Everything Is Ready

Today on Summit life with Judy Greer Lord Jesus Christ is commanded by the sovereign God when imitation was my point. It's an invitation for addicts to be set free for lonely people to come the community. For those of us who have shame and work that have lifted to have sins forgiven. If that were really the invitation to your receiving should not trump everything else in your life. I'm your host Molly minutes today on the program. Pastor Judy Greer dived into Luke chapter 14 as we begin a new teaching series called come to the table so if you can dinner with anyone past or present, who would you invite your table to mind first mealtime was just as important to the life of Jesus as it is in our lives. In Luke chapter 14, Jesus tells a couple of parables that take place around the dinner table and were going to explore them over the next few days. As always, if you miss any of our programs or if you are in search of our featured monthly resource you can find all online@clear.com grab your Bible and pen and let's join today's message that Pastor Judy Greer title.

Everything is right, but I want you to open it to Luke chapter 1414 if you got your Bibles were going from a couple weeks in Luke 14 in a series called come to the table, the table, Jesus told a number of parables around us. The M 14 take a few weeks just to explore those parables come to the table. Don't you just love invitations to eat.

I think let's eat might be my two favorite words put together in the English language. Or maybe that's three words a much are you got a contraction but let's see brings joy to my heart.

The only season of my life for there's yours not bring joy to my heart was when I was still try to get adjusted to the food ever in Southeast Asia when I gone there to be a missionary because mealtimes felt like more like a foray into the wild, unknown minute at a time to be good food.

I've been told what I went there as a missionary that Betty was just polite in that culture that you were supposed to eat everything they put on your plate and so I just made up my mind I was to be a good missionary analysis committee. Whatever they put down for Jesus and trust God with the results.

Well, the result was my first week there I lost 14 pounds in three days. He said well it sounds fantastic up the great weight loss program. Maybe it was not that enjoyable. I can promise you call the rapid expulsion method of weight loss. But anyway, I eventually I got adjust of the food there and actually learn to love it and now I love in every language you love to hear the words let's keep coming to the table is not usually only about meeting our hunger needs.

However, it's also about connection. It's about relationship eating with somebody is of course one of the most intimate connections that you can make with them a meal together is fellowship. It is engagement its friendship. It is acceptance saw some incredible statistics in the Wall Street Journal not long ago about the social importance of family mealtimes on children. One Harvard medical studies show that kids who ate regularly with their parents were considerably healthier and get this 72% less likely to experience depression to struggle with self-esteem have suicidal thoughts to develop eating disorders are you use illegal drugs than kids who did not eat regularly with their parents.

Meals are important so all that to say it is good news is good news. When Jesus tells us repeatedly in Luke 14 it is time to come to the table.

It's an invitation. I want you to hear this for the next couple weeks is an invitation for you.

It's an invitation for those of you who do not know Christ or for whatever reason, don't feel like you fit into a group like this looks. That's an invitation for people who feel far from God because of their pastor because of mistakes that they have made for like you don't belong here. It's an invitation for you, not just to get forgiveness of your sins, but to have your souls renewed.

It is an invitation for you to meet Jesus in a real and very tangible way at the table. It is an invitation for those of you who know Jesus but for whatever reason you have left him.

It is an invitation for you to come back home to him. I have the privilege to stand before you today to say to you on his behalf come back to the table. Everything is ready. Not just come back to church, not just get rid of it religious but come back into fellowship with Jesus Christ and with the community of believers adult to a girl in a store the other day here in our community and she found out that I was pastor always brings up most interesting conversations and she said what I often hear from people and they find out I'm a pastor. She said all she said yeah I used to really be in church and but I gotta be honest with you really wandered far from God and I feel like I thought maybe I need to go back and I said what you are so in luck this weekend is amnesty weekend here at the summit church which means you can come on in and sit down. No questions asked whatsoever.

So if you made here today by the lake welcome little inside secret. Every weekend is amnesty.

We can hear the summit church how you can always come in, no questions asked what it is. On a cooler like I made it sound like it was one particular week, so anyway, here's what were going to sue him what he would do today to look at how Jesus extends the invitation to and what keeps a lot of people from receiving that imitation and then at the end of our service today I'm going to offer you a couple of things first and most important, to give you a chance to receive Jesus's offer to be your savior. If you've never done so to come back to the table to either begin or renew a personal relationship with him give any questions about where you stand with Jesus and help you sell those of the end of this message.

Second to give you a chance to be baptized today on the spot.

If you never have used to baptism is the first thing that you and I are supposed to do after receiving Jesus as our Savior. We always caught the going public of your faith.

It's not salvation it's the symbol of salvation is where you declared to everybody else you are not ashamed to take Jesus Christ as your own, maybe you became a Christian.

Several years ago. Maybe you become a Christian. In the last few weeks. Maybe you're going to become a Christian today. Either way whatever category you're in, if you've never been baptized as a profession of your faith. We want to give you that chance. I know that I'm talking to a lot of people here who have been baptized but I'm also talking to a lot of people who have not been for whatever reason, try to show you that none of those reasons are valid and that you need to make that decision right Luke 14. Jesus starts his imitation of the banquet with what appears to be random social advice going to show you is not random at all. Let's start there because, for Jesus starts his discussion of the banquet context for the wavelet 14 is Jesus is himself at a party, so verse seven he tells a parable to those who were invited. When he noticed how they chose the places of honor never always angling to get the best seats closest to the hose. The most important seats. He said you know when you're invited by somebody.

The wedding feast, sit down, places of honor. You know why because the money more distinguished than you might get invited to the party and then he who invited you both will come and save you a man you need to give your place to this other more important person and then you will begin with shame today glows like a massive and embarrassing you look at that person. But when you're invited you to go. It's in the lowest place credenza down at the end of the table so that when your host comes in. He might save you a friend move up higher then you will be honored in the presence of all the table with you as you strut up to the high place for everybody who exalts himself will be humbled, and one who humbles himself will be exalted now at first like a said that just seems like really good practical advice right little random but good nonetheless. It's not usually a good idea to thrust yourself into the most important seats around because you just might be setting yourself up for potential embarrassment.

It happened to me this very week I took a flight on JetBlue. I normally fly Delta and I am platinum on Delta because unfortunately after lineup that I'm in priority seating and so they announce priority seating on JetBlue and so I just walked my way up to the front because I assume the airlines have this little understanding that once report no one airline to report on every life, so I get all the way up to the gate. The woman there.

The gate takes my ticket and says in an unnecessarily loud voice. I might add.

Sir, you are not in priority seating. Your line is back over there and she points to all the people were neither the druid to get the closing garbage bags and got got goat under his right arm and you knowing enemies as you sit over there and so I had to walk of shame back to the other line. And that's embarrassing and you want to avoid that right or bring a little closer into Jesus's analogy here so you get invited to the bosses daughter's wedding reception, but you get there late you're looking for a seat. You notice that there are some chairs open at table 1 had that little you one that's on the platform a bear looking over the rest of the party and so you can make you where barely sit down at that table. It's gonna be embarrassing when a host comes up and says who do you think you are.

This is for the bosses friends and family, your seat is not bistable.

If back over there and points back, not even to a table, but that little row of chairs you know that Londa the room outside their meant to be embarrassing when you have that long walk of shame front. Everybody you want to avoid that mass is good social advice right good social buys what it seems random is not random.

Let's keep going.

Verse 15 so one of those who climbed the table with him heard these things, he said to him, a blessed as everybody's going to eat bread in the kingdom of God. Blessed are you if you get invited to God's party. Verse 16 but Jesus said to him I will talk about that a man wants to bring banquet and he invited many, by the way it awesome that Jesus presents the kingdom of God like a party.

What is your image of heaven.

When you think about have what you think about like eternal choir practice or use it to bear on clouds in a colorless universe playing her harp and junior nerve Aragon and be bored all day long. I was always about it awesome that when Jesus uses an image for the kingdom of God or heaven, he chooses the image of the ultimate party about this. How awesome is it that when Jesus does his inaugural miracle.

The first miracle to begin his ministry. What is it he fixes the broken tap at a party could run out of wine and so you fix it so they get the best one I've ever tasted. You think and inaugural miracle also set the tone for the rest of everything else right if that's Jesus's inaugural miracle is going to set the tone for the rest of his ministry. Why wouldn't it be something like raising the dead. Or maybe you know maybe casting out a demon's inaugural miracle is restoring the joy at a party because that is summarizing all of his ministry is not just raising us from the dead. He's not just cast out demons. He's doing it because God created us the ultimate party. A party with joy and laughter and fellowship, friendship is that sure image of the kingdom of God right it is what that means is that all that you experience down here. The greatest party you've ever been to, fellowship, friendship, food, drink, worship in a place like this. All that is just hors d'oeuvres for the eternal party. I can't wait to get for 70 and at that time for the banquet he sent his servant to that save those who been invited to come, for everything is now is now ready to see those days there were really two invitations went out for a big feast. The first to see what happened is what happens is in those days were too many moving pieces to set an exact time yet people had to come in from out of town. You know exactly never to get there.

Plus when you have refrigeration was hard to raise all food get there the right.so they would send out a first imitation that was like a save the date and did you basically a week, sometimes a month range sometime in October. Just keep those dates open and then you would get a second invitation when everything was ready and they would say I tables all set up all the guests are here all out-of-town guests.

So come on what you got in this parable is a group of people who said yes to the first invitation, but then when the second invitation came.

That said, it was now ready. They verse 18 all light began to make excuses. I'm the first one said that this messenger wobbled a field when I got to go out and see you please add me excuse which you would make any sense to me who lays out a bunch of cash for a piece of property they'd never even seen.

And even if it were true that he hadn't seen the property a he's already bought it. It's not going anywhere. It's dirt you should just wait and see it tomorrow if that were really true so it's a pretty lame excuse first 19 another one said watching comp is about five yoke of oxen I got a go examine them now. Again, I would've been a major investment in those days. They say that that at one yoke of oxen would've been about 1/2 a year salary to five yoke of oxen would've been 2 1/2 year salary you lay out that kind of money for much oxen. You never seem you even if you don't you'll buy a car like that right and what you it's not doing 1/2 years income but fueled by cocktail bar car last night the Internet what kind is it I don't know. I do go look at it you wouldn't do that. That's a lame excuse first 20 then a little and said why married a wife, therefore I can't come rye because the last thing that a new wife wants us to get all dressed up. But on the heels of the rich versus party noise.

True newlyweds are so dirt poor that they're looking for, any chance for a free meal they can get up first year marriage. Hey man, when my wife and I got married. She had $13 to her name and I was working part-time in this church which means I had about seven dollars.

My name which means eventually that entire first year of marriage.

We ate food that ended in egos Doritos Fritos taquitos. She knows that's all we ate.

So yet. We accepted just about every invitation that you gave us for a free meal. So in other words, this is a pretty lame excuse, to the point is all these excuses are lame. So the server came and reported these things back to the master of the match without an angry said to his servant you go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city and bring in the poor and the crippled and the blind Malay other two shocking things about the story. The verses that the original people did, for they said yes. The second and far more shocking thing is that this rich guy would then turn and Philip's house with the poor, the crippled, the blind and the length that's not how rich people babe magnet verse 22 and the servant said okay we did all that you can manage been done and there still room at this party master said of the servant, I will go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in so that my house may be filled. Now we as to the gloves off, because in Jewish culture save Highway people and hedge people met the moral outcasts of society. These be what I just pour there so outside the pale.

They're not even allowed in the city street people, miscreants, misfits, moral reprobates, ex-cons, sex offenders for whoever you want to put in that category. Those were not welcomed in polite society. You go bring them into my party. Jesus said in verse 24 for I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my banquet. By the way you notice of Jesus there switch in the first person open this one. He's been telling a story Minnelli shows is personal to him because he's the master in this story most people. He told the story to their the ones you make any excuses. This parable you see lesson is the summation Jesus is summation of Israel's response to him.

God had invited Israel to his party and they had accepted, but now they're making excuses as to why they won't respond to Jesus religious people.

This is a story about religious people because the people who have accepted the first invitation their part of the community of God are part of the people of God. Yet, when it actually comes to surrendering to Jesus when it comes to really experiencing the gospel big demure because they don't really see how desperate they are.

Without this invitation will will get into that desire. The point for you to see right now is that there's a lot of people in a community like this with a lot of religious people who have accepted the first imitation that they want to be a part of the people of God, but it never actually going through with a full relationship with Jesus, as I will show you to Jesus in terms of the gathered crowd and he says this verse 26 if everybody comes to me. You see, I don't hate his own father and mother and his wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life he cannot be my disciple mail Jesus a statement there really confuses some people like what hate your wife and your children hate your parents or me done. The Bible teach us to love all those people will yes of course hate here is a comparative term compared to our love and our commitment to Jesus every other commitment in our lives.

Even the most intimate and important commitments like our commitment to our spouse or children are parents even those commitment should feel like hate. Think of it like this. If you got a dog you probably love your dog. In some sense, but Sarah Robert came in and pointed a gun at your dog and your child and set him is she one of the two you choose which one it's not really a choice right right answer here is right. It's not really a choice because you you love your dog.

But compared to your love for and commitment to your child, your love for your dog would feel like hate Jesus is saying that compared to his importance in our lives.

Every other commitment. We have even back to our children are parents or even our comfort, our own lives should feel like hate, is that how you feel about Jesus was in. This is crazy talk for Jesus to turn around and say this word the people. That's like the number one way to kill a movement right. The only way you would ever go through with that is if there was something about Jesus that was so essential to your life that all others are the things without Jesus were absolutely nothing Jesus has to have the first place in your life to such an extent that you would say compared to him. I hate my friends compared to him. I hate my wife.

I hate my children I hate even my own life to me like I've never heard this before and get there it is in the Bible, you have to be so committed to Jesus that every other relationship, compared to how devoted and committed you are to him seems like a are you like that with Jesus Christ.

Three things parable shows us about why good people to a religious people, respectable people, what good people, so to speak, miss the kingdom of God 1 Jesus is showing us some people miss the party because they fail to recognize the importance of the invitation. These excuses that are given are not evil in themselves writing. I don't know, but none of them like a sorry kid, do a drug deal. Run a dogfighting ring and that's why can come now. They're all rather anemic excuses. Yet they become evil because they're used to justify ignoring something of extreme importance by him, even if the excuses sounded legitimate to you. You like will JD I think a little hard on me. The dude got a new wife didn't break you one thing out of her home even if they sound legitimate they become illegitimate when you compare them to the importance of the invitation. Right sometimes on them office.

For example your phone call. I'm meeting with another pastor so my sister will say sorry he can't take a phone call because he's meeting with somebody else. Sometimes I might even meet with somebody sometimes I'm just in the zone and I'm working and I know that it would just be due to distracting to take a phone call so I'll say not now I gotta stay in the zone.

Those are legitimate excuses unless the person on the other. In the light of my life and she's like our house is on fire or one of our kids just got hurt or I'm pregnant right any of those would suddenly make any excuse that I got going on wouldn't take no see, irrelevant compared to the importance of this invitation. All the other excuses are laying the question Jesus is asking is how important is an invitation from God.

If you really did get an invitation from God. It did you really think there's anything in life that would justify you putting them aside and not giving it your urgent attention last year when when Megan Markel and Prince Harry got married a huge error was made when invitations were sent out one for which Buckingham Palace has still not officially apologized and I'm referring of course to the fact that I never got my invitation so I went online just as you will look like, just so I would recognize it if it came in the mail so Veronica would not she thought away. So I found one online and if so, the opening line was awesome. The Lord, the Lord shame those of the drug Lord Chamberlain was commanded by the Queen to invite me to put you everything is been invited. Now I just have to wonder how many people got an invitation. Will I called Palmer as Fosamax and triggers oxen out before I got some land that he could take a look at the Lord Chamberlain is commanded by the Queen would like JD Britta Buckingham Palace. I'm going oxen or no woks at the Lord Jesus Christ is saying is been commanded by the sovereign God to extend to you an invitation to his banquet. It's an invitation to the poor, the lame but crippled, the blind, the street people. The heads people. The highway people it's invitation for lost people to be found for broken people to get put back together for addicts to be set free for lonely people to come to community. For those of us who have shame and regret that it lifted to have sins forgiven and hostility destroyed. If that were really the invitation to your receiving should not trump everything else in your life. By the way, some your like one leading to this invitation from God and honoring of the Bible is the word of God. That's that's valid. I get that. I understand that your objection. But if that's really what you think it not the question you should be devoting much of your energy and time to figuring out.

I do not understand people that like I know it might be God my identity got on with their I think they're called apathy asked APS means.

I know there's no God, the is means, I'm not sure and I don't care that doesn't make any sense if there's a chance it is from God that demand your utmost attention if you believe the Bible might be the word of God. You need to figure out whether it is because what if it is what it says it is.

I know an atheist professor who says that every year he asked his freshman class time you believe the Bible is the word of God. It's a college or in the southeast is about two thirds of the students arrays and family bottles were the got is okay. Of those, you had your hand raised, how many of you have read it all the way through. He said in a room full like 200. He said maybe two maybe three people on average, is it okay same group you believe the Bible sort of got me. If you read the Harry Potter books all the way through. This is two thirds of the audience to raise their hand pieces. I don't actually think you believe gets the word of God.

I have to agree with. If you actually believe it is the word of God. Then of course you would devote yourself to understanding what it said it doesn't make any sense for you to say this might be from God, and I don't really care. Ask yourself what good things the Bible says about eternity are true must consider pastor Jeannie Greer, Jeannie, yesterday we concluded your teaching through the book of Daniel, big step back for second letter you helping our listeners took away from your month-long series titled Daniel shining in Babylon were hoping to show people what it looks like to shine for Jesus in the midst of a dark and hostile culture right were supposed to be like Daniel part of Babylon's life in in in in in her business structures, and in her government, even and were supposed to be. There is a part of the city in this culture, loving and embracing it willing to be different in all the ways that the Bible calls us to be different. We want to give you a Bible study that will take you even deeper into these passages, and maybe help you see some things that that I wasn't able to cover the messages. It is a nine session Bible study to take you into these passages.

If you go to JD Greer.com right now it'll show you how you can reserve your copy today when you give right now.

To support this ministry will express our gratitude as well as the gratitude of your fellow listeners by sending you the work that pastor Jeannie mentioned the book of Daniel shining in Babylon only available tomorrow so you don't want to request a copy right now. I think think 335-5224. Give online Jeannie.com I'm only minutes encouraging you to join us tomorrow to our new series. Be sure to listen Wednesday night