Wedding Feast Series

Wedding Feast

Matthew 22:1-14

How do I know if I’m a Pharisee?

1. If I struggle to enjoy the party. Vv.1-4

2. If I get distracted by other parties. Vv.5-7

3. If I’m not trying to populate the party vv.8-14

Opening illustration

Turn with me to Matthew 22:1-14

Begin a new series..Pictures. Snap. Edit. Caption. Post. Repeat. We’ve grown accustom to presenting our lives through pictures, and we’ve become skilled at presenting the best version of ourselves. But what if beyond all the filters and tags God offered something different? Something better?

Jesus told lots of parables…how many? 31 different parables but some are repeated in other gospels so if you counted them that way, it would be 55

Para ballo

This morning, begin with a parable Jesus spoke to the Pharisees. Explain role of Pharisees…. Jesus had a problem with them because they sought life in the Law rather than life in God…Moses handed down 613 precepts to guide their life as a new kingdom; they added so many rules to the precepts that it burdened people so much. ..precepts: impossible to keep. Example: a burden has to be defined. So the Scribal Law lays it down that a burden is “food equal in weight to a dried fig, enough wine for mixing in a goblet, milk enough for one swallow, honey enough to put upon a wound, oil enough to anoint a small member, water enough to moisten an eye-salve, paper enough to write a customs house notice upon, ink enough to write two letters of the alphabet, reed enough to make a pen”—and so on endlessly

Keep the sabbath holy; rules Examples of rules added. Jesus came along, healed a guy on the sabbath, …Luke 13:10-17 (on screen)

So the parable that we’ll be examining today was aimed at the Pharisees. They felt secure in their relationship with God and seemed disinterested, even meriless at times, to those who struggled with life and faith.

Are you a Pharisee? Let’s read the text and see. Matthew 22:1-14 (on screen) Parable has one main truth it is illustrating. The point here: Pharisees don’t understand God’s heart

How do I know if I’m a Pharisee? (build)

If I struggle to enjoy the party. Vv.1-4 (on screen)

The banquet signifies redemption and relationship with God; a special status

Typified often in the Bible as a party; a banquet

Joy and grace go together;

Legalism kills joy

Ephesians 2:8-10 (On screen)

If you’re trying to earn your way by keeping the law, you are a pharisee

If I get distracted by other parties. Vv.5-7 (on screen)

The excuses, much beside the point, are an indirect, but traditional Mediterranean way of signaling disapproval of the dinner arrangements.

Jesus the only way…grace is available to all who accept the invitation; but it requires that you accept the truth that this is the only party in town.

Other parties….

Psalm 1:1-6 (on screen)

If I’m not trying to populate the party vv.8-14 (on screen)

The king wanted as many people at the party as they could get.

Pharisees saw it as something for a select few

Some of us here have never shared our faith; never led someone to faith in Christ; don’t see why we spend all this time and money trying to reach The One. Heart of a Pharisee..

Luke’s version of this parable… “Go into the highways/biways and compel…” Luke 14:23

But notice that there is a requirement for actually staying at the party: proper clothing.

Righteousness of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (on screen). Philippians 3:7-9 (on screen)

Some here may be at the party, but you’re in the wrong clothes…

Invitation to turn to Christ for salvation

Challenge for others to stop acting like a Pharisee…

Challenge: pray for and share 3 circles with the ONE