When the Invitation Becomes a Warning

Speaker A: And it's one that we need to, to pay special attention to because the invitation of God is out there. God's free gift is out there and that is salvation, forgiveness of our sins through the shed blood of Jesus on the cross. And the invitation is open that, that, that we can come to him, get that forgiveness, get our spot in heaven secured, know that we, we are forgiven and know that we are the children of God. But we see here in this story in verses 16 to 20 that the invited guests didn't come. This parable is a picture of Israel and the Gentiles. The invited guests are Israel, it's the religious leaders, it's the, the people of Israel. And that is the nation that God made as his people because of his promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In Deuteronomy chapter number seven and verse number six, we read, for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. So we see that Israel was God's chosen people. And as God's chosen people, the invitation was given and they rejected it. The religious leaders rejected Jesus because they were too focused on these worldly things. Instead of focused on Jesus being the promised Messiah, being the one who was, they were told was going to come, and, and he came and they rejected him because number one, he didn't fit their expectation of what they thought the Messiah would be or how they thought the Messiah would come. But two, they rejected Jesus because they were too focused on worldly things. They liked the praise of men, they liked the special ways that people looked at them. And because of their blinders, because they couldn't change their ways to accept Jesus as the Messiah, they missed the invitation. They rejected the invitation. And so many of us do that today. We reject the invitation because we don't see, we don't believe that Jesus existed. We don't believe that, that God is real. We don't believe that, that the Bible is true. So therefore there's a whole generation of people that's missing the invitation because they can't believe in Jesus. They can't believe in God. Like the people in the parable, Israel had rejected the invitation. They rejected that invitation. And then God opened the doors to others. We see here in verse number 21. Excuse me, see here in verse 21. So the servant came and showed his Lord these things. And the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, go quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in hither the poor and the maimed, and the halt and the blind. Notice what he says here in verse 21. He says to go into the streets and the lanes of the city. Now that's still pointing at Israel. But look at what he says. Go to Israel. Bring in the poor and the maimed and the halt and the blind. The servant is told to bring them in. The poor, the lame, the blind, the limp. And these are what the religious leaders would have considered the outcast of Israel. The religious leaders had rejected the invitation, but many in Israel did not. The poor, the maimed, the halt, the halt of somebody that walks with a limp, and the blind. The people that the religious leaders ignored. The people that the religious leaders cast out. Those are the ones that came. They got the invitation. They came. But then we see in verse 22. And the servant said, lord, it is done as thou hast commanded. Yet there is room, there's room for more. So look what he says here in verse number 23 of Luke chapter 14. 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. He says, go out into the highways and the hedges. Friends, that's the Gentiles. Friends, that's you and me. God said, the Israel rejected my, my invitation except for some. He says, so therefore go to the Gentiles. Go to the people that Israel considered outcasts, that the nation considered outcasts. The people that that wasn't full blooded Jews. He said, go out into the highways and byways and compel them to come in. Compel means to convince them. Convince them that the invitation is true. Convince them to come to the feast. How do we do that? Well, we compel people through preaching. Through preaching the Gospel like we've seen Peter do in Acts chapter two and again in several spots through the Book of Acts, preaching, telling the good news of Jesus, showing our need for a Savior. We compel them through preaching like Peter did, like Paul did. And we can see Paul's messages and study it in the Book of Acts where he goes on his missionary journeys and shares the Gospel, tells people about Jesus. We also compel people through one on one talking. And this is where, where it gets real for us by telling people not only the gospel of Jesus, the good news of Jesus, but also telling them what God has done in your life, what he's brought you out of, what he's brought you through, the way he's made a difference. And we can see that in the story in Acts of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, where he showed him, told him about Jesus, and we need to be going out and we need to be compelling people to come and accept that invitation, not reject it. But then we see here in verse number 24 of Luke chapter 14, he says, for I say unto you that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. Friends, that's the. The horror of rejection, of reject. Rejecting that invitation is that we're not going to taste of a supper, we're not going to taste of heaven, we're not going to make it because we've rejected that invitation. Maybe we rejected it because we think that we can earn salvation on our own. Or maybe we reject it because we don't look at ourselves honestly and we think that we don't need a savior. Or we reject it simply because we don't believe it's true. Friends, let me ask you a personal question as we wrap up today. Have you accepted that invitation that God's laid out there for us? Have you accepted it? If not, then what's keeping you from accepting that invitation? You can still accept that invitation today. What are you waiting for? The people that were invited to come and rejected that invitation, those are the people that's going to perish in a place called hell that was never made for you and me. But all those that accept that invitation, those are the people that's going to feast and going to dine at the heavenly table, spend all eternity with Jesus. Where do you stand today? Are you on the outside looking in, or have you accepted that invitation? Don't wait till it's too late, my friends. Get that forgiveness. Accept that invitation and start walking in the paths that God has for you. Think about that as you go through this day. And remember, get into God's word and allow God's word to get into you. And then share that word with someone today. Have a blessed day.