TEXT: Luke 14:15-24
15 And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.
16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:
17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
— PRAYER —
The Work You Should Be Doing Until Jesus Comes, Part 2
In this passage, Jesus has been invited into the home of one of the Pharisees for a Sabbath day meal. Being who He was, Jesus was not content to simply eat and fellowship with others. As He always did, He seized the opportunity to challenge His audience’s thinking on the nature of the Kingdom of God. First, He rebuked them for the hypocrisy they showed in criticizing Him for healing on the Sabbath. Then, He rebuked them for the pride they show in always seeking the highest places to sit when they were invited to feasts. Third, He rebuked them for their false hospitality in inviting only the rich and famous to their meals because they knew they would get something in return.
Finally, He delivers the parable in our passage today as a way of demonstrating how, at God’s heavenly banquet, the “deserving” people who were invited will be shut out due to their own foolishness and ingratitude, and those who are deemed “undeserving” will be invited in, will accept that invitation, and will take part in the heavenly banquet, which is representative of eternal salvation.
As Christians today, we see our role in this parable as that of the “servant” whom the Lord commands three times to “go out” and invite people to the feast. In verse 17, the Lord tells his servant to go out and “say to them that were already bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.” This invitation is for those who already know that the feast is being prepared. They were informed about it ahead of time. They got, in a manner of speaking, the early-bird discount. These early-birders are representative of the Jews in Jesus’ day as the Messiah came to them first after his arrival had been predicted for centuries by Hebrew prophets.
However, many of the Jews rejected the invitation to enter the Kingdom of God because Jesus did not look like the Messiah they wanted. They began to give all manner of excuses for why they could not attend the Lord’s banquet — one man had just gotten married, one man had bought a pair of oxen and needed to go prove them, another had bought a plot of land and wanted to go inspect it. However, as R.C. Sproul notes in his commentary, “The excuses are transparently dishonest. No one buys a field or oxen without prior inspection, and if anyone did, there was no hurry—the field and the oxen would be there tomorrow. The man who had married might cite Deuteronomy 24:5, but that freed a man from military service, not social contacts.”
Yet, that is what people do today when presented with the invitation to come to Jesus. They make excuses for why they cannot believe the Gospel. Some are trying to build their career. Others want to get their education. Some want to get married and start a family before they return to the church. Others want to pursue money and material gain and think they don’t have time or space for the Gospel.
Despite the excuses that many make for their refusal to believe, as servants, we are commanded to go out in the world with the invitation to come in from the world and into the kingdom of God. We must not let the excuses of others deter us from consistently saying to those in the world, “Come, for all things are now ready.”
Daniel Warner wrote:
Where art thou, wand’ring sinner?
What is thy portion tonight?
Bound in the fetters of Satan,
Oh, will you return to the light?
Lost in a barren desert,
Dark is the kingdom you roam;
Sinner, there’s danger foreboding,
Oh, flee, for there’s safety at home.
No peace within thy bosom,
No lasting comfort you know;
Come, then, to love’s peaceful dwelling,
Where fountains of happiness flow.
Mercy is calling, sinner,
Jesus has suffered for thee;
He’ll bring you home to the Father,
Where there is a welcome so free.
—–
Now, if you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, I urge you to trust in Him because He is coming again and you do not want to be left behind. Here is how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and the consequences of sin.
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! Congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door.” Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.
He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.
He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.
BCNN1 WP 