The following audio is from Shiloh Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. More information about Shiloh Presbyterian Church is available at shilopc.org. Please remain standing if you would as we'll hear what God is saying to us tonight from Luke chapter 14. I'm going to read verses 12 through 24. but I will ask you to observe some things in the first 12 verses as well as the message goes on. Luke 14, 12 through 24. He said also to the man who had invited him, when you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers, or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. When one of those who reclined a table with him heard these things, he said to him, blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God. But he said to him, a man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at that time, for the banquet, he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, come, for everything is now ready. but they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, I have bought a field and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen and I go to examine them. Please have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come. So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame. And the servant said, sir, what you commanded has been done and still there is room. And the master said to the servant, Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my banquet. The grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of our Lord will stand forever. Would you remain standing as we seek the Lord's pleasure in giving us understanding? Our Father, we ask now that you would come and help us to understand and know your holy word. We want to believe what you have said and live happily under your rule. We want to grow in faith and in holiness. What we know not, teach us. What we have not, give us. What we are not, make us. for the glory of your name. Amen. Please be seated if you would. Everybody loves a feast. Delicious food, good company, interesting conversation. What's not to love about being with friends and sharing a meal? And who's surprised by the fact that the gospel we have come to know and love is pictured in scripture with so many food images? Listen to these words, Isaiah 55, one and two. Come everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. And he who has no money, come buy and eat. Come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread or your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me and eat what is good and delight yourselves in rich food. How about these words from our Lord? This is John 6, 26 and 27. Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves, referring to the miracle he performed, feeding the 5,000. Verse 27, do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the son of man will give you. For on him, God the father has set his seal. Jesus speaks of himself in refreshing culinary terms, doesn't he? I am the bread of life. Come to me all who thirst. Whenever we take the communion meal, we feast upon Christ by faith, don't we? That's the language we use, and it's good language. That's what we do. And what did the angel say to John? What did he tell him to write down? Revelation 19, nine. Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb. Food and occasions for eating and drinking give such amazing metaphors for all of God's kind provisions for us in the gospel. They are rich, they are abundant, they satisfy the longings of the soul, and like a good meal, they give joy to those who come to eat and drink. Luke 14, records three food stories, one historical account of a dinner party, and two parables about dinner parties that were told at a party. The lessons he gave were full of reproof and were no doubt shocking to those who heard them. to the host, to one particular guests, and then to all the guests who were there. So let's take a look at the scene and give attention to the second parable. Look with me and see three things. An awkward moment, a generous invitation, and a shocking exclusion. That will be the outline for the message. An awkward moment. Jesus was eating at the home of an important man, the ruler of the Pharisees. Other guests attended. Some were Pharisees, some lawyers, perhaps others were there. They were there to dine, but they were also there to see Jesus, not merely to visit with him, but to check him out. They were watching him carefully. It's there in verse one. And I think you know that when people watched Jesus carefully, they watched so that they could catch him doing something that they believed ought not to be done. It was the Sabbath, and a man afflicted with dropsy was there. We call that edema in our day. He was there. He was near Jesus. I doubt that he was an honored guest because Jesus will later tell the ruler to invite the sick and not wealthy friends and relatives. Perhaps this sick and needy man was there as a trap. Guests wondered as they watched, what was Jesus going to do? Would he heal this man on the Sabbath and violate the fourth commandment? But healing the sick does not violate the commandment. That's what Jesus taught, any more than rescuing a fallen son or even an ox. So Jesus healed the man and he dismissed the man. The host was silent. The guests, they were all silent. They had no reply, verse six. Then Jesus told a parable to the guests to teach them not to seek places of honor. You can see that in verses seven through 11. He saw them choosing the best seats and so he told them not to do it. It's better to take a low place and be invited to move up than take the honored position and be told to move down. Jesus was not one for small talk, at least not at this dinner party. He saw things, he addressed things. People who heard him were speechless and no doubt very uncomfortable. And there's more, verse 12. He said also to the man who had invited him, so this is the host, a ruler of the Pharisees, here's what Jesus said. When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. What a gutsy thing for Jesus to say. And to his host. Jesus told him not to invite the very people he had invited. People who were there, listening to Jesus speak. Don't be concerned with returns in this life. Inviting people close to you or people of means will provide those returns, but you're not to seek them. Live in light of eternity. Bless the needy. Invite those who are despised by the world. Be generous toward the poor with no thought of repayment. That's what Jesus was teaching. The rewards will come when the just are raised. Do what is right now and be patient as you wait for what is coming. What a shocking thing for a dinner guest to say. And yet he said it. This is the awkward moment. Imagine yourselves there, hearing Jesus speak, hearing the insightful and penetrating words that came from his mouth. I wonder how long the moment was. However long it was, the next words spoken were those of another guest. And here are the words. Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God. Verse 15. What? Was he even listening? Did he not get the force of what Jesus was saying? He did not. And we know he didn't, because of these next words. Don't miss them, let's not miss them. Verse 16, but he, that is Jesus, said to him. The parable of the great banquet, as we sometimes call it, was delivered to him. It was Jesus' response to his comment, and through him it was told to the other guests. Bread will be served in the kingdom. but there will be people who will not eat it. It will not be a blessed day for them. Now let's take up the generous invitation of our God, and it is generous, very generous. The host in the parable invited a lot of people to a feast, and then he had food prepared for those he was sure would come. When the feast was ready and everything in place, the notice went out. Now's the time. The food is ready. Come and get it. The guests wouldn't come. They gave reasons, but they weren't good ones. I bought a field, I'd have to check it out. I bought some animals, I'd have to inspect them. I have a wife now, so I can't make it. All fine things to do, but there were terrible reasons to miss a feast that was carefully prepared for them. Weak excuses, each one. Offensively weak. They just didn't want to come. Surely the dinner guests who were listening to the story felt the insult as Jesus described the responses. The servant reported back and the master became angry. They blew him off with no regard for the investment he made for their comfort. All the efforts to provide generously for them, wasted. Unfortunately, I understand this having once offended a host in a similar way. I'm a little embarrassed to say this, but not too embarrassed to include it in the sermon, so I'll tell you the story. Pastor Dave mentioned that we served together in Uganda for a time in a region called Karamoja, the poorest region of one of the most, one of the poorest countries in the world. I think that the Akins would agree that the Karamojang people are hospitable and generous, and they loved to prepare food for guests, sometimes at considerable expense to them. Early in my time there, I stopped by a friend's hut to collect something. I told him I was coming. I did not tell him I was staying. But he assumed I would and that I'd be there for a while, and he and his family prepared accordingly. So there I was. with a few of my children, looking at this enormous spread of amazing food prepared just for my family. I was in a hurry, and I really had to leave. A concept unknown to the Caribbean people I came to discover. No one is ever in a hurry to go anywhere, and no one ever feels pressure to leave any place. It's a lesson that I think we could learn from them. Anyway, I thanked him, apologized, and took off for the next thing. That was really bad form. I learned how offensive that was at a later time and made another apology to this family who became very close and treasured friends of ours. We enjoyed each other around many meals after that, so things worked out. but this is how I learned to accept all generous invitations. In Karamoja, you don't refuse hospitality even if it's inconvenient to accept it, especially when food is prepared just for you. I don't know what my friend did with all the food. Maybe he brought in the poor and the crippled and the blind and the lame to fill his table, I don't know. The host in the parable sent someone to do just that. But there was still room. So the broadest possible invitation went out. Everybody come. Anybody come. I will be host to a lavish feast. I want a full house today. There is a tragic end line in verse 24, but before we get there, think for a moment about God's generous invitation and welcome to the world. I'm sure you know that this parable is not really about food as much as we all like to eat. It's about God inviting people into his home. The invitation is sincere and it is universal. Preparations have been made and all are now welcome to enter the fellowship of God's family through faith in Jesus Christ, the only name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved, Acts 4.12. I hope you all agree. Do you think much about the welcome of God? You should. Do you extend that welcome to people You see, do you love being in God's family? I hope you do. It's a wonderful thing to be a child of the living and true God, isn't it? I hope you say, I love being a Christian. I am so glad that I have a Savior who loves me, who gave His life for me, who is present with me, who makes promises to me, who helps me, provides for me, protects me, guides me, and will one day bring me to heaven, a place of never-ending joy and fellowship with Jesus and all of His people. I am so happy that I am Christ's and that Christ is mine. Do you say that? Here's another question, dear members of Shiloh OPC. Do you want others to join your family? Here's another way to put it. Do you want God to have a bigger family? He deserves more worshiping souls, does he not? Do you want the world to enjoy the feast. And it is a feast. It's a party. It's a gospel party. We are all feasting at Christ's table. We're doing it right now, actually, as we join our hearts in praise and in song and in prayer and attention to the holy word of Christ. It's a feast. Worship is a feast. Life with Jesus is a banquet, a party hosted by our master and savior, Jesus Christ. Not that life is easy and comfortable. It is filled with trials. We all know it. We all feel it. Jesus promised that there would be trials. It's never good to pretend that all is well when sin and suffering persist. But there is no need to pretend. Life is hard. Pain is real. and some troubles never go away in this life. And we need to learn how to speak honestly about this to ourselves, to people we meet, to God in our prayers, all the while longing for the resurrection of the just when all things will be made right. And we will be like Jesus when we see him as he is, 1 John 3.2. And we will spend eternity joyfully worshiping our Savior with the fullness of the family of God. But life in this age is hard. And that is why we need Jesus. And hallelujah, we have him. We have Jesus. Jesus came into the world. He lived and died and rose from the dead. He went up into the heaven. He sits right now at the right hand of the Almighty, praying for you, praying for me, representing us before the Father. His spirit lives with us and in us. This is the Jesus we love and we serve. We are in his family. He is our brother. He's our brother and not ashamed to say it, Hebrews 2.11. A brother who never fails us. Brothers and sisters, Jesus is there for you. He listens to you. He never mocks you. He never rejects you. He loves your prayers and always welcomes you to the feast of his fellowship. Do you believe that? You must believe it. I love how one preacher put it, Jesus is a friend who always lets you in and never lets you down. Perhaps you're here and you don't have a friendship with Jesus. You have heard about him, but you do not know him. You are invited to come. See yourself as God sees you. confess your sins and trust that Jesus died to pay for your sins and enjoy the forgiveness of your sins and the life that Jesus gives to all who come to him in faith. You are invited to the feast. Welcome to the feast. This is all really delicious food, isn't it? All the blessings that belong to us because we belong to Jesus. We need food, and Jesus feeds us. He feeds us generously, abundantly. Here's how J.C. Ryle put it in his comments on the parable. There is nothing that sin-laden hearts can wish or weary consciences require which is not spread before men in rich abundance in Christ. This is how we should understand the mission of the church, of this church. Jesus has welcomed us into the home of his father. We serve so that others would receive his welcome. Here's how one writer put it. The Christian mission is nothing more or less than our participation in the hospitality of God. That's a good statement. And it's why we send missionaries overseas. It's why we plant churches on our own continent. When you receive reports from missionaries and church planters and pray for them, you can ask that God would help them and those who serve with them to deliver this welcome to people in their communities. They do participate, as you do, in the hospitality of God. And so we pray for all of Christ's servants, don't we? And we pray that the Lord of the harvest would send more laborers. And together, we compel the world to come, to come to the feast. We compel them, that's how Jesus put it. Verse 23, and the master said to the servant, go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in that my house may be filled. That's strong language, compel them. Not force them or drag them, but urge them, persuade them, invite them, and surely welcome them. The master's house must be filled with hungry souls that eat and are satisfied. The food is ready. There's room at the table. Compel them to come in. This gospel invitation is broad and generous. And while there is time, there is hope for the world. But there will not always be time. And while all are invited, not all will accept the invitation. So let's move to the tragic end of the text for a shocking exclusion of those who dismiss the invitation of Christ. Remember that the parable is Jesus' response to the guest who uttered this platitude, blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God. That's what he said. Oh, what a day that will be, right? We're all going to be there. We'll be blessed. We'll be eating. We'll be drinking. That's what he thought. Not so fast. There will be people who imagine themselves there, but will be excluded because they rejected God's invitation. The invitation to come is generous. It is also urgent. The hospitality of God is serious stuff. There is a lot at stake. Here's the chilling concluding sentence, verse 24, For I tell you, none of those men who are invited shall taste of my banquet. Jesus is warning first his own people in this parable, the Jews who were privileged in so many ways and yet trusted in their privilege and not in the one that God had sent to save them. They were invited, preparations were made, but they did not come. You know these words from John 1 11, he came to his own, his own people did not receive him. But the broader view of the parable cannot be missed. It is easy to see. We are living right now in the age of welcome. Christ's atoning work is finished, and this invitation continues. And it extends to everyone. But hear this, the warning that Jesus gives extends to everyone as well. There are people in our day who think things are well when they are not, or they think things are lousy and have no idea how to cope with the problems of the world or the trials they face. They are feeding on ideas and patterns of conduct that seem to satisfy, but they do not. They are making a wretched choice, as the hymn we are about to sing puts it, and rather starve than come. They are starving while they're laying aside an invitation to the feast. It is your privilege to deliver that invitation to come and to eat. Taste and see that the Lord is good, Psalm 34, 8. Listen diligently to Jesus, Isaiah 55, and eat what is good and delight yourselves in rich food. Praise His name.