A Compelling Call to All

Nila Stryker Bibles list go back to the gospel of Luke this morning. Luke chapter 14 let's go there quite familiar comparable with quiet familiar truths that I hope will start afresh in us the great commission and the great passion of our Lord about reaching the lost. And for you this morning who are under the sound of my voice and do not know Christ and have not trusted in him fully as your Lord and Savior by this be the day that you do just that. Because I can promise you this, if you will turn to him in faith. He will save you if you will turn to him, he will save you. Luke chapter 14 let's begin in verse 16 and go through verse 24 Jesus speaking this parable, which is a story to illustrate a truth for 16 but he said to him I made was giving a big dinner and he invited many and at the dinner hour.

He hits it his slave to those who'd been invited come for everything is ready now, but they all alike begin to make excuses. The first one said what about a piece of land that I need to go out and look at it please consider me excused, and what another one said no. I bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm going to try them out. Please consider me excused another one said will have married a wife and for that reason, I cannot come. Verse 21 and the slave came back and reported this to his master. The head of the household became angry and said to his slave go at once into the streets in the lanes of the city and bring it here. The poor and the crippled and the blind and the lame stop right there and tell you in the in the cultural historical context, whose been pointed out here the first group that was invited is most likely the acceptable, if you will. Among the Jewish establishment of the religious authorities and those who considered themselves religiously, ceremonially clean and ready for their Savior and acceptable to God, and in this second group out in the highway since it were how to say weren't there the streets in the lanes, the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame and ancient Israel there teaching was that physical ailments probably meant you were unclean before God.

You want acceptable.

So these are the outcast, among Israel. These are not acceptable. Those deemed as not being worthy to come before God and come to God and then we come to 1/3 group verse 22 and the slave said master what you've commended has been done in their steel room for difference verse 23 and the master said the slave will go out into the highways and along the hedges and compel them to come in so that my house may be filled now that last group is those in Gentile dark that the riches of the society. According to the Jewish understanding those out in pagan darkness, who are not acceptable to God in the ancient Jewish understanding choices get all of those and tell them they can come to verse 24 for I tell you, none of those men who were invited. That's the first group is referring back to shell taste of my dinner a compelling call to all is what this is a compelling call for all to come to Christ.

We reform guys need this message we need to be remembered that our gospel is for everyone. Everyone noticed. First of all, Roman one noticed a great dinner not get this is a fictitious story and the Lord used many of these we call them parables is just a story to illustrate a basic Sprint spiritual army could cite biblical truth. In verse 16. The Bible says this man had this big dinner and last phrase in verse 16. He invited many, many, that represents the big heart of God. The invitation to come to God's bountiful dinner in the big dinner is the spiritual nourishment of salvation, the spiritual food of salvation which is the Lord Jesus Christ and this bighearted God invites this invitation out to all of these people free of charge and the provision is boundless. It's a big dinner because of the greatness of the God who prepared it and literally the whole earth is invited to come.

Did you hear me I'm not saying the whole earth will come, but God wants the whole earth to come in five books of the New Testament the Lord Jesus gave to his leaders that he left on the earth. This type of command is worded differently but believe this is what it is going to all the world and preach the gospel. It's a big dinner and it's a big invitation it come from the heart of a great God. That's a big dinner because of the company that will be present when we have that final supper with our Lord in the glorified heavens. The marriage supper of the Lamb God the father will be there, God the son will be there, and God the Holy Spirit will be there, and the multitude of glorified angelic host will be there and all the saints of all the ages of time will be there fiscal be a great supper. It's a big supper is big because those present have been purchased with a great price. Not with silver or gold are perishable things are. We purchased but with the precious blood of the Lamb. The blood of Jesus Christ paid our ticket that we might come in feast of the dinner that is Jesus Christ. It reminds me of that old gospel song.

I don't know if I guess it was a him. I don't know that we've ever sung it. Maybe we have.

I know it's been done as a solo coming down the master call to come and the you can feast it Jesus table anytime you fed the multitude turned the water into wine coming down the master call come in done using the chill bumps have you come to dine at the feast of Jesus Christ. All can come.

It's a it's a big dinner. That's big also because of its exceeding excellence. Paul said in first Corinthians chapter 2 verse nine eye has not seen ear has not heard and have not entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him brothers and sisters listen to me don't marvel over this world.

Don't be intoxicated with the good things of this present world these things are the gifts of common grace and God gives us so many good things to enjoy. Don't begrudge them or think about the blessings of this life is all evil. That's not what I mean. I just mean they are not even to be compared. The man of God wrote in the word of God. I couldn't even show it to you with your eyes because your moralize can't take what's waiting for you with God in heaven.

I can't even tell it to your mortal layers because your ears can't take in the wonder of the greatness and the glory of what's waiting for you in the heaven. The fifth I can't task you to take it in your mind and heart and contemplate audit because, listen brothers and sisters. It's glorious because your heart first. If you took in the wonders and the glories of heaven. That's why we get there. The Bible makes us like him about since we don't know what will go to belie but will be like you why because we can have a new heart to the new set of eyes, a new set of ears to take in the glories of heaven, and even then we will take it all in till eternity stops in eternity didn't stop is just so good and so wonderfully take that long well in this parable.

He says it's a great dinner.

He invited many notice. Secondly, everything is ready now. He says verse 17 and at the dinner at dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who been invited come for everything is ready now know that means it means in the rest of break. Everything is ready now means that everything is ready now.

That means there's nothing else to do. There's nothing else to provide. There's nothing else to be performed. All that is that needs to be done has been done.

There's nothing more to do, except for you to calm and dive come in feast at this table. Now, when sometimes friends will invite us over are you'll invite a friend over for dinner.

I know say what what can I bring in what you always say nothing, just come will that's what God slips you bring anything. What can I just bring a dessert.

Are you kidding me. Jesus made this mail. How preposterous. How arrogant of you to thank you bring anything that could even compare to what he's going to offer in this mail just come it's already you see the father prescribed this meal already. He's laid out exactly catch the baby he's laid out exactly how much the work. The father prescribed this meal.

The sun has already provided this dinner.

He went to the cross and on the cross. He took the holy wrath of his father that ought to have fallen on us. He's provided for us to face of himself and the gift of eternal life. Father prescribed the son provided for it. And now the spirit pronounces that the meal is poured out and everything is now ready so all you need do is come. This morning you may be a church member, you may be an ethical person, you may be a good neighbor. You may be a decent parent. I don't know what you are, but had you come to Christ and eaten this table. Well it's it's it's a big dinner notice. Secondly, in our text.

Notice the blonde and busy projectors. The blonde and busy projectors.

Here we have in verses 18 through 20. The Bible says. First of all note, but they all alike began to make excuses that they did make the same excuse the idea. They all did basically the same thing. They misjudge timing.

I may miss managed priorities. They misjudge the time and I cannot go a little bit later I got some things going on know you can understand something when the master lays out the dinner table you come you don't you know you don't try to put don't stand you and that's where some of us are denied. Those of us are side trying to schedule the things of God into the wild birds schedule the world, not the evil part of the world into the things of God. They had misjudge the timing and they'd mismanage the priorities. One basic thing influenced all of them to the end of this regarding this invitation and that is a preoccupation with this world. That's why people don't come to the dinner hello are you listen to me.

I am I don't put much clout in what's called Christian apologetics monitor some good brothers who do that and I think God for them.

In a sense, but let me ask you something, apologizing for what explaining what there's one reason why men don't come. They love this world and they love seeing is not because they're brilliant is because they're well-educated, it's not because they're intellectual and can't grasp it is because I love sand. That's why they don't call all know they love pseudoscientific intellectual conversations and passing are like shirking the subject to get around it to know all these words salads that the intelligent among us might be able to put out there, but the reason they don't come missing and I noticed what this does to our Lord's heart, but in verse 24. He says he was angry.

First of all Willacy that's up in verse Willey was trust me, it's in their pay should not of them will be invited to my supper use all the arguments you want. None of them will sail with Almighty God.

This happens in every age.

Many come, but many do not. It was true in this first century to be true, down through all the centuries. It is true in the center.

You and I are living in today. There's a saying in effect, it's just not right timing for me right now I have a hindrance I will come later at a better time. Now listen. These folks are basically in effect acknowledging that it's right to come there. Basically acknowledging that it's good to calm her basically acknowledging that we have a duty to come. We may not speak about that in preach about that much, but we all to you have a duty to come to Christ they just say I just can't come now. The heavy yoke of worldly lust makes men slaves to earthly things and these otherwise innocent earthly concerns become evil and that they blind us to the priority of heavenly things cannot charge you. Those of you know the Lord this morning. Draw a line in the sand in your heart this morning and say I'm going to see first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all those things could be added on later how many under the sound of my voice this day will still blindly sacrifice salvation for this world. They Bartel barter rather eternal heaven with a brief and hollow enjoyments of this earth. The Lordship of Christ precedes all other devotions strong. This is just continue on in our text. Look at verse 25 will go down through verse 27 large crowds were going along with him, and he turned and said to them, he sees all this throng coming around them. You know so many of them are just interested just want free meals or whatever it might be verse 26 if anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life he cannot be my disciple and whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. That's with these guys didn't want to do when you said you got I hate your own family.

It means in compared to my devotion to Christ their way down here. I love them dearly. I give my life for my babies and my wife but compared to Christ. My devotion to them is down here so that's what you can put everything else behind you and when I'm back to you, you come ceased. Take this nourishment and follow me.

Number three talk about the great dinner we talked about this blind and busy reject her's Ellis talk about the great invitation which is 21 through 23. The slave came back and reported this that's reported all those who said we have are things to do. We can't come to the master.

Then the head of the household became angry there just told you was there and said to a slave go out at once into the streets in the lanes of the city and bring in here the poor.

The cripple the blind and the lame I just say something about the fact that this text brings up here's Jesus talking and Jesus is saying it angers me when I go to the cross for you and I invite you to full and free salvation, you push me off the idea here is the Greek text means a growing anger of moving anger. It's going forward. It's increasing brothers and sisters.

God is real. God is alive.

He's a living being.

He's never steel God is always active. He's active in love and in grace and mercy freely forgiving and securing for all eternity. Those who repent and place their faith in Jesus Christ.

This is Christ talking, we find that these also anger in his eye rather active in his anger and he needs commitment to retribution and wrath on those who will not come.

Psalm seven verse 11 reminds us God is angry with the wicked every day. God has anger against those every day. You do not trust in him, say, why is that you see here's the problem. We don't preach enough on who God is.

So we don't grass. What an important evil. It is to dishonor him. What a radical injustice.

It is to not obey him. You say we've we've gone to God down to the being a lot like us, but just a little stronger little cleaner know he's he's he's transcended in holiness. Thank God's love and mercy is as great as his anger and retribution that he's not yet fully exposing and executing his anger.

However, it is building and it multiplies against unbelievers every day. It's like water that builds up behind the dam until it reaches that plate place had it burst through your submit lot is like when God's anger finally burst over and burst through the dam of his restraining love. It out. You think bad things are in the world right now God's restrain his own right now you will know what it is like when God's anger is unleashed. Read the book of Revelation read the book of Revelation.

It's unimaginable why because he's that holy and our sins are great this honor and righteous are unrighteous plague compared to his holy and righteous standing well verse 21. The slave came back and reported this now. Referring back again to the first group they wouldn't come.

Slave came back and reported this to his master. I thought about that reporting back, and I thought that's the job of the minister of God, in effect, he's to share the gospel lease to urge others to come repent and believe that he just purports back to the master master. I told them I don't know how it's going to be on the day of judgment.

Could it be that you will be there before the holy bar God's justice and God might summons Jeff Knobloch to the witness stand, say pastor, by the grace and the bill to not give you.

Did you charge those people to turn interest in me.

Also, yes, Lord idea on reporting back, and you'll be without excuse. Verse 21 he last part of that verse. He says well that first group is not interested then go out and bring in the poor and the crippled in the blind of the lame line before that out into the streets and the lanes of the city. Those outcast areas find those that are the community outcast. Those who are in the established religious community considers inferior beneath the dignity to come to God's house. He said bring all of them in here. I love God's great gracious invitation note you bring all in here, I think, among other things, what we're going to find when we get to heaven is not so. Many of those of the religious elite establishment made their a lot of those out in the highways and hedges are the lanes of the city.

The outcast will be there. He says to bring them in that phrase in verse 21 bring them is the same phrase that we used when the Bible says they led Jesus a way to crucifixion us as a string to the persistence in it.

It's more than an invitation, but a persistent effort to do anything we can to bring them to the Savior. Verse 22 and the sleigh said master what you command. It is been done so now there's the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame, all in there eating the dinner in the picture. The word paints him in the cited master where we got a bunch of women here, but there's still room you know what, there's always you can exhaust the grace of God, you know water still room or are you listening to me Sir, there's still room so that you today can be saved. Jesus as my love is so great you can and yet there's still room the statement that phrase there still room is a truth it's a truth that exposes those who refuse is inexcusable.

There's no valid excuse because there's room for you if you come to Christ they will take you so those who reject you are without excuse. Secondly, it's a truth that encourages the hesitant to come but will he take me in the eyes of man, I'm outcast in the eyes of man, figuratively speaking. It was time the poor and on the blind and on the crippled and on the lame NH. It is really often look to those people as being spiritually unclean and religiously unacceptable. They were cast out to the outer edges of the city.

But Jesus said, and anybody there is room for them. There's room for the that phrase there still room exhorts the ministers of God and the Christians to keep on keeping on, telling the old, old story.

Listen, brothers and sisters there's steel. Don't give up on that spouse, there's still room.

Don't give up on that child or grandchild.

That's waiver from God.they work on their hearts will come to Christ because there's still room. Don't give up on that I had all that outgoing I grandmother that granddaddy don't get up there still room don't quit to start our small groups up here in about a month to be on your heart to currently enrolled in small groups at least bring an inherent love woman welcome and let them know their welcome and show them Christ and show them the gospel because there still room the provisions for the dinner are infinite because the dinners host is the infinite God there still room well. Verse 23. This is the third group now so since there still room verse 23.

The master said the slave will go out into the highways along the hedges of this is it even worse. And compel them to come in so that my house may be field. This is the Gentiles the non-Jews those out there in pagan darkness, those it didn't have the law of Moses, does it have the ceremonies and the ordinances that pointed them to this coming Savior, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, does it involve themselves in the vilest of immoralities and impurities and perversion and gloried in it. Jesus and I will then become about dinner. Oh what grace God has. This is the hardened spiritual riches of the day. Ephesians 212 speaks of these the Gentiles in darkness. He says basically they're separated from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world that lease the Jews could say we know who God is. We got the law of Moses, but she didn't Gentiles were without that they have anything in the parable of the master Jesus is don't get those folks and bring them anywhere I want them in my house. I want them at my dinner. They may be the darkest of the society that means that may be the lowest of the culture they might be the most vile and by the way, there's nothing wrong with that definition of that description. That is true of all men who do not not not know Christ, but the outcast of the outcast, at least they appear that way and medium-size.

They are to be invited, if not even more than that. Verse 23's is another great word here and there. Your mercy should bring them in Isis compel them to come in. I think there's a reason for that doesn't mean physical force Opperman the old days when we unintentionally perhaps, but nevertheless gave the impression during revival meetings that then the services if you could walk down to the front. God would save you and I've seen people literally thrown out into the Army. Literally.

I've seen wives almost take their husbands and drag them out the as if God's out in the God's not in that I'll anymore these in that few in God's not the steps and by the way can I say this for the 1000th. And one time.

This is not an altar. These are steps Catholics have an altar where the you have to go to and participate in the superstition of the priest craft in order to quote find God. We don't have that you know why because where ever you are retentive your sins believe on Jesus Christ as the altar of God, Savior known for pickup truck will save you to send it to Cutlass Oldsmobile driving through Columbia Tennessee. That's me. That was my altar. I'm glad somebody had told me had to go to bed picture to walk down the alley could find one that not only what I could see was a Methodist Church I'm telling you the truth I'm driving down the wrong time converted muscular preacher on the radio that was my altar and that's where God saved me and I was looking around for church. I saw this Methodist Church over the distance and almost stopped and went in and told him what just happened. It would've blown their minds compel them.

He says church listen to this, perhaps, and I believe it's true.

The reason why he uses a different word here is because it means convince them. Yes, God loves you to convince them.

Yes, God will save you will forgive you pastor you don't know what I did last night.

You don't know what I did this morning pastor listen to me. I don't care is forced Jesus saving you.

He will take you take you those out in the vile darkness of wickedness and paganism. He says go get them and persuade them they can come in is to be an urgent persuasion. The idea is to be a consistent persuasion. The audit is to be a confident persuasion is to be an enthusiastic persuasion because a lot of those kind of people just are uninterested because they feel like they're not welcome. We gotta tell them you're welcome. You can come just like you are, warts and all. If you read 10 is a sinner that basically means I turn from every other concept of coming to God except Jesus Christ and every other thought about God will love me out, though, that a way to turn exclusively to say Christ I believe in you.

I don't care where you are in this world. If you'll come. Christ will take you and we will take you there full of fears and full of doubts. Sometimes we have to persist. We have to keep talking we have to keep encouraging. We had to keep reminding them into their fears and are silencing all the objections are pushed away and they come they can come and they must come Lord said compel them to come in now. Are you listening to me.

They need to come without preparation.

So that's the great lie.

The enemy well you know if you just get this in line to get this fixed up. If you just just got these eyes and cross these taste no pain just to go on get those folks until the just come like you are in need of the dinner and he will save you if they will just come to Christ. He will prepare for them. The dinner, listen, he's already made a reservation for them. He's paid for it with his money, and he's put it in his name. I can't tell you the number of times I've gone to preach in another town, another city and after year and a couple of months delay. I'm planning on doing back it up. In the end of this month skews me and I going to the hotel when I made the reservation and the lady or the gentleman there say you have a reservation what's your name is and I'll give her my name and many of the times a look at me and say there is no reservation under that night. I've learned go and I was given the and then I'll say what about this night I'll give him the name of the pastor. A lot of times it's under his night and no give me a room. Sometimes I forget the name of the church. Albeit I got account here is reserved under their name was and sisters when we get to heaven we go up to the gate of heaven. The gatekeeper might look and say do you have a reservation here and under what name if I go to the gate of heaven and the gatekeeper said you have a reservation here and what is the name and I say Jeff not looked.

They will look and they'll say you know I have no reservation under that name, but then I'll think for a moment think you know my elder brother Jesus. He's already come ahead and paid for the room.

Would you check and see if it's under the name Jesus Christ and the pull that up in this. Oh yes, he's Artie paid for it.

The reservation is done welcome in Jesus has made a way for you, come home, come now come without delay, without excuse, and he will save you as many as received him, gave the power to become the children of God, even to those who believe on his name. Can I say something to you. It's not a coincidence that you're here this morning.

God's word.

The events of your life so that you would be here.

I was in my study this week.

Knowing that I will have another week before starting second Timothy and I just pray to God. What could I preach to these people and it's almost like a divine hand you have the sermon files I got divine hand went down in their and this just pop up before me in the moment. I read the text. My heart leap. I knew this was the message for today for you. Your Christian let's go invite them in.

If you're not come and done Commandant