directly, because it wasn't quite time for His death on the cross. Instead, the Lord used a question and three parables to help expose the evil that motivated most of those religious leaders. We have already studied two of those parables, and today we will study the third.

*Today's parable is about a wedding invitation. But this invitation is like no other invitation we could ever receive, because this invitation comes from God! Ray Stedman gave some good background information, and said: "In some ways this is the easiest parable of all to interpret because there is an obvious meaning laying right on the surface. This parable grew out of our Lord's controversy with the Pharisees and Sadducees during the last week of His ministry.

*By this time, it was very apparent that Jesus was on His way to the cross. The hostility against Jesus had sharpened tremendously in Jerusalem, as the religious leaders plotted to kill Him. Knowing this fact, Jesus spoke very sharply to those religious leaders, and told them very clearly what was going to happen.

*Part of this information came in today's parable, and built on Matthew 21:43. There, the Lord had already told them: 'I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.' The Lord announced to these corrupt rulers that they were going to lose their position, and that the gospel was going to go out into all the nations." (2)

*With this background in mind, let's read Matthew 22:1-14, and as we read, please think about what we should do with God's great invitation.

MESSAGE:

*Invitations can be a big deal. Any fiancée making wedding plans will tell you that. One of my most memorable invitations was to a 2003 Pastor Conference in Washington D.C. It was hosted by Dr. David Barton of the Wallbuilders ministry, and we learned a lot about our Christian heritage. What a huge blessing it was.

*Invitations can be a big deal. But they are always a big deal when they come from God. And our God loves to invite people to come to Him.

-In Psalm 34:8, speaking through King David, the Holy Spirit says: "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"

-Psalm 66:5 invites us to: "Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men."

-Isaiah 1:18 gives this invitation: "Come now, and let us reason together,'' says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

-In Isaiah 55:1: "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."

-Then in Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus said:

28. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.