We're returning this morning to the parable that Jesus told regarding the king and the wedding feast for his son. It's in Matthew 22. So, in just a moment, as we begin the sermon, we'll read that passage for our scripture reading as well. So, let's begin, though, as always, by asking the Lord's Blessed on the ministry of his word. Father, we ask just that, that you would bless and empower by your spirit, your word, as we come to it now, as we hear this great parable, the Lord Jesus Christ told to these enemies, these hostile crowds. And we pray, Father, that you would use these words of the Lord Jesus to convict us where we need to be convicted, convict us of sin, and that you would grant us quick repentance, and also that we would be greatly encouraged as we hear your word, and that our faith would be strengthened, our love for you would be increased. Most of all, Father, we give you thanks for the indescribable gift of your Son, his work on the cross for us, his perfect obedience to your law, that his righteousness might be imputed to us and our sin transferred to him as he bore on the cross. And we pray this all in Christ's name, Amen. Well, here then, again, is this great parable of the king's wedding feast. And as I just mentioned, and you will recall from last time that the context here, if you go back into the 21st chapter, so forth, is that of the Lord Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. But then very quickly, as he had cleansed the temple and so on, the atmosphere turned very, very hostile. He had cursed the unfruitful fig tree. He challenged and defeated the Jewish leaders questioning of his authority. He told the parable of the two sons, the one who was obedient and the one who was not. And he told the parable of the unfruitful vineyard. And all of those instructions and teachings were given with the purpose and intent of confronting the Jews of their sin of rejecting their Messiah, rejecting the God that they claimed had his blessing upon them. And chapter 21 had ended in this manner, Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him. When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds because they held And as we saw also last time, that forfeiture of the Kingdom of God stands to this day. Israel has still not repented of their sin, of their hardness of heart, and specifically of their murder of the Messiah. And so then, here we have still this additional confrontive parable from the Lord Jesus. Follow along as I read it again. Matthew 22, And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they wouldn't come. And again he sent other servants, saying, tell those who are invited, see, I've prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered and everything is ready, come to the wedding feast. But they paid no attention and went off one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops, and destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads, and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find. And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendant, Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen." Jesus' central, fundamental message, his gospel you can even say, was his message, his preaching of the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven. It is the king, it is the king's rule, his reign and his land and his people. That land ultimately being the new heavens and the new earth. Jesus told in parables and in more direct means how in this present world the kingdom is a mustard seed, the smallest of seeds, you know, and it grows and ultimately it will fill the entire earth. And it makes us think of the imagery of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream that Daniel interpreted for him of the statue and how ultimately the stone cut without hands would come crashing down and wipe out that statue which represented the earthly kingdoms and that stone would fill the earth. So the kingdom came when Christ came and even now in our day is still with us in this fallen world. But it's not an earthly kingdom, it's not of this world as Jesus told Pilate. My kingdom is not of this world. I haven't come to be the king of just another earthly kingdom. Just like the others have come, come here comes another one and so on. My kingdom is not of this world. In other words, Jesus did not come and it is not his intent to be a Messiah King reigning on this present earth in this present city of Jerusalem for a thousand years. That's the eschatology of the Pharisees which he is then refuting and it's still with us then today. Well, this parable describes more aspects of the kingdom. And we saw incidentally, just as a reminder, that the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven is the same thing, is the church. It's his people. It's the king present in his people by his spirit. It's his rule and reign within the hearts of his people And in that sense, right now, it's an unseen kingdom, right, largely. It's not the kind of kingdom that the Jews were looking for. And, we have to say, it really is not the kind of kingdom that so many professing Christians are expecting him to usher in then. So, listen to these first verses once again. And again Jesus spoke to them in parables saying, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king. So many of Jesus' parables begin this way, right? It's like, the kingdom of heaven is like, the kingdom of heaven is like this. And he's describing the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast but they would not come. Now, this first summons, this first extending of an invitation here is given to, as Jesus said, those who were invited. Now, initially you might say, well, yeah, those who were invited, they were invited because he's inviting them, that kind of a thing. But really, what Jesus means is that they had been previously invited. go first to those people whom I have invited beforehand, but now the wedding feast is ready, tell them it's ready, so that they can come. The king here obviously represents God the Father, and those who had been invited, to whom his messengers go first, is the Jews, it is the Israelites. In a way you might say then that God had invited them way back in the days of Abraham and had been invited. But now the feast is ready and the sun is there, the wedding feast, and they are to come. And so here the father is putting on this great feast, this wedding feast. The bride is there, and he intends that all creation honor his son. And this feast is not just any feast, even in the parable. It's a wedding feast. So the kingdom of heaven is like wedding feast and it's given in the in honor of the Son of God the Lord Jesus Christ the bridegroom and his bride the church then is is there that the bride is no ordinary bride and the bridegroom is no ordinary bridegroom and this wedding feast is no ordinary Psalm, you can think of Psalm 2, the second Psalm, as for me, as the father is speaking, as for me, I've set my king on Zion, my holy hill. And so he's established, here then is his son. Well, in this era of the gospel, which we would call the age of grace, What's happening? What has been happening ever since the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world and the Great Commission was given? What is happening? Well, the King was inviting all to come. And he had first given invitations to those who had been invited, that is, the Jews. This is what he did. Listen to Matthew 10 here. These 12 Jesus sent out, instructing them, go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. and proclaim as you go, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand." So consistently we see that the first people who were invited to come to Christ, who were the recipients, you might say, of the gospel of the kingdom, were the Jews invited to the feast. You'll see that pattern in the book of Acts, and we'll look at it then in a moment. And so here Christ came. He goes to the cross. He's raised up again. He sends out his disciples. He hadn't even sent them out before. But he sends out the 12, and he specifically says, I don't want you to start by preaching to the Gentiles. The place I want you to start is the people of Israel. They're the ones that, in my grace, I have so long been inviting. They're the ones who have been invited. Now tell them to come. The wedding feast is at hand. What were the apostles inviting the Jews, too. Well, they were inviting them to come to the new covenant by faith, by faith alone, in Christ alone. And what is this feast, this wedding feast that the gospel invites them to and invited them? They were given this priority. Well, consider. It's not a roast and turkey and those kinds of things. It's this kind of, this is what the table is spread with. Membership in the body of Christ. Pardon of sin. God's favor of his children, becoming a child of God. Having peace of conscience. Being an heir of everything that was promised to Abraham. having eternal life in an eternal restored Eden, having access to the Father's throne, entrance into the Holy of Holies, seeing Christ face to face, and the indwelling of the Spirit being the temple of God yourself and more. So there's no other feast like this. The Apostle Paul, in his opening to his letter to the church at Ephesus, got carried away, there's like this super long sentence with no period for a long time, and it goes like this, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace with which he's blessed us in the beloved. And Paul's not done yet. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in him, things in heaven, and things on earth. This is what the table is spread with. This is what's there at the wedding feast. And Paul's not done yet. In him we've obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of His glory. So at the feast, there's no delicacy lacking. There's more than we could possibly imagine, and so we have it in the parable that the king has prepared this great feast. It's the marriage feast of his son and his bride. You know, sometimes you may have seen watching it would have been even more impressive if you were there in person, but in England, you know, if they are establishing or crowning, however the wording goes, a new king or a new queen, there's quite the celebration and quite, again, the processions and the choirs and the cathedral and all of this, all of that glory, but it's nothing. Those things can't even approach this feast that the father has established for his son and his bride into what he is inviting, first of all, the Jews to come. And so these invitations are sent out to the Jews, the supposed covenant people of God. And it's only when you begin to get a bit of a glimpse as to how great this feast is, and what a tremendous privilege it is to be invited to it, that you begin to feel at least a little of the impact of, but they wouldn't come. They refused to come. They despised the son. They despised the father. And they despised then the bride. Here Jesus had come. He was born a seed of Abraham. He was born a Jew. He preached to them, the Jews. He lived among them. And the expanding circle of the gospel we read in Acts chapter 1, began with the Jews. You see this priority, this privilege that they had. That's why Paul says, see, I can't remember the reference. But anyway, he's greatly grieved at the hardness of heart of his fellow countrymen. The covenants and the promises and the inheritance, all of these things belong to them. But they've rejected, they refuse to come to the wedding feast. Here's more of this priority, Acts 1.8, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and he's talking to his disciples here, and you will be my witnesses, where? Where's the first place that it preached? In Jerusalem, and in all Judea, still in the land of Israel, right? And Samaria, and then to the end of the earth. So here's this priority, it begins then that the Jews received this great privilege. They were the first invited ones, but they wouldn't come. The king shows incredible patience at this site, and he sends his servants once again. Verse four, again, he sent other servants saying, tell those who are invited. He's still talking about the Jews. See, it's almost like, Maybe they didn't get it. I'll send some more messengers. I prepared my dinner. My oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered. Everything's ready. Come to the wedding feast. And so he calls them once again. And how long had the Lord's patience been in dealing with the Jews, right? It's one thing that happens. I'm sure you've sensed that when you're reading through the Old Testament. the historical books and how God in his dealings with the Israelites, with the Jews, after calling them out of Egypt and so on, and you're just thinking, man, I wouldn't have been that patient with them. Look at what they've done. Surely he's gonna wipe them out now. But in spite of their hard hearts, he's patient, he pleads with them. Isaiah 1, come now, let's reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they're red like crimson, shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat of the good of the land, but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." That's what happened to them. Even when the prophets and those messengers Who are those messengers he's sending? Well, they're the Old Testament prophets. And then he sends, he still continues to deal with them, right? And as Jesus comes into this world, and he sends John the Baptist. John the Baptist was really the last. He's kind of a, John the Baptist, I like to say, is the Old Testament, right? And so here's John the Baptist, the last of the Old Testament prophets. And he's coming, and it's like, entirety of the Old Testament scriptures are preaching one more time to these Jews. The next day, John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, behold, the Lamb of God. There he is. Believe on him. That's the Lamb. Isaiah 53, here's this lamb that is slaughtered. This is him. He's your Messiah. In Matthew 4, from that time, Jesus began to preach. So you see, even as they have rejected the Old Testament prophets, even if they really rejected them and ultimately killed Herod, killed John the Baptist, Jesus even continues to preach to them, though. From that time, Jesus began to preach, saying, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And when the son was rejected and killed, what does God do? He sends forth apostles and his ministers of the gospel, and he tells them, begin with the house of Israel. still continuing. These are the ones who were originally invited. Tell them to come to the wedding feast. 2 Corinthians 5, Paul says, speaks of himself this way. Therefore we, apostles, are ambassadors for Christ. God making his appeal through us, we implore you, on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake, he made him, Christ, to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Listen to Matthew Henry. One would think it had been enough to give men an intimation that they had leave to come and should be welcome. that during the solemnity of the wedding, the king kept open the house. But because the natural man discerns not and therefore desires not the things of the Spirit of God, we are pressed to accept the call by the most powerful inducements drawn with the cords of a man and all the bonds of love. If the repetition of the call will move us, behold, the spirit says, come, and the bride says, come. Let them that hear say, come. Let him that is a thirst, come. if the reason of the call will work upon us. Behold, the dinner's prepared. The oxen and fatlings are killed and all things are ready. The Father's ready to accept of us, the Son to intercede for us, the Spirit to sanctify us. Pardon is ready. Peace is ready. Comfort is ready. The promises are ready as wells of living water for supply. Ordinances are ready. The golden pipes for conveyance. Angels are ready to attend to us. Creatures are ready to be in league with us. Providences are ready to work for our good. And heaven at last is ready to receive us. It is a kingdom prepared, ready to be revealed in the last time. Is all this ready? And shall we be unready? Is all this preparation made for us? And is there any room to doubt of our welcome, if we might come in a right manner? Come therefore, come to the marriage, we beseech you. receive not all this grace of God in vain. And so you think of this, and of course this, as Matthew Henry's describing, is extending it, the invitation, from the Jews now then to the Gentiles. inviting them to come. Look at the feast. Consider the feast, this great salvation, the pearl of great price, the treasure hidden in the field. Everything's ready. Just come. Come to the feast. But once again, verses five and six, but they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them." Now, once again, this is in regard to the Jews. Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, right? How often I would have gathered you together, but you would not, you see. So ultimately, how did Israel deal with the prophets that God saved? They killed them. They killed them. Jesus here in the parable gives us more insight into these wicked people. They paid no attention. Why? Farm, business, worldly affairs, love for the world. They paid no attention. That's really the most wicked sin here, the most evil sin. It is contemptuous. It's a response of just blowing off the most valuable thing that could possibly be given to a person. They paid no attention. That's the fundamental sin of mankind. The chief sin, the worst sin of man, that arouses the wrath of God more than any other sin. is this. Romans 1. Man in his sin refuses to acknowledge or give thanks to God. Man in his sin lives as if God is irrelevant. That's what he does. And the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against this wickedness then. More than anything else, man lives in his sin as if God were irrelevant. He disregards his creator and turns to some other gods that he manufactures then for himself. Here's the verse in Romans 1, for although they knew God, Right? Everybody knows that God exists, that there's a creator. Everybody knows. Why? Well, they still don't honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened. Well, they know that God is there, their creator, because of the creation. His invisible attributes and divine attributes are clearly revealed so that they're without excuse. That's true of every human being that you run into. And what's also true is that every man, his sin disregards God. refuses to even acknowledge him, refuses to give thanks to him. And God lets the darkness sweep over them. Their foolish hearts were darkened. So here's the king's son in the parable, the bride, the wedding feast, the kingdom of God. But I've got more important things to do. And what do they do? Well, they give their attention to the world. to their farm, to their business, to whatever affairs of the world, and they regard them, those things as significant. This is what's important, not this, not this God stuff. As you think through these things, you know you're thinking about the people in the world that you have contact with every day. Your neighbor, somebody that you work with, unsaved family members, how are they living, right? We, as Verla and I were driving in here this morning, and we know our neighbors and I like him, except for the guy that burned his house down on purpose, but that guy, that's another story there. But these people, here it is, it's the Lord's Day, right? It's the Lord's Day. And of course, for them, it's just another day. They're another day. And we're not coming here and coming to church and to worship God because we're somehow better. We were just like them. We were born into this world dead in sin. We're only what we are because of God's mercy. Nevertheless, you'll see it. You see it on the golf course out behind here every Lord's Day. What is it? It isn't so much, although you can find examples of this, it isn't so much these people are saying, oh, we hate God. In fact, if you were to have a conversation with them, most of them, oh, I don't hate God. Oh, no, I don't hate God. How come you're out there? You don't even acknowledge God, let alone thank him. They hold him with, is inviting through the preaching of the gospel, right? Then, oh, well, that's really not very important. I got to get back to my business. I got to get back to my golf game. I got to get back to this. That's the thing that is, then, you see, really important. People will say, a lot of times you'll run into, well, I know lots of good people who are not Christians. There are good people in this world who aren't Christians. Well, in a sense, we'll agree with that. There are people who live parent moral lives. There are others that are thoroughly evil and so forth. But there are others that, at least as you look at them and you know them, and they work hard and they're fair in their business dealings. And if you need some help with something from one of them, they can help you. But, but. Why is the wrath of God set against them? It's because they won't come to the feast. They won't come to the feast given by the Father in honor of the Son. They won't do it. They disregard it. You see, they won't believe in Christ. They won't acknowledge Christ. They might acknowledge God in general terms, but they won't acknowledge His Son. They won't acknowledge that he is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by him. And in that refusal to acknowledge those things, you see, well, they're not such good people, then, after all. And God's wrath, then, is upon them. So here's a very similar parable in Luke's gospel. It's in Luke 14. But he said to him, a man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet, he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, once again, the Jews in view there at first, come for everything is now ready. But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, I've bought a field. I must go and see it. Please have me excused. Another said, I've bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused. Today it would be, got a new boat, got a new pickup. I got to seal the deal here, you know. I won't be able to come then. Another said, I've married a wife and therefore I can't come. So the servant came and reported these things to his master. The master of the house became angry and said to his servant, go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city. Bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame. And the servant said, sir, what you commanded has been done and still there's 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." We don't want to rush past those sobering words, then, you see. Jesus means for us in these parables to extend the meaning, which is primarily toward the Jews, but he means for us to extend the meaning to ourselves in our own day, to people who despise the Son and refuse the King, and where necessary, We need to apply some of these things to ourselves and do some serious self-examination. By that, consider this. The church is God's kingdom in this world, right? The body of Christ is God's kingdom in this world. It's an outpost of heaven. God has invaded this world. We are in this kingdom of heaven, and it's an outpost. in this land. We're pilgrims here, but we are stationed here in this evil fallen world. Christ is inviting people through us to the banquet. He's also inviting us as his people every single Lord's day to come to the feast where his word is proclaimed and his people are gathered and his spirit is at work, right? But we also as Christians, even as Christians, we battle with our flesh that the feast is prepared, his word is proclaimed, come to his church, but we can get careless ourselves and slight the invitation. There's this pull on us. Well, I've got to do this, and I have to do that. And lots of people, that's how they approach. So we want to think about this, and I apply it to myself. It's kind of like, Well, yeah, he's got to be there. It's his job, right? So I'd probably be worse about this if it weren't I had to be here, right? I like to think I'm here because I really want to be here. But I think you can see the point. Every Lord's Day, Christ's church gathers. There's a feast prepared. compels us as his people to come. And it's a great privilege. It is a great privilege. Come to the feast. So I know I've done this at times in my life as well, but we need to examine ourselves. How many times do I tell the king, I'm sorry, I can't come to the feast honoring your son? Because I got to take care of this. And I want to take care. And we're going to do this. And I'm going to do that instead. And the wedding feast of the son and the bride are disregarded then, you see. And I want us to just, each one, apply this to yourself very carefully. Are we not, when we do that, are we not participating in that very same sin? that these Jews were saying, well, I've got other things to do, I can't do that. And if that be the case, then what does God think of this? What does God think? You know, if you truly are born again, if you belong to Christ, the Lord is going to sanctify you. He is going to. and we can cooperate with him in that sanctification process, or we can stand and fight against him. But if we fight against him, be sure of this, he has many ways to subdue us and to get our attention, then, you see. So, verses five and six, they paid no attention to him and went off, One to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. There's a third category there, right? A worse one yet. People who claim to be Christians. But how often in local churches are there people who claim to be Christians, but their reaction to the serving of the feast, their reaction to the preaching of the word, which God has enabled them to be blessed with, their reaction is hate, hate, to destroy. I don't know if they're still there or not, but years and years ago, I was looking around way upstairs in a storage room up there, and I came across a little file folder. And there was minutes there from the church. Apparently, as I understand it, this church was first established, first began as a little children's Bible study or something in that old store across the street. And then eventually a building was built, not this building, the other one burned down and then they built this one. But here was these papers and I started going through them. And one of the things that I saw was there was turnover after turnover after turnover of pastors in this church. And I can tell why that is happening. The preaching of God's Word was not being received. Pastors were driven out. It's quite typical. in local churches then today. So there are people who claim to be Christians who nevertheless will treat shamefully genuine Christians, kill them if they could, right, and get away with it. So what does the king do with such people? Jesus was quite clear about this. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. And that's exactly what God did to the Jews in AD 70, when he sent the Romans and they burned and destroyed Jerusalem. And from that time, Israel then was scattered, you see. Listen to this. Here's this warning from Hebrews, Hebrews chapter two, therefore we, must pay much closer attention. to what we've heard lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels, that is the Old Testament, proved to be reliable, right, trustworthy, every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? If we neglect the wedding feast that we're invited to, How's God gonna react then to that, you see? Let me conclude here by reading another great section from good old Matthew Henry. And then we'll need to return to this parable a third time next Sunday and consider what's up with this guy who comes in not wearing wedding garments? And what's that all about, you see? And we'll have to look at that then next time. But listen to Matthew Henry. The message was basely or contemptuously slighted. They would not come. Note, when Matthew Henry, when you're reading him and it says note, he's about to make an application, all right? That's what's going on. Note, the reason why sinners do not come to Christ and salvation by him is not because they cannot, but because they will not. John 5, you will not come to me. This will aggravate the misery of sinners that they might have had happiness for the coming for, but it was their own act and deed to refuse it. I would and you would not. But this was not all. They made light of it. They thought it not worth coming for. They thought the messengers made more ado than needs be. Let them magnify the preparations ever so much. We can feast as well. Some of you guys are exaggerating about this feast. We'll have our feast at home. Note, making light of Christ and of the great salvation wrought by him is the damning sin of the world. They were careless. Multitudes perish eternally through mere carelessness. who have not any direct aversion, but a prevailing indifference to the matters of their souls and an unconcernedness about them. So there again, if you can talk to people and, you know, they're not, well, what are you doing? It's the Lord's day today. What are you, are you going to church? Ah, yeah, this is, here's where I am here. That carelessness is a great word. It's caring less. It's not caring. Oh, I don't care about the Lord and about Christ. I don't care about... I care about these things. And the reason why they made light of the marriage feast was because they had other things that they minded more. They had more mind to. They went their ways, one to his farm and another to his merchandise. The business and profit of worldly employments prove to many people a great hindrance in closing with Christ. That means salvation. No one turns their back on the feast, but with some other plausible excuse. The country people have their farms to look after, about which there is always something or other to do. The townspeople must tend their shops and be constant upon the exchange. They must buy and sell and get gain." And one of the points that Matthew Henry is making there is that sometimes you can have in your mind that surely the farming country, the rural country, and so forth, is going to have more godliness there than in the city, you see. Well, it doesn't appear to be so. The same disregard and contempt for the Lord can be found in the countryside as well as in the city. It's true that both farmers and merchants must be diligent in their business, but not in a way so as to keep them from making religion their main business. These lawful things undo us when they are unlawfully managed. There's many things that are lawful. Our businesses, our farms, the things that we do are lawful and that we should be diligent in working at, but if they're unlawfully managed according to God's law, When we are so careful and troubled about many things so as to neglect the one thing needful, well then, here is the problem. Both the city and the country have their temptations, the merchandise in the one, the farms in the other, so that whatever we have of the world in our hands, our care must be to keep it out of our hearts lest it come between us and Christ. Father, we thank you for these admonitions and encouragements from your word. We pray, Father, that your spirit would enable us and cause us to take them to heart, to examine ourselves, and consider these things carefully. And we pray this all in Christ's name, amen.