"Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast." But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. Then he *said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.
"But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he *said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen."
Good Morning my beloved,
We welcome you to worship in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're so glad to have all of you here with us today. We continue to lift all of you up in our prayers. We ask that you would do the same for us.I thank God for those of you who have been so moved by His Spirit to support us in the ministry, whether by sharing the ministry website, and social media platforms with your family and friends, or financially. I humbly ask you will continue to join us in praying, and ask God to continue to bless this ministry in reaching the lost, the broken and the hopeless. to Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
We welcome you to worship in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're so glad to have all of you here with us today. We continue to lift all of you up in our prayers. We ask that you would do the same for us.
In Matthew 22, Jesus tells another of His iconic parable, the dramatic and very poignant story of a wedding feast, a Royal Wedding feast. He ends it by saying, "Many are invited, but few are chosen." Though the meaning of the parable is clear, with far-reaching implications. I’m quite confident that many within the church, and certainly those in the world do not understand it. If we did, we would surely reaffirm our commitment to Christ. The world celebrates many things, but they are not celebrating the invitation to a real magnificent celebration.
I don't believe the issue here is a wedding, since no marriage ever takes place and there's no bride mentioned. I believe God is calling upon the world, inviting them to the most historic event in human history, to come celebrate His Son in a grand celebration. Though many are being invited, by remaining in darkness, they refuse to come!
For three years He has been preaching and teaching the Gospel of the kingdom. He has been proclaiming Himself as the Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Being Wednesday, He's only a few days out from the cross, Jesus has been debating and confronting the Jewish religious leaders, or the Jewish mafia all week. They are extremely hostile toward Him, and are already planning His death. This is the third parable in the trilogy, each has been a message of judgment. Jesus is the master at articulating truth. They've understood everything. The tables have turned, for three years, you've rejected Me, and now God rejects you! This is a parable about the kingdom of heaven.
First, let's pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, as always, we thank You for Your Word. As we look around the world, our hearts are grieved for those who are lost, and deceived, their reprobate minds have become utterly useless, cursed by their own unrestrained sin, plunging further and further into an abyss of darkness. Lord we pray that You would merciful toward them and open their hearts to saving truth of the Gospel, clothe them in the righteousness of Christ, that they might join us in the celebration of eternal life in Your kingdom. Lord, we pray especially for those in our own families who claim to know Christ, but reject Him with their lives. Raise up faithful pastors and teachers to shepherd Your flock that they might be drawn to You, our Great Shepherd, that Your Word again become the authority both in our lives and this land. We pray that those who remain indifferent might hear the call of Your invitation to join the celebration of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Heavenly Father,
Father, as always, we thank You for Your Word. As we look around the world, our hearts are grieved for those who are lost, and deceived, their reprobate minds have become utterly useless, cursed by their own unrestrained sin, plunging further and further into an abyss of darkness. Lord we pray that You would merciful toward them and open their hearts to saving truth of the Gospel, clothe them in the righteousness of Christ, that they might join us in the celebration of eternal life in Your kingdom. Lord, we pray especially for those in our own families who claim to know Christ, but reject Him with their lives. Raise up faithful pastors and teachers to shepherd Your flock that they might be drawn to You, our Great Shepherd, that Your Word again become the authority both in our lives and this land. We pray that those who remain indifferent might hear the call of Your invitation to join the celebration of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
In Christ's name we ask and pray
Amen
Today's Message: Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?
Jesus is a master storyteller, He used parables to tell stories about things that were common in the every day life of His hearers to convey profound spiritual truths, they couldn’t otherwise understand, to give them the message that they needed to hear. Jesus always spoke about the kingdom of heaven, this parable is no different. He never got involved in politics, or the social issues of the day, His attention is always and ever on the kingdom of heaven and God’s gracious salvation. A lesson I believe many would do well to learn today.
Jesus begins His story with something they’re all very familiar with, a wedding celebration. In those days, the wedding was inseparable from the feast. Depending on the status of the family, it would go on for a week or more.
This is a story about a king who put together a grand celebration for his son, he invited people who wouldn’t come, so he invited new people who would, and the banquet hall was filled with people grateful to be invited. Then the king saw a man that was not dressed in the proper wedding attire. The story is about a grand wedding celebration designed to teach us how it is in God’s kingdom. Though there are different facets to the story, it is still a story about the kingdom of heaven. This is an amazing story.
Open your Bibles to the twenty-second chapter of the gospel of Matthew, verses one through fourteen. I would like to encourage you to follow along with me, as I read them to you. Let us be faithful to open our hearts and minds, and listen to what the Spirit of God has to say to each of us today. Matthew 22:1-14.
"Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast." But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. Then he *said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.
"But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he *said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen."
Let's begin with verses 1-2, "Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son."
The king was the head of the kingdom, the highest sovereign authority in the land, and the most honored, wealthiest person imaginable in the minds of His hearers. The king is the main character, who is preparing a grand celebration, a spectacular feast for his son. The word Jesus uses here is the "gamos," it appears here in the plural form, then it goes to the singular for form and back to the plural. So, we could rightly look at this as a whole sequence of many feasts, since the wedding banquet would go on for many days, culminating on the final day with a final massive feast, when the friend of the bridegroom took the hand of the bride, and turned it over to the bridegroom. It was the greatest final celebration of a series of celebrations.
Like any wedding celebration, you compile a list of people you would invite, give the guests notice ahead of time, with a general time in mind, then when everything was ready, you would send somebody to go back and tell the guests; "It’s time." Keep in mind, they didn't have clocks, refrigeration, or numerous catering outfits that would prepare the food ahead of time, it would require a great amount of time and effort to organize such an event, likely months. It would be like sending out wedding invitations stating that you're getting married in June, you'll notify them when everything is ready.
Verse 3, "And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come."
It seems inconceivable to me that they weren’t interested in coming, they were the ones already invited. It says they were literally unwilling. It’s one thing to be invited to a wedding, but this is the king, the prince's wedding feast at the king's palace. These were the honored guests, and they wouldn’t come. This would be comparable to being invited to the White House or Buckingham Palace today.
Verse 4, "Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast."’
This gives us a little detail about the size of the celebration, this was not a meal for commoners. He uses the Greek word "áriston," for the word dinner, which means the meal before the main meal. This would have been a mid morning breakfast, the meal between dawn and noon or what we often call brunch. The term for the evening meal would have been the word "deípnon." In the Jewish culture, they only ate two meals. Then they would have a post sunset evening meal or "deípnon."
Verse 5, "But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business," The Greek verb for paid no attention is "ameléō," meaning they were indifferent, or without concern. One went to his farm and another to his business. They weren't the least bit interested in attending the most magnificent celebration in the country, they were too preoccupied their own lives. It was business as usual. What an insult to the king.
So he sent his slaves to call upon the rest of the pre-invited guests. Verse 6, "And the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them." The remaining guests are not just indifferent, they're hostile. The king sends his servant come invite you to the royal celebration for his son and you grab the messengers and kill him? That’s exactly what happened, John the Baptist was beheaded. The Apostles, except for John, were martyred.
The parable might sound ridiculous, but the point of the story is clear. The King is God, the Son is Jesus, the royal palace is the kingdom of heaven. The pre-invited guests are the covenant Jews. The Kings servants are God's messengers, John the Baptist, the Apostles, those calling them to salvation, to come into His kingdom and exalt His Son. In the Talmud, the Jews said when the Messiah comes God will put on a banquet to end all banquets. When Jesus came, they "received Him not," they killed.
In verse 7, "But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire."
Those who were invited were not worthy. Jesus' story pretty accurately describes the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. When Titus Flavius Vespasianus came burned down the city, murdered a million or so Jews, and thousands more were sold into slavery. He was regarded as a competent military commander largely because of his successful siege of Jerusalem. All that remains is the western wall.
You know, it's the same story today, God's sending his preachers to invite the world, some are indifferent, salvation is not a concern to them, they're going to work, concerts and sporting events, they're not interesting in coming to church. Then, there are others, who are hostile and angry, they fight to remove God from everything, schools, offices and government buildings, all in the name of tolerance and equal rights. And, if given an opportunity, they would still murder Christ and anyone who represents Him. If you're indifferent or hostile to the celebration of Christ, refusing God's invitation, He is angry, just as much now as then. I assure you, there is a limit to God’s patience. God sent judgment into Israel, that devastated the nation, the day is rapidly approaching when He will eternally judge the world.
God has not changed His mind, as many would like to believe, God is immutable, He the same today, as He was then. He will punish the indifferent, and the hostile to the celebration of His Son. In our society today,we struggle with the issue of capital punishment, for those who commit heinous crimes to pay with their lives. Because they wouldn’t accept the invitation, they were unworthy, and God judged them and destroyed their city, and burned it up, in a very dramatic way. Scripture clearly articulates that worthiness is not dependent on moral virtue.
Verses 8-9, "Then he *said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’"
Here, the kings says go everywhere and invite everyone you find to the glorious celebration of my son, without prejudice, without discrimination, and without selectivity. I believe this not only demonstrates just how gracious God is, but how willing He is to call those who are lost to the kingdom of the Son, again and again!
Look at verse 10, "Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests."
The church is made up of the wicked and the good people in terms of morality, those who engage in immorality will not enter God's kingdom unless they change, therefore, God calls both those that are wicked and those who are good. Ones worthiness is tied to their saying yes to His invitation. That is what makes a person worthy, do you understand that? We all have the same exactly opportunity to experience the goodness of God. There’s no discriminating. The only question is the willingness to accept His invitation.
There is a failure among the leaders of the church today, who have offered themselves to be the ones to shepherd the flock, to lead them to righteousness, to protect from enemies of Christ and feed them. Pseudo teachers, false shepherds, are the emissaries of Satan, teaching a deadly, dangerous, and damning counterfeit doctrine, because they themselves don’t know God! Behind all this shameless debauchery, is the depravity of the unconverted human heart, without fear of God.
God's people do not follow false teachers, we are not deceived by empty professions of faith. Christ calls us out of the fold, and we know His voice and we obey Him. Jesus says in John 10, "But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand."
In Ezekiel 34, the Lord says "Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?" You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them. They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered. My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them."
Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: "As I live," declares the Lord God, "surely because My flock has become a prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock; therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ‘Thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I will deliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them."
There comes a point when God will step in, and the invitation to the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to those who don’t presently enjoy the blessings, and who will appreciate it and manifest it's fruits. Today, God is inviting every human being is on His guest list!
Verse 11, "But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes."
We don’t know whether or not the king provided garments, but there seems to be only one guy who wasn’t properly dressed. Jesus doesn’t say anything about that in the parable, so neither should we. I believe the point our Lord is making here, is there are no wedding crashers welcome in the kingdom of heaven, who are not properly clothed in Christ! I want to be very clear, just because someone is sitting in church, does not necessarily mean they are properly clothed in Christ. There are many pretenders in the church who outwardly do all the right things, they may fool you and I, but they cannot fool God.
Verse 12, "And he *said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless."
I'd like you to notice this man doesn’t offer any excuse because he didn’t have any. Everybody else had the proper garment, so the emphasis is on the guilt of that one man who was deliberately intruding. The implication is that the proper attire was available to everyone equally, this man just didn't wear it. How many of you today are saying, "I accepted Christ, but I’m not going to change anything about my life, I will live as I normally do!" You said the little prayer, you joined the church, you volunteer, give your tithe regularly but you’re not wearing the proper attire. When the Lord returns, and says "It's time!, "you're going to be standing there in from of Him, left without excuse.
So, what is the proper attire for entrance into the kingdom of heaven? Holiness and righteousness! No one shall come into the presence of the Lord without the garments of salvation. You need to understand, that no one can crash God's kingdom on his own
terms. It doesn't matter what you identify with externally, your life must manifest the righteousness of Christ. When the Lord sees there's no holiness, no righteousness, He will say "Get out! You don't belong here!" Jesus says in Matthew 7, "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
1 Samuel 16:7 says "But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." Isaiah 61 says "I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness." There are two kinds of people, the unrighteous world is clothed in filthy rags and God's people clothed in the righteousness of God in Christ, set apart from the world. If you have never been clothed in the righteousness of God, you have never been clothed with the holiness of Christ. That's so important to understand those who try to enter the kingdom without Christ and His righteousness are thrown into hell. That’s the message.
That brings us to verses 13-14, "Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen."
This parallels with Matthew 7:14, "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it."
In Closing..
God is lovingly calling all of humanity to join in the celebration of His Son, however, those who come to Christ, neglecting to obey His teaching, claiming the culture has changed, Scripture doesn't apply to the world today. Listening to false teachers, who redefine sin, they profess to be saved, while following the ways of the world rather than Christ. If you’ve come to Christ on those terms, you'll soon discover you're damned. I pray that you have understood the meaning of Jesus' parable. Salvation is gift, free to those who accept it His terms, those who are disillusioned with false salvation will be sent away.
Judgment is coming, and an excuse of the flesh, is clothed in Satan's lie! Anyone who buys into his lies will ultimately sabotage their salvation. God is omnipotent, His Word is immutable, He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, regardless of what the culture says! I pray that the stronghold of sin be broken in every heart that receives this warning today.
May it be so..
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And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen